# Following the rattle

You move a rattle slowly from side to side as it jingles, and your baby practices following it with their eyes.

To do with your baby in the first 4 months. It works on: hearing, visual movement and visual focus. You'll need: rattle.

## What do I need?

- Rattle

## How do I do it?

1. **Set up the space.** Lay your baby on their back on a comfortable surface. Bring your face about 30 cm (12 in) from theirs, so they can see you clearly.
2. **Move the rattle.** Pick up something that makes a sound (a rattle, a bell or a musical toy). Move it slowly from left to right in front of their eyes, about 20–25 cm (8–10 in) from their face.
3. **Add the sound.** Keep the sound going as you move it, so they see and hear it at the same time. Watch their eyes: at first they follow it in little jumps, then more and more smoothly.
4. **Stop when they tell you.** When they look away or start to fuss, leave it for today. That's their way of telling you they've had enough.

### Take care

Keep a firm grip on the rattle the whole time, so it can't slip and fall on their face.

## What are they learning?

As they follow the rattle, they practice moving their eyes from side to side without losing sight of it, and the sound helps them connect what they see with what they hear. Around 3 months, many babies start reaching for the rattle, even if they can't grab it yet.

- **Hearing**: Connects the sound of the rattle with what they see
- **Visual movement**: Follows an object moving from side to side with their eyes
- **Visual focus**: Keeps their eyes on the rattle without losing track of it

## What the research says

- DeCasper AJ, Fifer WP. Of human bonding: newborns prefer their mothers' voices. Science. 1980;208(4448):1174-1176. doi:10.1126/science.7375928 (https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7375928)
- Muir D, Field J. Newborn infants orient to sounds. Child Development. 1979;50(2):431-436. doi:10.2307/1129419 (https://doi.org/10.2307/1129419)
- Braddick O, Atkinson J. Development of human visual function. Vision Research. 2011;51(13):1588-1609. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.018 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.018)
- Rosander K. Visual tracking and its relationship to cortical development. Progress in Brain Research. 2007;164:105-122. doi:10.1016/S0079-6123(07)64006-0 (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6123(07)64006-0)
- Colombo J. The development of visual attention in infancy. Annual Review of Psychology. 2001;52:337-367. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.337 (https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.337)
- Courage ML, Reynolds GD, Richards JE. Infants' attention to patterned stimuli: developmental change from 3 to 12 months of age. Child Development. 2006;77(3):680-695. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00897.x (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00897.x)

Reviewed by Javier Atance Ibar, PhD in Education.

https://papakoala.com/en/activities/following-the-rattle/