Ortiz 1

Yesenia Ortiz
PSY. 350-40
Dr. Hurtado-Ortiz
7 October 2015
Infant Toy Mobile
Play is a continuous and expanding process in which children of all ages learn. Through
play, children can learn many skills that can benefit throughout their whole life. Through play,
children engage in actions that utilize their biological, cognitive, and sensory developments. In
particular, a Toy Mobile can be seen as a great toy that children are attracted to. This is because
the moving and hanging objects attract a young childs attention and can stimulate interaction.
The first couple years of a childs life are vital. A child goes through many different changes
within their first couple years of life. Infants learn skills that are carried on to their adult lives
and are building blocks for other complex skills that are learned. I will be describing an ideal toy
mobile for infants under the age of eight months, which is able to stimulate an infants sensory,
biological, and cognitive abilities.
During the first couple months of an infants life, their senses are going through many
different changes. First, we will examine sound. Newborns respond to sound immediately after
birth. Loud noises often tend to startle infants and in some instances make them cry. Infants will
also turn their heads in the direction of the source of a noise. Infants tend to prefer the sound of a
human voice over any other sound. When it comes to vision, the basic anatomical components
are present at birth however, they are not fully developed. At first, an infants vision is blurry.
Infants can see approximately twenty feet away. By the age of four months, infants can see

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nearly as well as adults can. Newborns actively scan their surroundings, despite difficulty seeing.
Newborns prefer high contrast colors rather than bright colors and pastels. In essence, a toy
mobile should be close enough for an infant to see and consist of hanging shapes, such as circles,
triangles, and squares. These objects should be high contrasted, such as black and white or red
and green. On each object, there should be different patterns that will grasp the attention of an
infant. Since infants prefer low sounds and human voices, this toy mobile should consist of soft
spoken lullabies that can be played when prompted to. It is important to note that this toy mobile
can be attached to a childs crib, walker, or baby bouncer. Although newborns cannot see well at
first, having a toy mobile can stimulate their sensory capabilities as their vision develops.
Along with their senses, an infants biological abilities also go through many different
changes during their first couple of months of life. Reflexes are important building blocks for
constructing complex and coordinated behaviors over time. When bright lights or foreign objects
are present, infants blink rapidly. This is permanent and can occur through their adult life. The
reflex of reaching also undergoes many changes. Even from their earliest days, a babys arms are
almost always moving. In most cases, their hand come into contact with some sort of object,
which may be accidental. When an infant is around three months of age, visually guided reaching
is present. Infants are able to locate objects by seeing or hearing it, and they can now adjust their
arms to reach or get their hands close to the object they are trying to touch. Once they get their
hand close to an object, they can open their fingers in hopes of grasping the object. Grasping is
another reflex that infants develop. An infant will wrap their fingers around a finger or some
object that is pressed against their palm. This reflex disappears within three to four months of a
newborns life and can be replaced by voluntary grabbing. Stepping is also another reflex that
changes in the first moths of a newborns life. Stepping occurs when a baby is held upright over a

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flat surface and the baby may make rhythmic movements. Stepping usually disappears within the
first two months of a newborns life. However, this reflex can reoccur in specific moments. Also,
stepping can be a kicking movement or it can even be a component of walking. When tying all
these changes of reflexes together, this toy mobile should not consist of bright lights. Rather, it
can consists of dimmer colorful lights that can act as a night light. Also, the toy mobile should
have adjustable lengths. This is because when it is attached to a crib, is should merely be an item
that the baby is looking at. When it is attached to a bouncer seat, the toy mobile should be in
closer view than compared to a crib. When the toy mobile is attached to a walker, a baby should
be able to lightly touch the hanging objects, to invoke curiosity and encourage stepping and
kicking, that later aides in walking. To aide in the changes of biological abilities, objects such as
a toy mobile can make an impact of engaging an infant in many different ways.
Along with an infants senses and biological abilities, an infants cognitive abilities are
also going through different changes. Jean Piaget introduced a comprehensive explanation for an
infants transition from reflexive behavior to coordinated actions. John Piaget believed that a
child understand the world through their engagement with it. He also believed that their
understanding occurs in distinct stages. Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development consist of four
stages. These stages are known as Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete-Operational, and
Formal-Operational. The Sensorimotor stage occurs from the time a baby is born to the time they
are two years old. During this stage, achievements of infants consist largely of coordinating their
sensory perceptions and simple motor behaviors. This first stage is divided into six sub-stages.
Through these sub-stages, infants come to recognize the existence of a world and begin to
interact with it in many different ways. We will taking a look at the first three sub-stages of the
Sensorimotor stage. The first sub-stage occurs when a baby is born to one and a half months old.

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During this sub-stage, infants exercise reflex schemas. According to Piaget, during the fourth and
sixth weeks infants learn to control and coordinate the reflexes present at birth. Although, these
initial reflexes dont really add nothing new to development because very little is change.
Grasping and looking are just a few examples of schemas that are exercised. The second substage occurs when an infant is one a half months old to four months old. Infants in this sub-stage
repeat pleasurable actions for their own sake. Piaget referred to this as primary circular reaction.
Such examples include waving their hands or kicking their feet. The third sub-stage occurs when
a baby is four to eight months. During this sub-stage, secondary circular reactions occur. This is
classifies as the awareness of the effects on ones own actions on the environment and extended
actions which produce interesting change in the environment. The moving objects on a toy
mobile attract a childs attention and stimulate interaction. Cognitive connections related to
infants using a toy mobile include cause and effect, sound and texture discoveries, and hand-eye
coordination.
Infants are constantly undergoing many different changes. An infant toy mobile can help
infants to develop their sensory, biological, and cognitive abilities. This toy mobile can be used
in a variety of different situations. It will consist of an adjustable length, so that it can be placed
over a crib, baby bouncer, or a walker. The objects hanging form the toy mobile should invoke
interest in infants. This can be due to color, shape, and texture. This toy mobile will also have an
option to play soothing music, so it can be turned on when a child is going to sleep or it can be
played to gain their attention. Since an infants reflexes are constantly changing, this toy mobile
should be in arms reach of an infant, preferably when it is attached to a walker or to a baby
bouncer. This toy mobile will also contain low, multicolored lights that can be turned on in the
dark, to possibly use as a night light. All these aspects combined together will not only gain the

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attention of an infant, but also stimulate their sensory, biological, and cognitive abilities in many
different ways. This toy mobile will be a great way to aide an infants development. Skills that
are learned in the first couple of months are vital skills that a child will use throughout their
whole lives. Also, these skills can lead to the development of other very important skills that are
essential in daily life.