Buying toys for your baby is so much fun and it’s even more enjoyable watching them at play. As a parent, however, you want to choose toys that your baby will not only become attached to, but will help with your baby’s development.
Most toys are designed with colors, textures, sounds and lights that combine to build a child’s sensory, motor and learning skills. Toys are also made for children to interact with (touch, grasp, squeeze) to soothe their emotions (with soft music) and to satisfy their desire for audio stimulation. A rattle, for instance, stimulates a baby’s hearing because of the sound it makes when shaken. Blocks develop motor skills and cognitive skills since the child has to stack one block on top of another and plan how to do it.
Top Toys to Help a Child’s Development
For starters, here are 5 toys that help develop skills of infants to 1 year olds:
1. Soft toys. Infants love soft toys because they stimulate their sense of touch and sound. Regardless of the shape, the key is for the toy to have a handle, ring, ribbon or something on it which your baby can grasp. Children adore stuffed animals, but purchase ones with safety features such as embroidered or stitched designs, rather than buttons and other small objects that babies can pull off and swallow.
2. Mobiles. Young ones are captivated by colorful hanging objects that light up and twirl around above their heads. Mobiles stimulate a child’s visual senses and music-playing mobiles stimulate their auditory senses. Mobiles should be positioned high above the crib so that your baby will not pull off one of the objects, and put it in his or her mouth.
3. Large plastic keys. When your baby learns to use his hands to grasp items, one of the first toys he will reach for are large, colorful keys. Babies like the rattling sound the keys make when shaken and they are safe to gnaw on.
4. Teething rings. Babies, from three to six months old, will start to teethe. And when they do, you want to have something that will help soothe their sore gums. Plastic or rubber teething rings are just what they need.
5. Play mats, blankets and quilts. Spreading a colorful plush blanket or mat that stimulates a child’s senses with interactive toys and stuffed animals that light up or play music will keep infants, and even toddlers, pulling, scooting, squirming and kicking for quite some time.
There are many other toys that aid in your baby’s development. The way to find them is to look at the manufacturer’s description of the toy, the age range of the children for which the toy was made, and how the toy is designed to help a child’s development.
Not only will these toys keep your child busy for a matter of moments, the favorite ones will turn into memories and last for years to come.
With four kids, writer Melanie Fleury has enjoyed buying and playing with a variety of toys with her little ones. She found that picking toys that were cute and cuddly while still offering an educational aspect, like http://www.kidsii.com/p-57-octoplush.aspx , pleased both her and the baby.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcinfrance/324739430/
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