Toys are serious business for your baby. They help him discover the world around him and practice new skills. When he's a newborn, he'll crave toys he can look at, listen to, and suck on. As he gets older, he'll gravitate toward playthings he can grasp, kick, swipe, and turn. When he's able to sit up, crawl, and cruise, he'll be turned on by toys that help him explore — toys with parts he can open and shut, throw, bang, drop (over and over), and bite. What else wows a baby? Brightly colored playthings, soft, easily graspable objects, and anything that plays music. Check out these slides for toys that will tickle your baby's five senses.
Stuffed Animals
What's not to love about something so soft and cuddly? Stuffed toys are easy for your baby to grasp (and hug!). They'll stimulate her sense of touch, especially if it's a toy that has lots of textures — a fuzzy tail, furry ears, clothes of different materials. When she's six months or so, she may become attached to one of her cuddly toys, and that can become your ally in the soothing department. To make sure your sweetie's snuggling with a safe stuffed animal, look for one with a sewn-in nose and eyes (instead of buttons or other small objects, which can fall off), and remove any strings and wires. Want a fun way to teach her that things can reappear again after they've gone away? (That'll be a useful lesson when you go out and leave her with Dad or another caregiver.) Hide her lovey under a blanket ("Where's teddy?"), then uncover it with a flourish ("There it is!").
Cradle Gyms, Activity Mats, and Centers
Once your baby gets a little more active, give him something to do when he's in his crib or ready to entertain himself. Cradle gyms have dangling toys on a bar — perfect for attaching to the side of the crib or to the stroller or bouncy seat — that your baby can spin, squeeze, and touch. It's a great way for him to hone his fine-motor skills, even if at this age all it means is practicing his ability to grasp and hold. An activity mat is the perfect way for a horizontal baby to look at toys and (at about three months) reach out to grab them — and that'll build up the muscles he'll need to roll over. When he's older and can sit up, an activity center with lots of levers, doors, buttons, lights, and sound effects will let him focus further on the fine-motor skills he's sharpening — and teach him about cause and effect.
Balls
It'll be a few years before your child's playing soccer, but that doesn't mean babies can't have a ball with these spherical objects. Get a few different sizes, with different textures. You can get a small, soft, colorful one for your infant to look at and touch. (He'll probably like dropping it too — usually when he's in his high chair or stroller.) When he's able to sit up, at around six months, get a larger ball that's good for rolling between you. After he learns to crawl, get the ball rolling and have him scoot after it.
Stacking Rings and Nesting Cups
Here's another great pick for a baby who can sit up. Both are wonderful ways to teach your baby about size and color — in a hands-on way. She'll learn about big and small (and medium) as you hand her each ring and talk about it. (You can do the same with colors — "Here's the blue ring. Look, this ring is green.") When her hand-eye coordination gets a little better, she can take the rings off the stack or scatter the cups around. It'll be a while before she has the dexterity to stack, but help her out the first few times by giving them to her in order. And if she doesn't stack them correctly, who cares? She's learning — and eventually she'll be able to do it. The nesting cups are also great for making bath time fun — she can have a blast filling and emptying the smaller ones into the bigger cups.
Mirrors
What do babies like seeing the most? Faces! So give him a thrill and hang up an unbreakable mirror by the side of the crib. Your baby won't know that it's his cute mug he's gazing at until he's about a year old, but he'll get a kick out of watching his reflection coo, smile, and laugh. Why do babies love mirrors? Instant gratification — when he moves his arms and legs, the little person in the mirror does too. Double the fun by playing along: Hold your baby in front of a grown-up mirror and make faces. Don't be surprised if he copies your expressions — and then mimics the baby in the mirror.
Bath Toys
There's a reason why there's a whole Sesame Street song about rubber duckies. No, they don't do much, but babies don't require the same aquatic enticements that toddlers do. Any simple toy — a boat, a duck, a couple of fish — that floats will float your baby's boat. He can grab them, squeeze them (especially if they squirt or squeak), splash them, and kick the water and make them bob. What's he learning? Cause and effect. Join the fun (and boost his vocabulary) by providing sound effects ("Quack!") or a running commentary ("The blue fish is swimming away! Let's try to catch it!").
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