Choosing Toys for Babies By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of Gentle Baby Care
You may not be sure what kind of toys, or how many, your baby should have. It’s
likely that you hear conflicting advice that runs from one extreme to
another! It’s either: “Don’t give your baby toys; he’ll be spoiled,” to “Give your baby lots of toys;
they develop her brain.” So…which is it?
Both sides of this debate have valid points. A baby does indeed learn from the
things she plays with, and the more things she has access to, the more she
can learn. With this in mind, many parents spend a fortune buying toys;
however, many toys hold a child’s attention for three or four days, only to
be relegated to the bottom of the toy box or back of a shelf.
Babies learn about their world by using all five of their senses: sight,
hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Toys engage and refine these senses by:
Helping your baby learn how to control his movements and body parts
Helping your baby figure out how things work
Showing your baby how she can control things in her world
Teaching your baby new ideas
Building your baby’s muscle control, coordination, and strength
Teaching your baby how to use his imagination
Showing your baby how to solve simple problems
Helping your baby learn how to play by herself
Setting the foundation for learning how to share and cooperate with others
Experts agree that babies need a variety of toys to enrich their lives and
encourage learning. While your baby can learn from expensive store-bought
toys, she can also learn from a crumpled piece of paper, a set of measuring
spoons, an empty box, or a leaf. Everything is new and interesting to a
baby, and if you open your eyes to the many wonders in our world, you’ll see
that you don’t have to spend a fortune to keep your baby happy, interested,
and learning.
What “home-grown” toys are best?
As you view the whole world as a bottomless toy box, here are some tips to
consider:
Search for items of different
weights, materials, textures, flexibility, sizes, shapes, colors, and
smells. (Most store-bought baby toys are primary-colored plastic; that’s
why your metal keys on a leather key ring are so very appealing because
they’re different!)
Babies are generalists. Your
little one will apply what he learns from one object to any other that
is similar. Therefore, don’t give him an old book or magazine to
scribble in unless you want all of your books to be potential
notepads. A sealed bottle may look fun, but your baby may then think he
can play with your pill bottles.
Take a closer look at the things
you consider “trash.” Some may be valuable toys! Empty boxes, egg
cartons, and tin containers are just a few examples of everyday castoffs
that, once cleaned, can provide endless hours of play.
Your kitchen is overflowing with
baby toys! Once your little one begins to crawl, it’s time to rearrange
the kitchen. Put all your baby-safe items, such as plastic containers,
pots and pans, potholders and canned goods, in your lower cabinets and
let your baby know where his “toys” are. You’ll have to relax your
housekeeping standards and deal with disorganized cabinets for a while,
but the play potential is so fantastic that it’s worth it!
Young children love water play,
and a bowl or pan of water along with spoons and cups of various sizes
make a fabulous source of fun. You can put your baby in his high chair,
sit him on the floor on a beach towel, or take him outside in a shady
spot if the weather’s warm. I guarantee he’ll be soaked when he’s done,
but that will be after a very long and happy play session
Containers to fill and empty are
lots of fun for a baby. You can safely fulfill your older baby’s desire
to manipulate small things by filling a large bowl with a variety of
colorful children’s cereals (nothing hard or ball-shaped) and supplying
spoons, measuring cups, and other containers. Since you’re using cereal
pieces, it’s okay if some end up in his mouth. Don’t try this
with beads, seeds, macaroni, or other items that pose a choking hazard.
What store-bought toys are best?
A while ago, I went to the toy store to buy my youngest child, Coleton, a toy
that my older three adored when they were babies. It was a simple pop-up toy
for toddlers with various buttons, levers, and dials. I found a bewildering
variety of this kind of toy, but to my dismay, every single one was
electronic. They made sounds, they made music, they had blinking lights
and they just about played by themselves! I finally had to order the prized toy
from a specialty catalog that carries “back to basics” toys. Sure,
electronic toys can be exciting for a while but they can also stunt your baby’s developing ability to imagine and
manipulate (and let’s face it: those repetitive electronic sounds can get
annoying). If a toy does everything by itself, it loses its potential as a
tool for developing creativity. Also, if your little one gets used to these
toys, then simple pleasures like wooden blocks seem boring by comparison
because he expects the blocks to play for him. And those simple toys
are among the very best for baby playtime.
Look for these qualities as you shop for your baby:
Long-term play value: Will this hold your little one’s attention for more than a few weeks?
Durability: Will it hold up when sat on, thrown, jumped on, mouthed, or banged?
Solid simplicity: Babies don’t need complicated toys.
Challenge: Look for toys that teach but do not frustrate.
Appropriateness. Does it match your baby’s thinking, language, and motor skills?
