Toys For Babies: What Type Should You Buy In The First Year?

Newborns spend most of the initial weeks either pooping, sleeping or nursing, but once they discover their hands and feet, they start getting curious about their surroundings. They can see things that are about eight to ten inches around them. 

When they are around a month or two old, they start following faces, movements and even things that are brightly coloured. They also develop what is known as the palmar grasp reflex. That’s when they start reaching out for the mother’s face or hair and try to grab hold of it. Their hearing too starts developing and they start recognising familiar voices.

This is the right time to introduce appropriate toys to babies as these toys for babies can help aid in their development. You can begin by introducing toys like a rattle and then slowly give them toys like teddy bears, balls etc. Here’s a list of age-appropriate toys for babies.

Remember that toys need to be cleaned regularly as babies tend to put them in their mouths. Keeping a box of natural baby wipes handy helps to conveniently, safely and quickly clean the toys.

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Toys For One To Two-Month-Old Babies

Two-month-old babies start noticing objects that are around eight to ten inches away from them. Some of their senses like the sense of sight, hearing and touch too start developing by this time. When choosing toys for one to two-month-old babies make sure they include some soft sounds, colours and textures and patterns. 

Rattles, hanging toys, playmats, squeeze toys with sounds, hanging toys, and mobiles are the best choices when it comes to toys for one to two-month-year-old babies.

Toys For Two To Four-Month-Old Babies

By the time babies are around four months old, they learn to hold things and enjoy shaking and swinging toys. Babies this age also enjoy colourful board books that have textures. A four-month-old baby also enjoys looking at his/her reflection in the mirror and you might notice your baby smiling at their reflection in a mirror. Most 4-month-old babies also develop better hand-eye coordination and will be able to pass toys from one hand to the other.

The best toys for four-month-old babies are stuffed animals, soft balls they can roll, board books, soft blocks, squishy toys and baby mobiles. However, babies this age may still enjoy the playmats.

Toys For Four To Six-Month-Old Babies

Six-month-old babies are halfway through their first year and they are getting more and more interested in the world around them. Some babies this age also learn to sit up without support and their cognitive milestones are growing at a rapid pace. When babies are around 6 months old, they like interactive toys.  

The best toys for babies this age are, lift the flap board books, textured balls, touch and feel books, push cars, pop-up toys, activity cubes, stacking cups and floor mirrors.

Toys For Six To Twelve-Month-Old Babies

By the time babies are around twelve months old, they can confidently sit up, stand up, eat finger food by themselves, and some may even start taking their first wobbly steps. They even become tiny explorers and you may find babies this age exploring things around the house. 

Some of the best toys to buy for six to twelve-month-old babies are toys they can bang together, sometimes even giving them pots and pans from the kitchen will make them happy! Stacking toys, 3-4 piece puzzles, musical toys for babies, activity tables, pull-along toys, hand puppets, board books and balls are a favourite with babies this age. Some babies may even have a favourite soft toy by the time they are 12 months old.

While these are some of the types of age-appropriate toys that you can buy for your baby in the first year, you should also consider a few things before you go toy shopping for your baby.

Tips To Keep In Mind When Buying Toys For Babies

1. Read the label to check whether the toys are toxin free to avoid poisoning 

2. Buy larger, softer toys to avoid babies from putting the toy into their mouths. Small toys can cause choking hazards.

3. Avoid buying electronic toys for babies as it limits interaction and does not help in their development and limits their curiosity and learning.

4. If you are buying plush or stuffed toys for your baby make sure the quality is good because an inferior quality stuffed toy can easily rip apart and babies may put the stuffing in their mouth.

5. Avoid toys that shoot objects into the air.

6. Select toys like puzzles and blocks, that encourage babies to explore.

7. Toys with sharp or pointed edges can injure babies.

If your baby is taking a little longer than other babies to start grabbing objects or banging and rolling toys, there is no need to worry about it. All babies develop differently, the point is to offer them plenty of opportunities to play and learn.

Cover image source: freepik.com