1. Baby learn thru playing toys
The purpose of baby toys is not just for the sake of fun, it is also the best way for your baby to learn and develop social, cognitive and motor skills. It all started with sensory stimulation, especially thru sight, sound, & touch. Babies are learning to recognize familiar faces in photos. This is a great memory activity and good practice for the family reunion: “Where’s Grandma? Where’s Uncle John?” They are also ready to learn animal noises—tie in the picture with the noise for a cross-sensory experience. Musical instrument toys help babies to find their own rhythm. Miniature drums, xylophones, maracas and pianos are a fun introduction to musical creation through play. Sing with your baby and introduce him to the “Alphabet Song” along with other baby classics and your own family favourites. Slowly your baby now relies on his hands more than his mouth when it comes to tactile exploration. Books with touch-and-feel or lift-the-flap actions provide fun learning by involving the senses of sight and touch with your baby’s developing fine motor skills.
At 15 months, your baby can control his wrist movement without moving his entire arm; this allows for much more precise actions and more variety in play. Practice scooping and pouring in the bathtub and the sandbox; your baby is discovering gravity! Create “art” with non-toxic crayons and finger paints. Shape sorters and puzzles teach colour and shape recognition and precision in placement.
Rolling “walker” toys help an unsteady walker stay on his feet. Look for the modern variety; the old traditional walkers are out of production for safety reasons. Push and pull toys are appropriate at this age as greater balance comes into play. As your baby grows older and more coordinated, the neighbourhood playground is a great place to gain confidence and master new skills: climbing, balancing and jumping. At 18 months, your baby will be able to throw a ball.
Your baby wants nothing more than to be like you. Encourage his or her social awareness and desire to “play house” with toy lawnmowers, tools, kitchen sets, jewellery and other plasticized imitators. Let your baby’s imagination grow with dress-up clothes and make-believe puppet shows. Allow him to explore his own creativity in a safe environment. When you look at books together, let your baby “read” to you by pointing out the pictures and telling the story, whether with babble or words. Respond and agree to let him know you’re listening.
2. Select toys that suit your baby’s stages of development
When your babies play a toy, it is more than fun & entertainment. As babies learn thru playing, it is important to know the stages of development & select the suitable toys. Babies are born virtually programmed to learn. Before birth, genetics determine how the brain is "wired." Neurons travel to different parts of the brain, forming connections, called synapses, that await stimulation.
Once a baby is born, every experience-sight, sound, touch, taste and smell-helps stimulate those synapses and create trillions more. The more complex these interconnections, the brighter a child will be. By providing your child with early stimulation and a wide range of experiences, you can accelerate your baby's development.
Birth - 6 Months: Stimulating Sensory and Motor Development
Even the tiniest newborn is poised to soak up sensory data like a sponge-and in doing so, stimulate brain development.
A newborn's vision is limited, which is why tiny infants respond best to black-and-white objects, bright colors and bold graphics. But vision develops quickly, along with motor control. As early as the second month, babies will begin studying their hands and swiping at objects. Most begin rolling over between two and six months.
For babies under six months, the best toys are:
- Rattles, teethers and other sensory toys that expose baby to a variety of sounds and textures
- Colorful mobiles and banners that stimulate vision
- Baby safe mirrors (babies are drawn to faces)
- Activity centers and baby gyms that encourage reaching and grasping
- "Tummy time" toys that help build abdominal strength (a must for back-sleeping babies)
- Age-appropriate educational videos and music that stimulate vision and hearing
6 - 12 Months: Interactive Play
During this period, babies discover cause and effect-shaking, banging and pushing every object within reach. Hand-eye coordination improves; favorite games are "clap hands," "pat-a-cake" and "peek-a-boo." Most babies begin crawling around seven months and by ten months, many are starting to "cruise." In addition, they begin to put sounds together to form simple words.
For babies between 6 - 12 months, the best toys are:
- Shape sorters and nesting cups, which reinforce the concept of object permanence
- Activity centres and push/pull toys that allow baby to create movement
- Adventure courses that encourage creeping and crawling
- Musical and sound-making toys
- First photo albums
- Gentle rockers and bouncers, which satisfy baby's love of motion
- Stuffed animals, dolls and "blankies" for cuddling
- Age-appropriate educational videos and music
- Storybooks that you read to baby.
12 - 18 Months: Goal-Oriented Play
Many children begin walking around their first birthday, and with this exciting new skill comes a strong desire to explore. Most toddlers are goal-oriented and driven to experiment. They begin imitating grown-ups physically and verbally. Through constant activity, they begin strengthening large muscles and improving fine motor coordination.
For tots 12 - 18 months, the best toys are:
- "Hands on" toys like a jack-in-the-box, pail and shovel, and water toys
- Building blocks, play sets and bead mazes that encourage experimentation and help develop fine motor skills
- Active toys, such as toddler swing sets, safety trikes and wagons that allow tots to delight in motion, while building strong muscles
- Very simple musical instruments
- Stuffed animals, dolls and "blankies" for cuddling
- Age-appropriate educational videos and music
- Storybooks that you read to baby.
18 - 24 Months: Problem-Solving Play
At this age, tots begin using their imagination. Children engage in imitative and make-believe play and problem solving strategies. They can match objects by shape and color, follow simple instructions, and dance to music. Language also explodes around 18 months, and toddlers acquire new words at a mind-boggling rate.
