Babies and small children just love music – the noisier the better, and it doesn’t matter whether its tuneful or not! Even before they were born, soft music and lullabies have a calming effect on babies in the womb, and some studies have shown that in the months after they’re born, babies respond positively to a tune they heard often whilst their mothers were pregnant with them.

In fact, music plays such an important role in the development of babies that some therapies for premature babies involve playing music for them, and research found that it was a good tool for weight gain.

Sharing music with your baby and toddler is also a great way to bond with them. Share your favourite songs, dance them around the living room or teach them the dance moves to songs from your own childhood. Music gives an instant boost to your mood and spirit.

So it’s no wonder that babies love to make their own music. And giving them a simple instrument to play and experiment with can help them with language and listening skills, problem solving and key motor skills, as well as boosting their creativity and self expression!

Plan Toys Oval Xylophone

Here at Babi Pur we’ve got some fantastic musical instruments for babies and children. Small babies will love grabbing and shaking instruments, so these Hape Melody Maracas are great for small hands to clutch, as are these colourful Hape Mini Maracas. Both are suitable from aged 12 months, but kids of any age will love to grab and shake and see what sounds they make!

We also love these colourful Plan Toys Fish Castanets. Such a gorgeous design and simple sounds, but babies will love giving them a good old rattle and shake to make the fishies clap. They’re suitable for children over 12 months.

And the Educo Baby Zylophone is just brilliant for little hands and ears. The simple design and bold colours will really appeal to babies (it’s suitable for any child over 12 months) and the zylophone is made with non-toxic paint and glue so it won’t matter if it ends up being chomped on! Each wooden panel plays a different note when it’s hit with the stick so babies will love giving them a good bashing to see which notes they can hit next.

For slightly older children, the Plan Toys Clatter Musical Toy and the Plan Toys Solid Drum are great for helping to teach your children rhythm, and for banging and clapping along with them. Both these are suitable for babies over 19 months, and as with all Plan Toys, they are made from natural and sustainable materials that are safe for your baby.

And finally, for something a bit different, these Haba Musical Shaking Eggs are just mesmerising to toddlers. There are five brightly coloured “eggs” in the set and each one makes a different noise when your child picks it up and gives it a good shake. Push them, roll them, shake them or wobble them. These eggs are great fun!

Sioned