We've definitely found it difficult adapting toys to suit Gwendolyn's situation to keep her mind challenged and to allow her to play independently. Light toys, feathers, ribbons, rings, balloons, balls, music, DVDs, etc. are all favorites, but we've found that hanging things directly over her makes her happiest. Over the last six months we've used two really creative contraptions that our friend and occupational therapist, Elena, made for Gwendolyn — thank you Elena — that allow us to hang toys above Gwendolyn. They've worked great, but we felt Gwendolyn was ready for a change and, thanks to Elena's creations and our experiences with Gwendolyn's likes and dislikes, I dreamed up — literally — a new contraption made completely of PVC pipe. Gwendolyn's new play apparatus allows us to hang toys a little differently than the other ones, accommodates the DVD player from Gramma to hang directly above her, and also allows us to attach the new musical mobile that GrandPa gave her for her birthday — she loves her new mobile and we love the relaxing classical music it plays. Gwendolyn's new contraption is still a work-in-progress — it really needs some colorful Mommy touches — but so far it's a huge hit with Gwendolyn…(she is giggling right now as she plays underneath it).
P.S. – Above are some pictures of the new contraption and some from Gwendolyn's perspective.