Treasure baskets

Babies from six to ten months old, enjoy exploring objects with their hands, eyes and mouths. Every experience a baby has, stimulates connections in the brain.

A treasure basket is a collection of objects, made from mainly natural materials which are attractive to babies, piled up in a large round basket. A shoe box works too.

Babies should be sitting with the basket in front of them, and allowed to choose items by themselves that they find interesting. The baby should not be left, as these items are not toys. You should check the items before you start, to make sure they are not sharp or do not have loose parts.

Items to put in the basket might include:

• A wooden spoon
• A new nail brush
• A wooden or metal egg cup
• A small metal bowl
• Metal teaspoons
• A solid metal bangle
• A loofah
• A clean washing-up sponge
• Pine cones (check for loose bits)
• A lemon (watch out for babies with teeth biting off the peel)
• A piece of chain (clean and about half a metre long)
• A rattle
• Small cardboard boxes or tubes

Treasure baskets offer a rich resource for learning. Your baby may be absorbed for up to 40 minutes.

In addition to making choices and developing brain connections, your baby will:

• Use small finger and hand muscles
• Practice reaching, holding and releasing
• Use larger muscles in their body core to balance