Toys are not just games providing fun for babies. Toys give even a baby opportunity to learn. The best infant toys will engage his or her senses. They encourage the little one to interact with others and spark his or her imagination. Keep reading to find out DadProgress top picks.
Quick Overview For Busy Parents
Here you can see four toys that in my experience are the best for infants in the first six months.
Baby gyms | |
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Teethers | |
Rattles | |
Soft books |
After the first six months, babies become more active. More complex toys become interesting.
Babies are eager to learn about their world surrounding them.
At the moment of writing this article, my child has started crawling. We have difficulties to keep up with him, so eager is he to explore new places. Electrical cords are for some unknown reason especially interesting...
Toys for newborns allow your infant to discover his or her senses.
Toys with colors, shapes, textures, sounds, and tastes can all add to your infant's learning experiences.
Studies suggest that toys improve parent-infant communication. Play with traditional toys may result in better communicative interactions.
Toys for infant should be both stimulating and safe.
Toys For Developing Your Infant’s Senses
During your infant’s first three months of life, your baby will be alert and awake more and more. Your infant will become more curious about you, his parent, and the objects she sees. It's incredible how fast the development happens.
You can encourage the learning process by making colorful, age-appropriate toys available.
If you wish to know more about child development theories, then read the contents of this blue box. You can skip it though. I'm not offended:)
This theory is by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist.
1) Sometime between the ages of 6 weeks to 4 months, your baby will engage “primary circular reactions.” According to Piaget, that means babies repeat a learned action they did by chance such as batting at a toy.
2) Once your baby realizes how much fun this action is, they repeat the action intentionally. Piaget calls this “secondary circular reaction.”
Examples of “secondary circular reactions” include pulling on a toy, grabbing a toy or kicking a toy causing it to make sounds or light up. It's an essential skill since it causes the baby to begin logic use and understand cause and effect.
Best Infant Toys In The First Month
It’s a struggle for infants to lift their heads at one month. However, the strength of their necks and upper bodies will soon improve.
During the first month, your infant’s vision will be fuzzy, and he or she will only be able to see about 12 inches away. At about one month, your infant will be able to recognize you, and will also enjoy seeing large pictures of faces.
Since your infant is nearsighted during that first month, any object you can hold in his or her line of sight will get attention. Your infant may not be able to keep a toy yet, but he or she may batt at the ones they like.
Best Infant Toys After The First Month
In the first two months, infants learn to open and close their hands. At this time rattles can be one of the best infant toys. It doesn’t take him long to discover that she made the rattle make a noise.
sense of touch gets better
Your infant’s sense of touch also gets better after first three months. You should provide an assortment of colorful objects with various textures, sizes, and shapes for your baby. A play gym with attention-grabbing objects that dangle in front of your infant? That will give your baby things to swat at.
Music
An infant can be entertained and soothed with music. I must admit that musical toys sure got the attention of our baby but not once have they comforted him.
Personal Experience
Our child is 7 months old at the moment of writing, and he gets stronger day by day. His movements are now better coordinated than even a week ago.
Benefits Of Certain Toy Types
There are many infant toys out there. Perfectly grouping them would be a daunting (if not impossible) task.
I discuss here three types of toys. These types are merely meant to highlight that different toys can have different purposes.
Some baby toys may belong to all or none of these groups.
Sleep Time Toys As Best Infant Toys
Maybe you have sung lullabies to your infant? If you haven’t tried singing to your baby yet, you should (or let your partner do it). Lullabies are surprisingly powerful for soothing.
Another approach you might try when your infant wakes up at 2 a.m. is sleep time toys.
Sleep time toys for you to try are those adorable plush and soft stuffed animals. Ones that play an assortment of lullabies should be especially effective.
To be honest, these things have never worked for us, but all babies are different.
Play Gyms As Best Infant Toys
A play gym is a soft mat with two arches. Toys hang from the two arcs. These may include lights, baby-safe mirrors, pianos activated by baby’s kick, textured materials, and musical items.
As these toys are versatile, all aspects of learning experience are probably covered.
Play gyms also allow your infant to learn the cause and effect basics. Cause and effect toys should invite your baby to interact and to repeat the interaction over and over again.
Another interesting option is to go with a toy kid kitchen set. There are some suitable even for older babies.
Rattles As Best Infant Toys
Rattles attract babies’ attention when they rotate them and shake them making sounds. When playing with a rattle, your infant will develop hand-eye coordination.
The bright colors of rattles likely help to promote a perception of colors.
Babies often explore their toys with their mouth. A rattle, therefore, can also provide teething comfort for your baby when new teeth emerge.
With clips, you can attach rattles to a car seat, high chair or stroller.
Teethers As Best Infant Toys
The purpose of teethers is soothing inflamed gums during teething. They also help to hand-eye coordination.
One recent study (source) found that many teethers actually contain harmful substances although they are labeled " non-toxic” or “BPA-free.” It may sound alarming, but amounts were low.
Personal Experience
To be honest, my child has a classical Sophie. It's impossible to worry about every little detail. At the moment of writing, he tries to chew everything from electrical cords to our stereo.
I don't think those things are any safer than proper teethers.
There are teethers made of wood and organic cotton out there. It may be hard to find a non-plastic alternative for every baby product though.
Soft Books As Best Infant Toys
Different materials and crinkle sounds are interesting for a baby.
In my experience, soft books were best infant toys between one and four months. The bright colors may stimulate her vision. The pages may include activities. These simple toys will improve communication between you and your baby.
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Last Updated on March 1, 2021