Infant & Toddler Toys
Page Updated on July 28, 2007
When it comes to toys, don't worry too much about the age the toy is intended for. As long as the toy is for children under 3 years old and sturdy, it should have parts big enough so that tiny mouths can't swallow them. The recommended ages are recommended for the intended use of the toy. A toy drum may be recommended for a 2-year-old because a 2-year-old can understand basic rhythm concepts, but a 7-month-old baby can have just as much fun touching it, mouthing it, looking at it, and hitting it as a 2-year-old will have trying to keep a rhythm. Plus, when you buy toys that are geared for children a bit older than your baby you extend the life of the toy because your child will keep finding new ways to be challenged and inspired by it.
Products to Avoid
Before you go shopping, there are a few things you should absolutely NOT buy and should try to return if you get them as a gift. These are items that could potentially be dangerous to your baby / toddler, and it's amazing that they're still on the market.
- Jumper Seats Jumpers are sometimes put in the bouncer category by some people. These are seats that hang in your doorway using a clamp that grips onto the molding in your door frame. These are tons of fun for babies that can sit all by themselves and excellent exercise to help strengthen little legs, but can be dangerous. The clamp can slip with each movement, the door frame can break, or the jumper itself can break. In any such case, the baby will fall to the floor and the springs, straps, clamp, and everything else above baby's head will fall on the little one. I suggest you avoid this product.
- Walkers You probably had one when you were a baby, but we know better now. Walkers are one of the leading causes of accidents among babies and toddlers.
- Bath Paints, Soap Crayons, Bubble Bath, etc. While these products are made for older babies and toddlers, they often aren't very gentle and can causes rashes. Even worse, especially for girls, such products may cause frequent urinary tract infections. (And anyone who has had a UTI knows how painful it can be. Don't give your child a product that may cause her so much pain just for a few moments of bath time fun.)
- Toxic Toys You probably didn't even know that they made toys that are toxic, but sadly they do. Check out Avoiding Toxic Toys for more information.
Products You Must Have
- Attachable car seat toy (1-3) If you don't have one of these, you'll have to pull over frequently to pick up a toy that your screaming child has dropped. Purchase a toy with soft straps rather than plastic clamps because toys with clamps don't always fit all car seats but straps usually do. If you can't change the toys once in awhile, you might want to consider buying a couple of these so your kid doesn't get bored with the same old thing.
- Attachable stroller toy (1-3) The same thing goes for stroller toys as with car seat toys.
- Attachable crib activity toy (1-2) Babies spend a lot of time in their crib, and some of this time will inevitably be alone, so you'll need a crib toy to keep them entertained. Chose a crib toy that can grow with your child to save money .
The Playskool Kick Start Busy Activity Center® is wonderful. It's durable and entertains newborns and older babies (even toddlers) alike. It's not too loud but still has enough going on to keep baby's attention. Best of all, it's inexpensive. - Crib mobile (1) Babies love mobiles during the early months because they can't do much but look at things. Don't go shopping for a mobile by looking at them from the side. Your baby will be looking at it from underneath, so hold it up over your head to get a good look at what your baby will see (even if you feel silly doing this in the middle of the store). Also, avoid mobiles with pastel or earth-tone colors. Babies can't see very well, so they like to look at things that stand out, especially black and white and bright, contrasting colors (such as red next to yellow). They also enjoy looking at faces, so you can even make your own mobile by hanging some pictures for baby to look at.
The Picture Perfect Melody Mobile by Discovery Toys is the best mobile I've seen. From the side it just looks like 4 bright, primary colored blocks, but when your baby looks at it from beneath, she'll be able to enjoy developmentally appropriate pictures that have been shown to attract the attention of babies. Plus, you can swap out the pictures periodically, so your baby will have something new to look at when she gets bored. You can even put in photographs of you or your family or draw your own pictures. Unfortunately, they don't make it anymore. I'm looking for a similar mobile, to recommend instead, but if you see it on eBay or at a yard sale, consider buying it. Eventually, I'll probably have to explain to people how to make their own mobile if I can't find a similar product, but I'll keep looking. - Stationary play seat (1) It looks like a walker, but it doesn't move, yet babies still have fun playing with all of the toys attached to it. Most parents agree that this is a must have item. Make sure you research them before you by because some of them can be dangerous. (e.g. leg holes too big so baby falls through, not stable enough, etc.)
