Time to play!

Meet the EXPERT M&B’ panellist Sonali Shivlani is an Internationally Certified Pregnancy Consultant and a child nutrition counsellor. She is the executive director of CAPPA India, and also trains aspiring birth professionals to achieve certification in pregnancy, birth and lactation counselling.

- Sonali Shivlani

I visited a young couple recently, who had just had their second baby. The older child was looking super glum, and when I asked her what was making her so sad, she looked at me and said, “My baby brother is not playing with me.” It made me realise how common this issue is. Prior to the arrival of the baby, mums and dads end up doing a lot of shopping for essentials as well as non-essentials, and of course, toys. But they are surprised when their baby does not seem to respond. And then beat themselves up for not being able to bond with the baby. So how do you decipher what your baby really needs at such a crucial stage in her life? Keep in mind—babies do not need a lot nor do they need too much variety. Here’s our guide to shopping for toys and activities for a newborn: