Toys for infants (children up to 12 months) are designed to encourage exploration and open-ended play, and have high focus on safety. You can even use these toys for your baby’s nursery.
Babies are energetic as well as curious. Right from the moment they are born, they try to develop control over their muscles and try finding out about the world around them. And the best way to channelize their excessive energy is to let them play with a range of toys.
Toys play an important role in a baby’s development; however you do not really have to overwhelm your baby will all kinds of toys.
It’s best to have just a few toys so that the child can actually spend some time playing with those. It will also reduce your efforts while keeping things tidy.
Here we have listed just a few simple toys that will maximize your infant’s physical and cognitive development.
Stuffed cuddly animal toys (bears, dogs, cats), rocking elephant, musical crib toys, a play gym are few toys that are well suited for infants, and will also go well in a baby nursery to provide that playful feel (the baby can use these toys as they grow bigger).
Depending on how old your baby is, they will start exploring these toys with their hands and feet, trying to reach and grasp. Once your baby can sit up and crawl, they’ll play with more kinds of toys.
How will these infant toys help in your baby’s development?
- Their hand-eye coordination develops faster as they see and grasp things
- They will soon become better at following moving objects.
- Reaching out and touching things gives your baby a sense of control over their body.
- A variety of toys will keep your little one entertained.
Baby Gym/Mobile
Moving on the floor is important for a a baby’s physical and cognitive development, and to encourage this activity, you can just place a blanket on the floor and have some toys such as rattles. However, the Baby Gym is a great toy to engage your little one when the baby is flipped over, lying on the back. A Baby Gym not only provide some fun time your infants but also help them get some exercise.
These toys are designed in the form of a simple arch (made of plastic or wood) and come with a few hanging toys. These come with a play mat, allowing the baby to lie down. Baby gyms are available in different colours, textures and sounds to stimulate your baby.
You get mobile baby gyms as well that can be attached to a changing table or crib.
There are lots of choices when it comes to baby gyms, although they share the same basic features. Once your little one’s moving around, you could invest in a swing or bouncer to keep them entertained.
The Play Gym by Lovevery
This play gym comes with toys and offers more activities compared to the other play gyms out there. This one is also bigger sized so as the child grows there’s still sufficient space for the baby to roll over, and even for a toddler to lie down besides the baby. This play gym is also very durable. The downside is that this baby gym is expensive.
If you’re on a tight budget, consider getting a toddler mat instead which you will more likely use for a much longer period.
Rattle/Teether
Rattle is a very common and yet popular toy for babies. These are very portable and great for engaging the senses of your little one.
Nesting Cups or Boxes
Simple yet versatile, nesting cups or boxes provide baby’s with a sense of shapes and colors. These can be used as building blocks and also as part of imaginative play.
Soft Stacking Blocks for Baby
This Montessori toy includes soft blocks made from silicone and can also be used as a teether or bathing toy, in addition to stacking them. These blocks can also be used when the baby becomes a toddler, and can be used to learn about shapes/numbers/animals/fruits. These blocks look cute and also make a squeaking sound when squeezed.
Cuddly Toys
Babies love cuddly toys such as bear, dog, or cat. In fact, soft toy animals or dolls are best suited for this age group. Avoid cuddly toys that use of small parts.
Wheeled Toys
Baby’s love playing with toys that move from one place to another. You should choose smaller wheeled toys considering the age of the child, and also choose toys with simpler design for safety reasons.
Soft Balls
Kids love playing with balls. Infants like reaching out to these during floor play, and slightly grown up babies like throwing balls and chasing them.
Basic Blocks
Basic colorful blocks are more versatile and can actually be used even when baby grows up. Babies can use these for arranging and stacking, and when they grow up these can also be used to learn about colors, letters, and numbers.
Planning a Baby Nursery
While planning a baby nursery, the theme of the nursery usually sets the tone for the whole room.
You could choose to go with something gender specific, a girl themed room for a girl and a boy themed room for a boy, or you may want to consider choosing a gender neutral theme if you plan to have more children.
This will save you the trouble of possibly having to remodel the nursery when the next baby comes along. A pink princess themed nursery won’t work so well if your next child is a boy. Likewise, a girl will seem out of place in a nursery decorated with cars.
While planning your baby’s nursery, you need to choose the right furniture, you need to consider ho you want to paint the walls, you need to take safety into consideration, and of course, you need a few toys as well.
If you want to plan a nursery that will stimulate your baby as they grow, consider bright primary colors and geometric shapes and patterns. Red, blue, and yellow have been found to be the colors that help stimulate young infants.
Bedding and wall decor with geometric shapes and patterns will also do this especially if the shapes and patterns are large. This will make it easier for the baby to see since it takes many months for an infant’s vision to completely develop.
Whatever theme you decide on for your nursery, be prepared to live with it for a few years. Most babies are not ready for a toddler room until they are two to three years old.
If you want to save money, choose a theme that will grow with them into their toddler room.
Since toddler beds take the same size mattress and bedding as a crib, you could continue to use the theme and bedding you choose in a toddler room if you wanted to.
No matter what theme you decide on, remember to have fun while taking on the whole nursery planning process.
This is a joyous time in your life that you will always be able to look back on fondly.
Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
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