...playing with toys? I'm just curious because my BabyCenter newsletter says that an 8 week old should be able to hold and shake a rattle, but he doesn't even know what his hands are yet :toothy: I can't even get him to grasp onto it. I'm not worried because he was early, and all kids develop at their own pace, but I was just wondering how old everyone's kid were before they started playing with toys.

and boy - do we have a ton of them!

~Both my munchkins were late with everything.I remember Roman started holding onto toys great at about the same time he started laughing. I think that was about 12 weeks. Those articles about they should be doing can drive you crazy. ~

I hate their guidelines. BEcause by their guidelines all of my kids are behind on absolutely everything...as are most every one of my friends kiddos. LOL

I think all of mine had no interest in toys until about three months.

DS is now five months old... but he was ten weeks early, so you have to adjust that and say that developmentally he's more like a three-month old. At any rate, he's only recently started staring at his fists and figuring out how to get them to his mouth. (He only gets to his mouth about half the time & quite often hits himself in the nose.... it's so cute!) He grasps my finger if I place it squarely in his fist, but that's it.

DD was also a preemie, and I learned early on not to pay attention to the time lines for dates, just to look at more of the order of things. If they are doing XYZ now, the baby books can probably predict what they will do next, just not necessarily exactly when.

I don't have a clue but 10 weeks sounds awfully early to me. I'm sure he'll be noticing his hands before long and then he'll surprise and delight you with all that he does with them (well, most of the time until he learns to crawl....lol). I never really liked all those guidelines. I think they must use the only perfect human child ever born to set them.

Off topic, but I love the new avator, Sara! What a cutie!

I hate their guidelines. BEcause by their guidelines all of my kids are behind on absolutely everything...as are most every one of my friends kiddos. LOL

I think all of mine had no interest in toys until about three months.

:yeah:
I couldn't agree more!

I raised 6 kids and I never listened to what they were surpose to do by what age. My first born was slower but #6 was beyond early, but he had 5 older sibling to play with him and teach him. Now the boy is living his dream. You child will develope when he is suppose too.
Fern

Sara, STOP READING! I had to learn how to do that when I was pregnant (all three times I had to learn it again :) ) and then once the kids came I had to learn it again! Julia was ahead of the mark with everything, Patrick was behind with everything, and Matty has been ahead with some things and behind with others. In the end, they all even out. You don't need to strap the rattle to his hand quite yet. :)

I only have one child, and I worried myself sick when he was real little he wasn't doing this or that. Then @ 7 months he was walking on his own all over the house. I think the best thing that I did was trash my books well I really didn't trash them I gave them to my sister. But I tried really hard not to worry. I don't think Blayne rolled over on his own till he was 12wks old and he didn't start really holding anything until about a month or so later I don't know what happen between 4mos-7mos. but he caught up quick.. don't worry it will come when they are ready : )

I agree with the other posters. Ignore the books and newsletters, they will only drive you crazy. Some days I spent so much time worry about what stage of development my DS should be at, I was forgetting to stop and enjoy the stage that he was actually at. Relax and enjoy each other, time spent together counts way more than any growth chart ever could!

Don't you listen to the guidelines. They'll drive you nuts.

Apparently, my child is a throwback to neanderthals because at his age (see ticker below) he is still a toothless wonder. However, he's quite capable of hissing and growling---go figure.

Go with your gut as a momma. It'll lead you far straighter than any book.

Honestly, I'm really not worried that he's behind. I just kind of like to hear age ranges, which is why I posted the question. Like I know that teething can be anywhere from 4 months to 12 months. And I like hearing what everyone else's experience has been :-)

Okay then! The hissing growling toothless wonder started paying attention to toys and such around 6 weeks. It wasn't like he played with him or even gnawed on them. He just held them and he would freak out if we tried to take them away. Now he plays with toys constantly, but he still is fiercly posessive of things. One day he wanted to leave a sticker on his onesie and he threw a fit if we tried to take it off. Last night he wouldn't let go of a spoon that he had attached himself too. He still had it this morning. He's an odd ducky like that.

Emmett started holding his rattle at 3 months. Now at 9 months he will snatch at everything that comes within his reach! LOL

Babies are all so different...Em's a little ahead verbally, I think, but a little behind on motor skills (not crawling yet). It is so true that they do things in their own good time! :)