Shopping on the web is the easiest, if it is hard for you to get out, or if you are low on time. But searching for good sites and toys takes a long time, so I searched the web and found many interesting sites for good ideas. It's also a good idea to bookmark some places on the web and send them to family or friends who would like to buy your child a gift, but have no idea what is a good fit for your child.
To quote a friend of mine, "Stimulate, stimulate, stimulate!". A physical therapist once told me that vision and hearing, as well as gross motor skills, are partly a function of habit. If you stimulate those senses, some vision, hearing, and purposeful movement could develop. But where can you find toys that are appropriate?
Here are some of my personal favorites:
Last Christmas, Rachel was five months old. I hunted high and low for a toy that did not require vision, hearing, or gross motor skills, had good texture and kinesthetic (motion) value and was not just a stuffed animal. After hours of searching, I finally found a very cute Cuddly Vibrations Winnie the Pooh. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN2/...
Rachel seemed to like vibration, so we also got her a vibrating baby seat. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN2/...
I also found silver sparkly cheerleading pompoms to brush her with and the silver just glittered, which I thought would be good for visual stimulation. I found those at Target.
My favorite toy is a caterpillar that is brightly colored and patterned. Each section of the caterpillar has a different texture and the head is a rattle. The best part, though, is that when you pull the ring at the end of it, it vibrates the sections together. It is made by The First Years. I have searched for about two hours for it on the web, but I can't find it. If you choose to look for it, I found it at Toys R Us.
I love the Whoozit! This plush toy has seven legs with different textures at the end of each one. The only thing it is missing is vibration or other movement. It is very colorful, which could be a good thing. However, I have read that for children with cortical vision impairment, fewer colors at one time are best. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B...
