BARBARA DRAKE BOEHM: Look carefully at this object made of gold and red coral. What would you guess it was used for? It’s actually a luxurious baby toy. Children born into the wealthiest families in colonial America sometimes played with toys like this one, called a rattle, whistle, and bells. Babies could blow the whistle at the gold end of the toy. Or they could shake the toy to jingle the bells. Teething babies chewed the polished coral at the other end of the toy. Coral looks like a rock, but it’s actually formed by sea organisms called polyps. Colonies, or groups, of polyps form this hard substance as a kind of skeleton. People once believed that coral could protect against disease and evil spells. This teething toy was meant to protect the baby. Look for a gold loop under the whistle end of the toy. The baby’s mother or a nursemaid put a ribbon through this loop, and hung the toy from the baby’s waist or neck. Why do you think they did this? You probably know if you’ve ever taken care of an active toddler. The bells jingled whenever the baby moved. This made it easier to keep track of where your baby was at all times.