Infant Toys - Educational and Developmental Toys

Nobody will argue the fact that creative toys are the perfect choice for children. As parents, we understand that playtime and education do not have to be mutually exclusive terms so creative toys have a big place in the lives of our children. The ability to combine fun and enthusiastic play while engaging a child in learning without enforcing a teaching situation is the primary goal of educational and developmental baby toys.

Beginning At Birth

Crib toys are a delightful way to stimulate a baby by using infant development toys like brightly colored mobiles, which aid in focus and sight. The Tiny Love Double-Sided First Book is another fabulous visual stimulation and tummy time toy. One side is designed for infants from one to three months and the other side for older infants from three to six months. Both sides have crisp, clear shapes and colors, a variety of textures, and the three to six month side has a baby safe mirror and peek-a-boo activity.

The best infant educational toys are parents and other people who love the baby. An experience-rich environment affords optimal brain growth for a developing infant, so toys, colors, sounds, and touch are all things that are most helpful in developmental growth for infants. The best baby toys for infants up to six months are lightweight rattles in brilliant colors that they can hold and bang. Wrist and ankle rattles that fit right onto the arm or leg are great stimulating toys for infants. They reach for the toy and focus on it, eventually learning that their own hands and feet are attached to the toy (really it's the other way around, but it works). Rattles will never go out of style - they've been around for hundreds of years and will likely remain a tried and true infant toy for a long time to come.

Infants 9 - 12 Months Old Need More Stimulation

Toys for infants nine to twelve months are designed to encourage mobility and dexterity. By the time babies are in this age bracket, they're usually pretty mobile, either crawling or creeping and well on their way to standing alone - even walking. Objects become tools of motion. A ball is pushed with a stick and carrots are chased by a spoon in a bowl. Interactive games like tickle and talking on the phone delight babies at this age. The ability to problem solve is developing and now, rather than trying to cram a hand through a clear lid on a container, baby will try to take the lid off to see what's inside. The best infant developmental toys for this age are the ones that have been around the longest - blocks and balls. Blocks allow babies to practice the fine art of stacking and then observe the phenomenon of the blocks crashing to the floor when the tower is hit with something. Now that baby is bigger, balls have far more challenge. The baby can stand up and drop the ball and it will bounce, or he may even be able to toss it for greater effect.

Hold Onto Your Hat - Here Comes the Toddler!

Toddler toys are lots of fun as little people experience the exhilaration of flexing their tiny muscles, testing boundaries, and experiencing lots of new and exciting things. Keeping a toddler well stocked with great tools for creative expression will ensure healthy development. Toddlers are busy people, so toddler toys must be geared to all of the various things they like to do. Toddler toys span the range of climbing, riding, and swinging toys, all the way to crayons, water colors, easels, and paper. Soft books, dress-up clothing and puppets are yet other ways to expand the horizons of toddlers. Their inquisitiveness is equaled only by their energy, so lots of diversion and stimulating play is important to ensure optimal growth and development.

Providing The Right Toys Ensures Great Development

Children's toys, whether they are infant developmental toys or preschool educational toys, are part of a normal and healthy life experience for babies and young children. If we are able to provide quality infants educational toys to our babies right from the start, they will be able to experience their own individuality and find things that they truly enjoy doing at a very young age.