A Toy for the Olfactory system

Perhaps this made you recall an old vocabulary word from high school English class, but olfactory is another word for sense of smell. Very few toys these days stimulate the sense of smell. Baby toys are a bit better on providing a variety of ways to stimulate different senses, but I have yet to see a baby toy in the store that can give the olfactory system a good workout.

How many senses does this toy stimulate? Answer: 2

However, when you venture into the world of nature, you can get much closer to stimulating all five. Here is a great activity to do with a baby (mine is 7 months in this picture) that will get his or her little nose sniffing:

My daughter was playing with a doll when I set this pile of herbs down in front of her. She immediately dropped the doll (face first, poor dolly) and reached for the pile of smelly goodness.

How many senses are stimulated with herbs? 4

What's great about herbs is that in addition to the beautiful smell, all the plants have a different leaf structure to it, which can make it fun to whip around when you are still young and exploring what your hands can do. Some of these can even "fly" into the air like a helicopter if you roll and toss them in your hands. The herbs have much more give and can be manipulated more than a store bought baby toy which yields more real world learning for your child. Yes, it's more convenient for us if a toy can stay all in one piece after an hour of baby pulling, squeezing, tearing, and pinching...oh wait I'm sorry most store bought toys can't entertain our babies for more than 15 minutes! A baby can really explore and see what their hands can do when you give them a real object that can respond to the actions of their hands! I believe this is why they love crumpling paper and mashing their food.

I posted this picture in response to all of you that are saying "But won't she eat them? She's going to choke!" My response is, yes, she will try to eat them, if she's using her noggin. And she won't choke if you are watching her and playing along with her. Plastic and "officially safe" baby toys are put in stores so parents have something to give to their baby that they can be "left alone" with while in the car, high chair, etc. while mom or dad is distracted with something else. As long as you feel you can watch your child while they play with more "loose part" objects, then you're in business for olfactory fun.

Yes, my daughter did chomp on the stalk of the dill plant here, but it was short-lived. She wrinkled her nose then switched to exploring the other more fluffy end. She quickly realized herself, without my interference that it wasn't something to eat, just smelly and super interesting.

Names of herbs pictured left to right: Thyme, Fennel, Oregano, Lemon Basil, Marjoram, Dill

Names of herbs pictured left to right: Cilantro, Parsley, Chives, and the one my daughter is snatching (and is hence blurry) is chamomile

Now, let me address the next crowd of naysayers-what about allergies? Is it safe for them to eat the herbs? Look, I'm not suggesting you let your baby consume these herbs stalks and all. I'm just suggesting you try it out as a fun, smelly play opportunity. However, as we all know babies explore with their mouths so if some of the herbs should tear off and make their way into the baby's mouth, here's some things to know: Baby food "experts" say it is safe to introduce herbs to a baby's diet after 8 months. That's what all the baby food recipe books say about when you can add herbs into your baby's food. Now, I don't suggest giving these to a baby younger than 4 months or a baby whose "tongue thrust" reflex hasn't yet disappeared. The herbs that I have selected have thin leaves so if they are easily torn won't cause much of a problem if they get into the mouth. But, as always, you should be WATCHING your child play with these items. You should especially take care of the stalks, and remove herbs that have broken into smaller pieces. Herbs are a single use toy here, as in, cut 'em, play with 'em, and toss (or compost) 'em.

If you are still uncomfortable with your child playing with these seemingly unpredictable "loose parts," then only play with them with you holding them and closely supervising. You can still have a fun "smelly" experience while you are holding the herbs for your baby. With each tear of the leaves, you will release more scents. You have to do what you feel comfortable with for your child, if you are going to be sick with worry while they play, it might be best to wait to explore with this activity until they are older.

*If your family as a history of being allergic to a particular herb, don't use with your baby!

I suggest only using culinary grade herbs, as these are predetermined as safe for consumption. Do not use medicinal herbs as these can have intense properties and reactions. 

I did do some research on common culinary herbs to see if there were any suspected reactions in babies, but I came up blank. If any readers out there know of an allergic reaction of certain culinary herbs on contact to babies, please share.

If you have a garden or containers to grow herbs, this is a great renewable source of this olfactory toy. In addition to being something fun you and your child can watch grow and care for, herbs in your garden also attract pollinators, such as butterflies, honeybees, and bumblebees (not yellow jackets which are the culprit of most stings).

I hope you'll give herbs a try for your little one! They are also a great thing to use for older children to practice their cutting skills with scissors-they smell great as they make each successful cut and you don't have to worry about kids destroying it!