New Kid On The Blog

Some experts recommend that the appropriate toy for a baby from birth is a mirror attached to the cot. When Dominic was a new born, I put him in front of a mirror so that he could entertain himself. However, some old folks (my mother-in-law included) advised against it. Something to do with the Chinese superstitions.

Perhaps many people associate the mirror with something evil, spiritual or horror. We have seen them in various movies. In the Exorcist, there was a scary mirror. In ghost movies, images of ghosts appeared in the background when someone looked into the mirror. In Snow White, the evil queen's companion is none other than a mirror. It is almost always about a mirror.

Despite everything, I still bought Dominic a mirror toy from Fisher Price. He loved it for a while, then got bored of it.

So why do experts recommend a mirror as a toy for babies? It is considered a developmental toy that helps to develop attention span and motor skills. It delights and amuses the baby because naturally, babies like other babies or children. All in all, there's a myriad of developmental benefits. I, myself have seen how delighted Dominic was when the baby in the mirror smiled back at him and immitated his gestures. Unfortunately, he got bored of it very quickly.