TOYS FOR BABIES AND

TODDLERS

Appropriate toys that are safe and help in their development

Common Rules of Toy Safety

• Supervise children when playing• Check battery covers• Choke prevention• Smooth surfaces for infants, watch edges• Chew proof• Strings no more than 7 inches

Make your own test cylinder

• If part does not fit in cylinder then it is not a small part.

NOTE: Even if part does not fit in the cylinder at first remember these concepts:

- Teething can weaken fabric, allowing parts such as buttons to come off

- Repeated washing weakens fabric

- Thin plastics can break

Baby Development 0-2 months

• Sense of Touch- one of the first senses to be development

• Quickly recognize voices and sounds in general• Recognizes faces• Soft, rhythmic sounds calm and comfort• Newborns can only see objects clearly

between 8-10 inches away

Baby Development 0-2 months Con.

• Full- color vision is not achieved until 4 months– Try for high contrast toys and patterns

• How do you tell a baby is interested in toy?

BABY TOYS 0-2 months

• High contrast color• Shape patterns (like stripes)• Toys with faces• Mirrored toys• Rattles, noise producing toys• Rings, toys that promote grasping• Toys with comforting motion or sounds

Rattles

• Century old and still popular• Made from fabrics, woods, and plastics• Encourages exploring• Source of simulation– They follow noise with eyes, finely honing sensory

skills

0-3 months

Eyes: Mobiles

Hearing: Rattles

Physical: Activity

Mats

Senses: Textured,

cuddly toys

Baby Development 3-5 months

• Baby will move to response to noise • developing hand/eye coordination• Vision nearly perfect• More social interaction, audible responses

(cooing and laughing)• Teething possible

Toys for 3-5 months

• Talking or musical toys• Lights• Peek-a-boo toys• Toys to shake and make sounds• Colorful toys• Big picture books• Soft, huggable toys• Teethers• Textured toys (make sure they are safe)• Bath toys

Does introducing advanced development toys help make

infants more skilled or smarter?

NO! Complicated, advanced toys do not promote better or faster

development

I’m not an expert, but I’m right!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39964945#39964945

3-6 months

Eyes: mobiles,

books

Hearing: music,

chime toys

Hands: rattles,

squeeze toys

Senses: rattles,

textures

Baby Development 6-9 months

• Major developments: fine and gross motor• Increase strength and coordination• Sit for 30 min intervals• Move by bouncing, rolling • Larger attention span• Repeating actions ( memory, cause and effect)• Examine, explore more

Toys for Infants 6-9 months

• Peek-a-boo toys• Toys with sound or music• Activity centers• Stacking tools• Shape sorters• Musical toys• Balls• DVDs/ CDs• Books

Have a Ball!

• Great for motor control and grasping• Usually cheap, and safe• Many textures and sizes to choose• Rolling, fetching, throwing

“Rubber Ducky you’re the one!”

• Bath toys promote play– Squeeze, squeak, and bob- it’s all cause and effect– Promotes motor skills– Talking to baby adds language skills

6-9 months

Learning: activity centers,

rattles, music toys, books

Hands and Fingers: texture toys, rattles,

building blocks, nesting cups,

blocks, bath toys

Mobility (crawling): activity centers, push toys,

pull toys

Baby Development 10-12 months

• Crawling coordinated• Dislikes laying on back, will roll to sitting

position or crawl easily• Can stand for short periods on own• Starts to learn words, and toward month 12

starts to use simple words• Fine motor skills improve

Toys for 10-12 month babies

• Balls• Push toys• Blocks• Books• Activity centers• Music CDs• Stacking toys

Benefits to Blocks

• Builds motor skills and hand-eye coordination• Creative problem-solving skills• Social and language skills– Recent study by Seattle Children’s Hospital

pediatrician Dimitri Christakis, M.D. states:• Parents who played blocks with children for 20 minutes

a day scored 15% higher on language development tests

How to gain these benefits from blocks?

• Parents help language skills by talking and playing with them.

• Here are some games to play with baby– Sort blocks by color, size, or theme. – Build tunnels for toy cars and trains to travel through. – Construct houses for dolls or barns for animals. – Line up blocks and pretend they are piano keys; use

spoons to "play" them. – And the all-time favorite block activity: Create the

tallest tower you can, then knock it down!

Activity Centers

• Lots to grab, and handle• Involves different activities to keep babies

exploring• Some make noise• Some allow babies to jump

Child Development 12-24 Months

• Stands and begins walking• Fine and gross motor skills developing well– Can drink from cup– Stand and/or walk– Climbs

• Language skills: speak simple words and follow commands

Toys for 12-24 month babies

• Ride-on toys• Pull/push toys• Puzzles• Toy telephones (cell phones)• Dolls• Trucks• Just like momma, daddy toys

Benefits to Ride-on Toys

• Enhances gross motor skills- pushing• Fine motor skills by steering, opening door,

using buttons• Motivation and self-esteem improve as they

do things for themselves

12-24 months

For learning: puzzles,

activity centers or cubes

Fingers and hands: stacking cups and cones,

puzzles, bath toys

Mobility: Ride-on and push

toys, balls

Sources• Babies R Us. (n.d.). Toys for Infants Buyin Guide. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from

Babies R Us: http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2964407• Baby Development News. (n.d.). Developmental Baby Toys: A 5 Minute Guide to the Best

Developmental Toys. Retrieved Ocotber 14, 2011, from Baby Development News: http://www.babydevelopmentnews.com/developmentalbabytoys.html

• Lauer, M. (n.d.). Is reading kit for tots just a marketing ploy? Retrieved October 14, 2011, from TODAY investigatess: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39964945#39964945

• Ryan, K. (n.d.). Choosing Age Appropriate Toys- Toys By Age. Retrieved October 15, 2011, from About.com Toys: http://toys.about.com/od/toysbyage/u/toysbyage.htm#s3

• What to Expect.com. (n.d.). Best Toys for Babies. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from What to Expect: http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/photo-gallery/best-toys-for-babies.aspx#/slide-11

• Wood, S. (n.d.). The Benefits of Block Play. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from Parenting.com: http://www.parenting.com/article/the-benefits-of-block-play