A child starts to observe and learn about the world around him as soon as he is born. So, it is never too early to start looking for healthy and appropriate toys for your children to aid in the growth of their inquisitive minds. This article is going to help you choose the right toys for babies under 1 year old.
First of all, you need to remember that a good toy should be not only safe for your babies but also suitable for each stage of your child’s development. And each child will have his or her own pace of development. So, the same toy can be both suitable for a child of this age, also suitable for another child at a younger or older age.
Toys for infants under 6 months old
At this age, babies mostly like to observe people and follow them with their eyes. Babies are also excited with what their arms and legs can do, they can reach things, lift and rotate their heads toward sounds, put objects in their mouths, and so on.
So, the first toy should be pictures of colorful faces that they can see or female mirrors that cannot be broken.
Next are toys that help them explore sounds. Examples are books with poems or nursery rhymes, and recordings of lullabies or simple songs.
Finally, objects that they can reach, suck, shake are also suitable toys for babies at this age range. Some of the typical toys of this type include squeeze toys, rattles, large rings, soft dolls, textured balls, and board and vinyl books.
Toys for children aged from 7 to 12 months
Older infants love to explore simple body movements such as rolling back and forth, sitting, bouncing, creeping, scooting, pulling themselves up, and standing.
They can recognize their names and other familiar words as well as other cognitive activities like finding hidden items or inserting and removing things from containers.
Toys suitable for children of this age:
- Things that help them use their big and small muscles such as soft things such as pillows, stuffed animals; large balls, tunnels, taller climbers, tricycles, etc.
- Construction toys such as wooden cubes or large soft blocks.
- Things to drop and pick up such as plastic cups and bowls, balls, and large beads.
- Toys for pretend play: dolls and teddies, puppets, toy vehicles.
Toys for children from 1 to 2 years old
At this age, children can walk and might climb stairs. They love listening to stories, begin to say their very first words, and enjoy playing with their friends. Also, they like to discover something new, which you need to keep your eyes on.
Good toys for them can be:
- Books with simple pictures and illustrations of real things.
- Toys with rhymes, songs, pictures, and stories.
- Things to use the muscles such as puzzles, switches, knobs, balls.
- Things for creativity such as crayons and papers.
- Things to build: wood blocks, cardboard. The woodblocks’ size now can be smaller than those of under-one-year children 2 to 4 inches.
Safety standard for young children toys
Safe toys should be made of baby-friendly material, coated with non-toxic paint, and easy to clean. They also must not have sharp parts or small pieces.
For electric toys, choose one that has got approval from Underwriters Laboratories. In addition, you should also make sure that there are no breakable pieces or small parts that can put your babies at the potential of choking and suffocation.
You should also keep in mind that it is also very dangerous to let your child use old toys. These toys might be inexpensive or have sentimental value, but they do not meet safety standards.
So, you should not let your babies play with worn toys and have to check toys regularly to make sure they are always in good condition.
In conclusion,
Having the right toys to play with at an early age will help your children develop more comprehensively. These toys may be free items that you can easily find at home such as plastic bowls, cardboard boxes, and more.
Apart from choosing appropriate toys for each stage of development, you also have to ensure the safety of toys because infants are very vulnerable.
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