Children love playing with toys, but we must be careful when buying toys for infants. Getting an age-appropriate toy is very important here. Infants start playing with the toys only after they turn six months old. At this age, they try to grab and eat everything they hold, so give them toys that do not cause choking or other health harm.
Get a toy that engages an infant’s five senses, for example, a toy that makes a soft sound or music. It is suitable for them, as they can also try to copy the sound, and it will ultimately help them develop their language. Select a toy that your infant can hold easily. A toy with attractive textures significantly generates tactile simulation in infants and helps them understand the sense of touching.
In this article, we will discuss how to get the best toys for infants. Without further ado, let’s see what is needed to get the best toy for an infant.
What Toys are Important for Infants
Infants and children will make a plaything of everything. Pots, pans, lids, keys – it all becomes a part of their game. You can enjoy the opportunity of engaging them with everyday objects quite easily. However, when you choose special baby toys, you are actually giving them a safer, more wholesome experience. When choosing toys for infants, here are eight parameters you want to ensure are in place:
- Age appropriate: We all want to grow Little Einstein, but we must be mindful that our infants still aren’t ready to appreciate Shakespeare or read epics. Choose books and toys that are likely to appeal to them visually and cognitively. It will prove not just enjoyable but also very useful.
- Size: Nothing stays away from an infant’s mouth, and we definitely don’t want infants choking. Ensure the pieces and toys cannot be swallowed or broken when bitten into.
- Lightweight: Infants love exploring and experimenting and will want to try picking up most things that you give them. If the toys for infants are too heavy, you might end up hurting your baby. Worse still, your infant may not pick it up at all. The rapid development of hand-eye coordination is among the most significant benefits of playing and picking up their toys at this stage. Allow it to be built on with lighter toys.
- Unbreakable: You will be surprised by the sheer persistence and grit babies have. They will keep hammering or biting into toys until they give way. Ensuring the toys are of good quality will help them keep longer and be safer for your baby. Squeeze toys are always the best bet when it comes to infants.
- Colorful: Notice how even the tiniest infant can’t take their eyes off brightly colored flowers or balls. It is the time when anything you give your baby, including bathtub toys for infants or even rings and shapes, is highly stimulating. Choosing contrast colors and bright solids will help your baby focus and engage with the toy better.
- Noisy: It can be annoying to have a blaring toy drone on endlessly in the background, especially when trying to get something important done. But spare your baby a thought. It is when all senses are developing most rapidly. Exposing your baby to a variety of sounds makes playtime more fun while helping them listen to different sounds. Bring back the traditional rattlesnake toys for infants. They’re priceless!
- Sensory: Every stimulus a baby is exposed to leaves an imprint in their mind. Sensory toys help open them to rough, smooth, furry, and scaly sensations. While you may not notice your infant actively responding to each one, they are forming their own understanding of each texture and starting to build preferences for each.
- Versatile: The list of toys for infants can be endless, so try opting for versatile toys. Bathtub toys for infants, for instance, can also be used when you travel. A squishy ball can be rolled and chased, crushed, or even bounced. This way, you get a lot more value for the money you pay.
When Can Toys for Infants Come in Handy
The truthful answer is any time of day! Every moment is a great time for fun, play, and learning. Here are some great opportunities to use infant toys for development:
- Meal time: Showing your child some visually stimulating content, getting them to listen for sounds, or even allowing them to hold a toy in their hand can certainly help the food find its way to the mouth more willingly.
- On the Go: Whether in the car or waiting in a public place, the best infant toys can keep your baby engaged and happy without feeling restless. Ensure you invest in some convenient toys for infants that fit neatly into the diaper bag. Rattle toys for infants are a great pick on such occasions.
- Bath time: Bathtub toys for infants help them get more comfortable with bathing and routines. Thankfully, we have gone far beyond just rubber ducks. Baby bath toys are available in almost all styles and forms. You can allow your infant to experiment with some physics while reveling in the water.
Best Infant Toys – The First Six Months
Remember what they can do when deciding on toys for infants of this age. At this stage, your baby will spend all their time lying on their back or trying to roll onto their tummy. While movement is restricted, they can use their arms and legs well. Here are some great infant toys worth considering for them:
- Crib Mobiles: Although it only looks like your baby can watch, a lot of activity is going on. The mobile's colors work magic on the baby’s sensory stimulation. The movement is helping them move their gaze and focus. If your cot mobile has music accompanying the movement, it’s a huge bonus
- Large toys: You can help your infant practice reaching for toys, learning to hold them with help and independently, trying to squeeze them, and pushing or pulling them. These toys help your infant work with textures and build gross motor skills.
- Baby rattles: These are very versatile indeed. While the sound of rattle toys for infants can keep your baby engaged for hours, they also help improve grip and strengthen vision.
- Play gym: This is the safest space for your infant to try moving, rolling, and crawling. Tummy time is significant for babies, and the play gym is the best avenue for them to start finding ways to move their bodies.
Best Infant Toys – 6 to 12 months
Your infant is quite literally making strides at this stage. From starting to stand to trying to walk, from babbling to making cogent sounds, and from flailing their arms to deftly reaching for objects, they’re really gaining greater control. To help them on this path, you can choose:
- Activity tables: This is quite an investment. It can help support your infant as they try to stand and become an engaging plaything.
- Walker: While your child takes tentative steps and dashes around your home, a walker can help them maintain balance and be a great guide.
- Teether: Special teethers intended to soothe a baby’s gums are ideal. They not only entertain but also provide much-needed relief.
- Nesting toys: These can be in special shapes or just a series of cups that fit into one another. This helps orient your infant on size and shape while building hand-eye coordination and improving motor skills.
- Blocks: Using stacking objects like soft blocks or cubes can help infants work with motor skills, coordination, and building of alignment and three-dimensional perspective.
- Bath toys: Bathtub toys for infants help them work in a different medium as they play in water. It also makes bath time so much more fun.
Apart from these, you can use almost any other toy, like ring stacks, soft blankets, or balls. Rest assured that your baby will have a blast. And no matter what the toy, they are bound to learn something at the end of playtime.
Toying for Fun
Although it seems like a trivial purchase and just a method of recreation, toys for infants pack in much more than you think. Infants and toddlers learn the most as they play, and your choice of infant toys can help stimulate them and expose them to a world of new experiences.
Raising superstars' Prodigy BASYCS and Prodigy Challengers are two programs designed to help infants start with the basics and build their way through their learning journey. Using an extensive array of learning materials, activities, and exercises, you can help your little prodigies acquaint themselves with a world of discovery. You can give them the launchpad and head start they deserve.
