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Baby books: *Birth ­ 6 months*

May 2000

THIS MONTH'S FAVE RAVE:
Baby's Play and Learn Pack, by Miriam Stoppard
baby's play & learn packThis pack is expensive, but extremely broad in its content, and detailed in its advice. There's a press-out glittery mobile, a wall frieze showing black-and-white geometric patterns on one side and animals on the other, a cassette tape of classical music, a card mirror, three fabric shape toys, a lovely dongle-dangle musical rattle with a good gripping handle, and a set of activity cards.

The activity cards feature games like copycat faces, appropriate for newborns, right up to sandpit play ideas for one-year-olds. An activity is given a tick if it is designed to stimulate the baby's mind, talking, moving, hands, or friendliness.

As well as all this, there's a paperback book for parents called Baby's Skill with features such as Golden Hour ­ how to spend a fulfilling hour with your baby for each month of her life up to 12 months. Overall, this is a comprehensive and accessible resource pack, and worth every penny.

Mum of a five-week-old comments: "It's a stimulating one-stop-shop, with things for baby as well as for me. The Golden Hour ideas provide a really good focus for what can seem like a long day."

Published by Dorling Kindersley, £19.99.

THIS MONTH'S HONOURABLE MENTION:
Buzzy Little Bee, by Ellen Weiss, illustrations by S.I. International
buzzy little beeA less expensive title that is designed to encourage baby's manipulation skills, this board book has a sturdy plastic bee sitting inside a cut-out track. Babies can push the clicking bee along the track (they may need a little help), allowing it to whizz around the skies, into the hive, and visit some flowers. It has a simple rhyming text printed on wipe-clean board.

Published by Reader's Digest, £3.99.

For more books in this age range see our baby books archive.

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