For tots 18-24 months, the best toys are:
- Puppets and dolls
- Costumes
- Rocking horses, playhouses, miniature appliances and other toys that foster imitative play
- Puzzles, blocks and construction sets that create opportunities for problem solving
- Active toys, such as toddler swing sets, safety trikes and vehicles that encourage muscle growth and control
- Simple musical instruments
- Stuffed animals and "blankies" for cuddling
- Age-appropriate educational videos and music
- Storybooks that you read together.
24 - 36 Months: The Age of Mastery
Fine motor coordination is on the upswing! Now kids are ready for arts and crafts projects, simple sports and beginning board games. Children this age are very responsive to music, videos and books. By the time they reach their third birthdays, most kids are fluent talkers. With this growing competency, many are ready for more "big kid" toys.
For children 24-36 months, the best toys are:
- Art and craft supplies, such as finger paints, chalk boards, easels and modeling clay
- Simple board games for beginners
- Train sets and cars; dolls with accessories
- Rocking horses, playhouses, miniature appliances and other toys that foster imitative play
- Costumes
- Puzzles and construction sets that create opportunities for problem solving
- Swing sets, sand boxes, trikes and other riding vehicles
- Electronic educational games and workbooks that introduce kids to phonics, the alphabet and numbers
- Simple musical instruments
- Stuffed animals, dolls and "blankies" for cuddling
- Age-appropriate educational videos and music
- Storybooks that you read together.
3. Safety is very important
So what can we do to keep our baby safe at play? Useful points to consider include what to look for when buying toys, understanding safety marks and labelling, ensure that the right safety checks have been carried out, and considerations when giving and receiving used toys.
What to avoid
Infants should not be given toys that have the following:
- Sharp points, edges, or glass parts.
- Any parts that could pull off or fit into a child's nose, mouth or ear, like the eye of a stuffed animal or a small ball or building block. The same thing goes for stickers or similar toys that your child could accidentally swallow and choke on.
- Lead paint or other toxic materials. Remember that young babies explore their world through their mouths, and there's a danger if your child could swallow or lick off these potentially harmful substances.
- Hinged parts that could pinch or catch small fingers. That goes for toy chests and storage containers as well.
- Strings, ropes, ribbons or cords on toys can get tangled around small necks. Either cut these pieces off pull toys, or put the toys away until your child is older.
- Stuffed toys that are filled with beans or other small objects that could choke your child if the toy develops a rip or hole.
- Garage sale toys.
Other toy safety reminders
- If you've installed a crib gym or mobile, remember to remove these toys before your child can pull himself up (usually before five months).
- Avoid toys that make loud, high noises that can damage your child's hearing.
- If you buy electric toys, they should run on batteries, not cords, and should only be used when an adult is around.
- When your child gets a new toy, immediately discard any of the original packaging, as the staples and plastic wrapping could hurt your child.
- Be careful not to leave uninflated or broken balloons lying around the house. It's easy for a child to choke on these balloons. Balloons, in general, require supervision and should be avoided.
- Check your child's toys every now and then for wear and tear that could be dangerous.
Q & As:
Exersaucer or jumparoo type baby toy for over 25lbs?
I'd like to get some type of baby
toy like an exersaucer or jumparoo now that my 6 month old. However, he's
already 23 lbs so buying something that he'll grow out of in a month or less is
not practical. Are there any that go to 30lbs or more? Thanks in advance!
Best Answer
You can get an?exersaucer?that
bounces, that is what we have (boys are still too small for it though). They
should be fine, they are meant for babies from about 5 - 9 months (Until they
start trying to crawl down it on their own).
The doorway jumpers are supposed
to be a lot of fun to, but I don't really have a great place to put one. I'd
get them both used from?Craig's list. Then you can have both at the same cost
as getting one new.
How can I tell if the paint on a baby toy is toxic or not?
I try to buy all safe toys,but I
am having a baby shower and I want to send everybody some info about toys/paint
that are toxic to baby. I already did the toxic plastic info.
Best Answer
it should state on the toys
package if it is?non toxic.
Is there a Baby Toy or Equipment that You or Your Child Can't Live
Without?
Just curious to see what baby
toys or pieces of equipment other parents recommend. I want to try and find new
things for my son (almost 5 months old) to play with.
Best Answer
My son's favorite "toy"
was a?red and blue?plaid blanket! It started when he was just a couple of
months old. When I would make our bed in the morning I would put him in the
middle and "float" the blankets down on him, he loved the red and
blue plaid coming down on him. Later, as he learned to sit-up he liked to stay
on the blanket. It was like an invisible play-pen. As he got older he would
grab an edge and roll up in it. I'd just put it in the middle of where ever I
was working and he would stay put! Well, at least until he was about seven and
a half months. He and I both loved that blanket, kept him quiet and happy and I
could get stuff done. Next came cardboard boxes. I would tip one on it's side,
he would crawl in and have a ball.
We would buy him toys, but his
favorites were the blanket, the box and a ball. Educational toys are great,
don't get me wrong, but those three items let his imagination soar! They could
be anything, take him any place, and he could do whatever. They gave him and me
much pleasure!
What is a good baby toy with cords and strings?
My 7 month old boy loves strings
and cords. When I sit at the computer with him, he grabs the cord from the
mouse the earphones and loves to chew on them. I know this isn't the safest
thing so I would like to find a toy with something like that on it.
Best Answer
None, unless you are in constant
close supervision. A child that young should never have anything with cords and
strings due to strangulation risks. It only takes a few seconds for a baby to
die of strangulation, so while your baby may be interested in it no baby should
have it.
Go back to:
How to select baby toys ?
Baby stokke
Baby bedding
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