Posting activities for older babies

I think that the posting instinct probably kicks in at around 11 months. Harry was a little earlier, Mia a little later (this was probably due to my failing to notice it - neglected second child syndrome strikes again!) As for when it loses its appeal, well I can't answer that one as Harry is still having fun posting things at three and a half!

All you need is a cardboard box or similar, and something (or many things) to post into it. First demonstrate to the baby what to do, and then just let them get on with it. For a younger baby make a larger hole and use larger items to post. I've used the shapes that go inside a shape sorter toy with a large square or circular hole.

Then as they get older and more dexterous you can tailor the size of the hole to the object, and use smaller things to post. Finally you can move on to proper shape sorter toys where the object needs to be manipulated in order to line it up and post it through the hole.

For a toddler the activity also becomes one of role play, where you can pretend, for example, to be a postman posting letters. It's actually surprising for how long such a simple activity can keep them entertained! Just remember to be careful with all small pieces as it is very tempting for little ones to post things into their mouths rather than the intended container.