Toddlers love to play and have fun. Playing is not only exciting, but it’s also an important part of their development. In this article we’ll take a look at best, safest and most exciting teeter-totters for toddlers.
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Benefits of Teeter Totters for Toddlers
Toddlers can derive many benefits from playing on teeter-totters, let’s take a quick look at those now.
Builds Social Skills
When toddlers learn social skills it enables them to create successful relationships with other kids. Social development is anchored on communication and activity with others.
Although toddlers don’t necessarily make friends, share or collaborate until around the age of four, they are at an advantage when they start school when given many opportunities to play with peers.
Builds Confidence
Teeter-totters are a confidence-builder for toddlers. The children will keep on trying to balance themselves while having fun and enjoying the ride. They acquire the virtue of persistence and feel a sense of accomplishment as well as increased self-confidence when successfully learning how to play on a new toy.
Physical Exercise
Teeter-totters helps to improve the well-being of toddlers through physical exercise.
It is a way of conditioning their bodies so they’ll become more capable of handling physical and emotional challenges as they grow up. Active children can look forward to stronger muscles, robust bones and less risk of obesity when introduced to physical play at a young age.
Builds Motor Skills
Gross Motor skills allow toddlers to go about their daily functions – walking, skipping, and running. These abilities include playground skills like climbing or swinging and sporting skills such as throwing a ball.
Children grow gross motor skills at dissimilar rates, and introducing your little one to more physical play can give them an edge in the development of their motor skills.
Next comes fine motor skills which requires the use of smaller hand muscles. This is for simple self-care and academic tasks such as opening lunch boxes, buttoning up shirts, or using pencils and scissors.
Hand-eye coordination progresses as fine motor skills develop. In like manner, toddlers become more self-sufficient and understand more about how their body functions and these skills develop.
Children normally start to assimilate these talents as early as one to two months old and continue developing these skills well into their school years.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing
These are the four main factors parents should consider before making a purchase.
Safety
There should be safety features that will prevent children from falling. Bear in mind that accidents are fairly common when kids play.
Metal or steel can be wrapped in foam to prevent injuries and head bumps (foam pool noodles work great). Having a padded floor can also help to prevent injuries, especially with toddlers who are more prone to falling.
Durability
Durability goes hand in hand with safety. Hard-wearing equipment makes it safer for users and longer-lasting. Practical consumers go for resilient equipment or products due to long-term cost-efficiency
Scale
Teeter totters require a specific scale for installation purposes. The “Scale” refers to the area the teeter-totter will occupy as well as the area around it needed for safe play.
Take a good look at the specifications to make sure you have enough room for your new teeter-totter.
Cost
We all consider the cost, but the low price must not compromise quality, durability and safety of the toddlers. Check out the more popular online shops that sell good-quality playground equipment and compare prices.
9 Fun Teeter Totters for Toddlers
If you’re looking for the best buys, here are nine fun teeter-totters for toddlers that should catch the attention of parents.
# 1
This Rocking Dolphin teeter-totter can accommodate two toddlers and will surely provide hours of fun as your little one rocks with playmates- or solo. It’s ideal for both indoor or outdoor use. This teeter-totter doesn’t require any assembly and is designed for durability and safety.
# 2
This 360-degree kids’ seesaw has spongy built-in cushions with a “bouncy ball” under the seat which allows the kids to bounce up and down without any hard impact. You can put this teeter-totter out in your yard or in a spacious area inside your home. The plastic material is sturdy and non-toxic.
# 3
You can bet the kids will enjoy rocking on this fun and unique teeter-totter. Think of this as a rocking chair and see-saw combined. It has comfortable seats that can easily be mounted, weather-resistant steel, strong handlebars, and rubber-padded rockers. Fun for multiple toddlers.
# 4
The traditional Rocking Horse enables toddlers to go on make-believe gallops around the house. At the same time, they learn how to attain balance and coordination. The design and solid construction will ensure that your child enjoys riding the horse for hours. Perfect for solo play in and outdoors.
# 7
This teeter-popper is perfect for the younger toddler. The teeter-popper helps toddlers to improve stability, core and leg strength, coordination, and balance. Great for solo “teeter-rocking” play, and also a great rocker to help relax your little one.
Final Thoughts and Considerations
The teeter-totter is a perfect toy for your little one that provides many benefits besides just being a fun toy. The teeter-totter has come a long way in design and functionality since we were kids and these next-generation teeter-totters provide more excitement and safety than the originals. Remember to stay safe and have fun!
Kathryn
Over 14 years in special education with a BA in psychology. I work daily with children of all kinds, with a special focus on childhood development and play using music and play equipment among other tools.