Little Tikes 3 Way Entertainer® is the best stationary entertainer I've found. (I even drove all over town to find one because we didn't want to wait for delivery.) It has lots of developmentally appropriate toys, and babies just love it. It also grows with your child and can even be opened up for use by toddlers or when you're standing baby just gets too big for the seat. The seat swivels around, so when the kid gets bored, just turn them a bit and it's a whole new toy. Plus, since baby can't swivel the seat herself, you can turn her away from noisy toys to get a bit of quiet. The whole thing also rocks for added fun but can be stabilized for babies who don't have enough strength to rock back and forth or simply don't like rocking. You can put your baby in this toy if she can sit with support, but you may need to use a rolled up receiving blanket to keep her in place until she can sit up more on her own. The recommended age for this toy is 6 months, but me daughter started using it at 5 months. - Bouncer (1-2) There are two basic types of bouncers, the kind that sit your baby almost upright and the type that are designed like a bassinet or cradle. Some bouncers actually have a bouncing motion while others just have a rocking motion or jiggle. The upright bouncers are great if you have a baby that needs to stay in an inclined position after feedings. Bassinet style bouncers are great for nap time, and some have a mesh screen to keep bugs out, so you can take it outside. Plus, newborns can lay down. The problem with both types is that babies outgrow them quickly, so don't buy one that will cost you an arm and a leg. Whatever bouncer you choose should have a toy bar, which you can even use to attach toys that didn't come with the bouncer (such as toys with grasping rings). A bouncer with a vibrator is also a good idea because it tends to soothe babies better than bouncers without the vibration. Be sure to check those reviews by other parents when you purchase one because the quality can vary greatly from bouncer to bouncer.
- Swing (Optional) Not all babies like swings, so don't invest in an expensive one unless you're sure that your baby will like it. Try to find a friend who has a swing that you can try out first. If your baby fusses, whines, cries, or looks startled or shocked when swinging, don't use the swing. The motion of the swing can make some babies feel as though they are falling, and that's a terrible sensation to force your child to endure repeatedly. However, many babies absolutely love swings and can't get enough of them. Many parents swear by them. Battery operated swings are great because they can go for a long time without needing a parent to wind them up. However, many parents will put their baby in such swings and leave them there without attention. Even if you are in the same room with your baby in such a swing, your baby is still probably feeling a bit lonely or may have needs, such as diaper changes or uncomfortable positioning, that go unnoticed if you don't walk over to the swing and check your baby frequently. Wind up swings require the you repeatedly go to the swing to wind it up. While this can seem like a nuisance to many parents it's actually beneficial in that it forces you to repeatedly check on your baby.
- Play mat (1) A play mat is like a blanket with tons of pretty colors and sometimes have toys attached. If you don't want to spend tons of money on a play mat that can only be used for awhile, just put your baby on a blanket or comforter (baby sized comforters are best) and use a baby gym that can grow with your baby.
- Baby gym (1-2) A baby gym is wonderful. It can entertain a small baby long enough to allow mommy and daddy to get a daily chore done from beginning to end without constant interruption. The best ones grow with your child and can be used by newborns, older babies, and even toddlers.
- Bath toys (stock up) There are toys of bath toys to choose from. These are a must have for bath time fun. Purchase toys that are safe enough for a baby to chew on but interesting enough for a toddler and even older kids to play with. Lots of baby toys, like solid plastic blocks and rings can be used in the bathtub, so purchase such toys to increase your bathtub toy collection.
