‘Forget buying must-have toys, give the kids a box for Christmas’

 
“No guilt”: Daisy Mulligan doesn’t buy presents for Betty and Molly
Anna Davis @_annadavis31 October 2012

Parents do not need to buy toys for their young babies or use expensive buggies, a psychologist said today.

Sally Goddard Blythe claimed that buying top-of-the-range equipment for newborns could actually hinder their development.

All a baby needs for entertainment is its mother’s body or a clean blanket on the floor, she said.

A new report recommends that parents give their children a cardboard box for Christmas.

The Ribena Plus Play report found that 46 per cent of parents say their children prefer playing with boxes to gadgets, but they feel pressurised to spend more than £200 on “must have” items.

In London, 16 per cent of parents plan to spend £500 or more on each child this Christmas. Only three per cent will spend less than £50.

Mrs Goddard Blythe, a consultant in neuro-developmental education, said: “The toy marketing industry has done a great job of persuading parents they need to keep buying ever more expensive toys and gadgets This isn’t true.

“As the report proves, simple household goods which let youngsters’ imaginations fly free are the most rewarding toys of all and can benefit kids’ development in the long run.” Mrs Goddard Blythe, director of the Institute of Neuro-physiological

Psychology, said: “In the first few weeks and months the best playground for young babies is mum’s body and then a clean blanket on the floor. Even baby equipment is not necessary.”

Mrs Goddard Blythe, who has written a book called The Genius of Natural Childhood, said chairs that help a baby sit up before it is ready can hinder development, but if the baby is placed on the floor it learns to hold its head up itself.

Buggies or any other equipment that keeps a baby in a sedentary position for hours can also be harmful.

Daisy Mulligan, 29, a mother-of-two from Pimlico, recently celebrated her daughter Betty’s first birthday but did not buy her a present.

She said: “From an early age Betty was content in herself. She watches the world go by which is stimulating in itself. My older daughter Molly is three and for the first time she is asking for toys which she sees her friends have.

“I gave her cardboard boxes to play with and she loved them. They are the launch pad for her imagination. She decorated them and made one into a shop.”

She added: “I have no guilt. When I used to go away for the weekend with Molly I used to take so much stuff to keep her entertained, now with Betty I might just have a wooden spoon.”

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