Rattles have been used for this purpose since antiquity, and experts in child development believe they help the infant improve hand eye coordination by stimulating their senses.
A rattle made of clay was found in Poland in a grave of a baby who was a member of the early Iron Age Lusatian culture, and was documented by archaeologists.
Pigs were associated with the Greek goddess Demeter, who was invoked in rituals intended to protect babies in life and death.
[4] Greek philosopher Aristotle says in his Politics that young children should be given a rattle (particularly one designed by Archytas) to keep them quiet and "stop them from breaking things in the house".
Edith Wharton, who was born during the American Civil War, received a similar elaborate silver baby rattle as an infant, which was engraved with her name and had a coral teething extension.