Interest: Will it encourage your baby to think?
Stimulation: How does this toy foster creativity and imagination?
Interactiveness: Does it engage your child or just entertain him as he watches passively?
Versatility: Can your baby play with this in more than one way?
Washability: Well-loved toys tend to get very dirty!
Fit with your family value system: Does this toy reflect your family’s particular values? For example, is
the toy friendly to the environment? Does it promote diversity? Are you comfortable with what the toy represents?
Novelty: Is this toy different from others your baby already has? You don’t want a toy box filled with
30 different kinds of rattles!
Fun appeal: Is it something that you will enjoy playing with, too? Toys that encourage you to play
along with your baby are ideal.
Best toys for young babies:
Board books
Foot or hand puppets
Musical toys
Rattles
Small, lightweight, easy-to-grasp toys
Squeaky toys
Teething rings
Toys with high-contrast graphics, bright colors, or black-and-white patterns
Best toys for older babies:
Activity boxes (levers/buttons/dials/hinges)
Balls
Beginning puzzles (two or three large pieces; knobs are helpful)
Blocks
Cars and trucks
Chunky small people and accessories
Dolls and stuffed animals
Hammering toys
Large interlocking beads
Modeling dough
Musical toys
Nesting cups
Peg boards
Picture books
Plastic animals
Pop-up toys
Push or pull toys
Shape sorters
Stacking rings
Toy versions of everyday items (telephones, cooking utensils, doctor kits)
Toys you still remember from your childhood (The classics endure and are always a good bet!)
Washable crayons or markers and blank paper
Playtime
As you give you baby new things to play with, keep in mind that there is no
right way to play with toys. For example, a puzzle is not always for
“puzzling.” The pieces make great manipulative characters, can be sorted or
put in boxes, and make interesting noises when banged together or against an
empty pot. Children learn through play, so any toy they enjoy playing
with is, by definition, educational.
Safety for all toys
Always consider well the safety aspects of anything your baby is
going to play with. Here are a few ways to keep playtime safe:
Discard any plastic wrapping, plastic bags, packaging, or tags before giving a toy to a baby.
Always watch for choking hazards.
Anything small enough to fit in your baby’s mouth has the potential for
danger. Watch for pieces that may become loose from a larger object,
too. Make sure that no small parts can be pulled off or chewed off the
toy.
Check the paint or finish on the toy to make sure it is non-toxic, since babies put everything in their
mouths.
Check toys for sharp points, rough edges, rust, and broken parts.
Always abide by the age rating on the package. No matter how smart your
child is or how wonderful the toy, don’t second-guess the manufacturer,
since age rankings often are given due to safety issues. If you choose
to purchase a toy with an older age recommendation, make certain that
the toy is used only when you are playing with your baby, and that it is
stored where she can’t get to it without your supervision.
Remove rattles, squeeze toys, teethers, stuffed animals, and other small
toys from the crib or bed when your baby goes to sleep for naps or
bedtime. The exception here is a specialty made-for-baby toy that has
been carefully created to be a safe sleeping lovey.
Avoid pull toys with long cords that could wind around your baby’s neck.
Pull toys for babies should have either very short strings or rigid
handles.
Make sure toys are properly assembled, with no loose parts.
Beware of excessively loud toys. Babies tend to hold things close to
their faces, and you want to protect your baby’s sensitive ears.
Buy mobiles or crib toys from reputable manufacturers, and make sure
that they attach to the crib without dangling strings. Remove mobiles
and other crib toys once your baby can sit up.
Make sure that toys are never left on stairs, in doorways, or in
walkways.
Your baby’s toy box should have a special safety lid (or no lid at all)
to prevent it from slamming on her head or hands, or trapping her
inside. There shouldn’t be any hinges that could pinch little fingers.
Never give a baby a balloon, Styrofoam, or plastic wrap as a toy; these
present a serious choking hazard, since they cannot be expelled using
the Heimlich maneuver.
If a toy is second-hand (whether
purchased from a second-hand store or garage sale, or given to you by a
friend or relative), give all of the above rules extra consideration. If
you have any doubts, always err on the side of safety and discard the
toy. Don’t let your baby play with a paint-finished toy that appears to
be older than a few years because
the paint may be lead-based, which poses serious hazards to a baby who
touches or mouths it.
Keep toys (and parts of toys)
designed for older children out of the hands of babies. Your baby may
like to play with toys belonging to an older sibling or friend,
but these are geared, safety-wise, to older kids and are not safe for
little ones to use without very close supervision.
This article is an excerpt, with permission from Gentle Baby Care
by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)
www.pantley.com/elizabeth.