- Books for infants / toddlers (stock up) Start collecting books for toddler, preschool, and early elementary school years now. Newborns like to look at black and white cartoon-like pictures and designs, especially cartoon faces. Babies 2 months and older like to look at bright colors and are still interested in cartoon faces. Reading to your baby (even if you're still pregnant with him) is just plain fun. Plus, having books around is great for introducing your child to literacy and promoting literacy skills. Don't worry if all your baby does is chew on the books because the goal isn't to have a baby or toddler that can read; it's to have a child who loves interacting with books.
Todd Parr is a wonderful artist whose pictures are developmentally perfect for infants, and the stories will make your toddlers and school age children laugh. (And he's a very nice gentleman too.) Our favorite books by him are Funny Faces, Going Places, Black & White : Board Book, BIG & Little : Board Book, It's Okay to Be Different, The Okay Book, Things That Make You Feel Good/Things That Make You Feel Bad, The Feelings Book, This Is My Hair, Do's and Don'ts, Zoo Do's and Don'ts, Underwear Do's and Don'ts, The Daddy Book, The Mommy Book, and The Best Friends Book. - Sorters / Stackers / Blocks (1-5) There are tons of these on the market, and they're great for developing motor and cognitive skills. You don't need anything fancy. The basic stuff will be great for early graspers to play with and teething infants to chew on and will grow with your child up through elementary school (because even school-age children like to build stuff with them). Sorters are great because they really grow with your child. As soon as baby can hold on to things, he can manipulate the blocks. When he gets a bit older, he can play with the tub and sorting lid. As his cognitive skills develop he can sort the blocks by putting them through the holes in the sorting lid of the container. During the toddler years then will quickly be added to your child's block collection. Wood blocks, like the blocks used in sorters, will last from those early days of manipulation to those later years of architecture. Stacking cups can be manipulated early, make excellent bath toys, and can be used to play with water, sand, etc. Stacking rings are the different sized rings you place on a cone with the biggest ring at the bottom and the smallest ring at the top. (You probably played with these when you were a kid.) They're great for cognitive skills and can be used by babies that can hold onto things even if they can't stack them. The rings can also be used as bath toys if they are solid or hollow with no air holes. (Water can get in the air holes and provide a home for mold and mildew.)
- Rattles (1-5) Rattles start to come in handy after your baby hits the 2-month-old mark, so you don't need any right away. Make sure that the rattle that won't fall apart which could be dangerous. Look for rattles that have thin sections that your baby's tiny hand can grab onto but are sturdy enough to allow lots of chewing without any breakdown. Plastic keys are usually the best to start out with because your baby can grab onto the thin ring and chew on the large keys. Plus, as they get older, they get to have keys just like mommy and daddy.
- Teething toys (2-4) Teething toys are usually filled with fluid and can be refrigerated to sooth painful gums. You'll need at least a couple of these because one will almost always be in the dishwasher waiting to get cleaned (and be sure to clean them frequently just as you would clean pacifiers).
- Instrumental Music CD's Music has been shown to help develop many parts of the brain. Music requires attention to math (the beat and the way those beats are divided), creativity (making music that didn't exist before), expression (happy music, sad music, mad music), and pattern (three short notes, one long note, one high note, three low notes, repeated every other measure) whether or not you are actively trying to pay attention to those things. Plus, it's nice to listen to and very soothing to some babies.
- Musical Instruments Babies can make music too. Although it may sound like a bunch of noise to you, it's a jazzy melody to your baby. Don't bother buying instruments that just play pre-programmed songs when your baby pushes a button. Instead, find instruments that really work. (Press one key, get one note.) Electronic music toys are often too loud for baby ears, so try getting some old fashioned ones instead or electronic toys that will still make noise when the electronics are turned off. Toys that change volume based on how hard baby hits it also teaches baby dynamics; if you hit the keys hard it's loud and if you hit the keys softly it's quiet.
Little Tykes Little Rhythm Maker Drum® and Little Tykes Little Rhythm Maker Piano® are versatile, tough, and the perfect size for little hands.
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