What Baby Toys are Suitable for a Newborn?

Babies love toys, and playtime is crucial for your baby’s development. In the beginning, your child’s toys should be safe, stimulating, and appropriate for their age. The following are some tips on how to choose age appropriate baby toys for your newborn.

Baby toys – the early months

In the first few months of your baby’s life, they are not able to grasp objects easily, so the majority of their toys should be something that is interesting for them to look at, or listen to. Bright colors and high contrast are easiest for your baby to see at this stage, which is why so many baby toys made are often stark black and white with a bright color such as red thrown in.

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Mobiles are very often the first toy that will captivate your baby. They move, make music, and are usually brightly colored. Many varieties exist, and you can even make one yourself or with the help of an older child.

Soft books are a wonderful tactile experience for your baby. They most often utilize bright colors and different textures to stimulate your baby’s growing sense of sight and touch.

Wrist rattles baby toys provide endless enjoyment. He or she will love making noises on her own. Handheld rattles are also fun for baby, but expect it to be dropped a lot!

Baby toys with music – hours of fun for your babies

Anything that plays music will captivate your baby. Experiment with playing her different kinds of music and observe her reactions. Try to avoid playing anything too fast or noisy in the first 4 months. Music is a wonderful way to entertain and soothe your baby, and choosing baby toys that play various lullabies or other soft music will delight your child for months to come. Wind chimes are a great tool for producing soft musical sounds for your baby, but most are not made to be touched by small hands, so be sure to hang it out of reach of your child. Many stuffed animals have a small button that baby can push to make music play. Though they may not be able to realize it in the first few months, over time, they will learn that pressing the hand or foot of their favorite stuffed animal will play a song they enjoy hearing.

While your baby may not immediately realize that he or she is looking at themselves, they will really love seeing their face in a small unbreakable mirror made especially for them. Over time, you will notice your baby enjoying their reflection, and smiling at themselves as they begin to learn more about how to create facial expressions.

Brightly colored plastic links are fun baby toys that they can grow into in their first months. At first, the bright colors and different textures of each link will be fascinating to them. As they grow, and begin teething, they may find comfort in chewing on the hard plastic, and they are just right to hold in their little hands.

Portable baby toys are a must, and there are many out there that attach to an infant car seat. Friendly animal faces that make sounds and move when your baby bats at them will keep him or her entertained during car rides.

Baby floor gyms are a wonderful way to let your newborn explore. They can’t get very far, and they won’t want to when they are on a soft mat and surrounded by all kinds of interesting sounds, colors, and textures! In time, they will begin to roll over and then become interested in the pictures and patterns on the mat area of the gym. They will also start reaching out for the hanging toys and having fun as they make different noises.

Infants almost always seem to enjoy toy keys as well. They are usually easy to hold, come in different colors, make noise when baby shakes them, and provide another soothing relief when baby begins teething.

A crib piano is another great musical toy that your baby will love. Most models can also be used on the floor, but when hung from the rails of the crib, your child can kick the piano keys with their feet and make their first musical masterpieces!

When your baby is a little older, around 3 months old, a jumping toy is a definite necessity. Aside from helping to strengthen their legs, it can provide hours of enjoyment. Babies love to jump and will squeal, giggle, and smile while bouncing away in their little jumperoo!

Tag toys are another favorite for newborns, providing the bright colors, patterns, and textures that help your baby develop their senses. There are many different kinds of tag toys, from soft stuffed animals with tags on their bodies, to tag balls, to little baby blankets with tags along the edges. There are also many hybrid baby toys that have different experiences for baby all in one toy. A caterpillar or other animal toy may have soft tags, crinkly legs, and some hard plastic areas for teething purposes all in one! These are great as first toys, because your baby can grow with them.

Searching out a handmade version of many baby toys is a great idea. Because handmade baby toys tend to have a higher quality due to attention to detail that most mass manufactured toys do not have, they will last a very long time and can become precious family heirlooms passed down through generations. The added benefit of buying handmade is that you are supporting the independent business of a talented crafter, or a work from home Mom. Websites such as Etsy and many craft fairs all over the country have a fantastic selection of toys for children of all ages.

There are so many wonderful options for your baby’s first toys. Don’t be discouraged if your child isn’t responsive to the toys you buy right away, they may enjoy them later. Many children delight in very simple things, and sometimes have a better time playing with the box the toy came in than they toy itself! Just remember, this is a crucial learning time for your baby and it’s very important to give your newborn lots of stimulating play time with his or her baby toys.