The 30p Sensory Toy Your Baby Needs Now!

When it comes to your child’s development, succumbing to the pressure of investing in expensive toys and gadgets is tempting but often completely unnecessary. You might be surprised to discover that for around 30p, a simple orange can stimulate your little one’s senses and contribute to their growth and attainment of crucial milestones.

How, we hear you ask? By squeezing more out of sensory play!

We caught up with our resident expert, Zenia Deogan, a Nutritionist, Food Scientist, Sensory Scientist, and Founder of The Flavour Academy. Here is what she had to say. You can also view a snapshot of this activity below.

As babies grow, they explore the world around them through their senses. Therefore, sensory experiences play a crucial role in cognitive and motor skill development. One inexpensive yet highly beneficial sensory activity is giving your child a simple orange to handle and explore. This vibrant fruit offers a variety of textures, scents, and colours that engage multiple senses, making it a perfect natural learning tool. Moreover, you can serve it in various forms to intensify their learning and understanding.

Let’s start by looking at how you can do this at home. 

Setting the Stage 

Food is best explored, and learning is maximised when restrictions are lifted. Start by removing any barriers to complete immersion. Pop your little one in the highchair and ensure they’re in something you don’t mind getting messy. Better still, keep them covered for curious adventures with a Bibado Coverall Weaning Bib.

This sensory activity could get juicy; you’ll want to keep them dry. The more comfortable they are, the longer they’ll stay engaged in the activity. Think about their mood when you set them up for exploration. Their attention span may be diminished if they’re ready for a nap or it’s too close to mealtime.

Above all, make sure, for safety’s sake, that you can stay close by to supervise and that you have adequate time to be present and watch the magic unfold.

Touch: Exploring Textures

An orange has a fascinating texture that helps your baby develop a sense of touch. Start by giving them the fruit intact so that they build an association with the whole orange. So often, we cut food out of sight, offering babies and toddlers pieces of it, leaving them unaware of its origin.

Let them explore the slightly rough and bumpy terrain of the skin. Encourage your baby to hold, squeeze, and roll the orange. This will help enhance their tactile awareness and strengthen their fine motor skills. The varying degrees of pressure required to grasp and manipulate the fruit also contribute to developing hand strength and coordination, which is important for later pencil control. 

You can take the adventure further and halve the orange to reveal the soft and juicy fruit. They may now poke their fingers into the fleshy segments, releasing even more of the aroma volatiles. They’ll instinctively explore the flesh with their tongue and may begin to suck at the edges, exploring both the bitter peel and the sweet, juicy fruit at the same time.

Alternatively, peel the orange while it’s still whole and let them explore the fruit now that it is undressed. The pith will add another dimension to the texture and taste exploration. 

Offer large segments and let them navigate the slippery texture and the tougher membrane.  

Smell: A Burst of Citrus Freshness

One of the most delightful sensory experiences an orange provides is its aroma. When your little one first handles the orange, even with the peel intact, aroma volatiles will be released into the air. The fresh, zesty scent will stimulate the olfactory senses linked to memory and emotional development.

Next time you prepare an orange, the aroma will trigger recall, and they’ll be more open to exploring it. Smelling an orange can be a calming and enjoyable experience for babies, introducing them to different scents and strengthening their ability to recognise and differentiate smells. 

Sight: Engaging with Bright Colours

Babies are naturally drawn to bright colours, and the vibrant orange hue of this fruit is particularly stimulating for their developing vision. Engaging with different colours supports visual perception and helps babies distinguish between various shades, contributing to their early cognitive development.

Hearing: Listening to the Sounds of Play

While an orange doesn’t have a specific sound, babies can create subtle ‘music’ by rolling it on different surfaces or squeezing it. The sound of peeling an orange, the squish of juice being released, or even the contact of the fruit on a highchair tray can be intriguing auditory stimuli that capture a baby’s attention and encourage curiosity. Don’t forget to add to the auditory process with your voice by offering encouragement and probing questions.

Taste: A New Flavour Adventure

Once your baby is ready for solid foods, tasting an orange offers another valuable sensory experience. The sweet, tangy flavour introduces them to a new taste, while the juicy texture contrasts with other foods they’ve tried. Ensure the orange is cut into safe, baby-friendly pieces to prevent choking hazards, and always supervise them when they explore the orange in its different forms.

Who knew something as simple as handling an orange could offer your baby such a rich sensory experience? From touching the textured peel to smelling the refreshing citrus scent and even tasting its juicy flesh, an orange provides a multi-sensory learning opportunity that supports early development.

So, the next time you’re enjoying an orange, consider sharing the experience with your little one—it’s a small, inexpensive, but meaningful step in their sensory journey!