Baby Toys

The early months in baby’s life are vital. Keep your baby engaged with our educational baby toys that delight your little one’s senses. Let your baby experience new sensations as they touch and feel. Open their eyes to exciting lights and colors. Attune their ears to sound with baby toys and rattles. Work their little mouths and keep them happy with adorable teethers. Keep their little bodies active with baby gyms and baby bath toys. Make travel easy with our travel baby toys designed for use on the go. Babies learn about the world around them through activity. These educational baby toys are perfect for helping infants adjust and grow while filling your ears with the joyous sounds of baby giggles!

• Baby Activity Toys
• Rattles and Teethers
• Light and Sound Toys
• Sensory Toys
• Shape Sorters
• Baby Gym
• Bath Toys
• Stroller and Car Seat Toys
• Crib Toys
• Stacking Toys
• Push & Pull Toys

Guide to Buying Baby Toys

Let’s be honest. It is a LOT of fun to shop for babies. Whether for clothes, accessories or baby toys, it is hard to resist going a bit overboard when it comes to shopping for the youngest members of the family. Still, it can be tricky to know which baby toys are best. There are many questions such as those about safety and whether or not the educational aspect of toys is as important for newborns as it is for older babies.

The intention of this guide to buying baby toys is to help you navigate through the thousands of choices and find the toys that will be the most fun and most beneficial for your baby.

What to Look For When Buying Baby Toys

Obviously, the best baby toy for a 12 month old will be different than the best baby toy for a newborn. Still, there are some criteria that make the most popular baby toys stand out no matter the age of the baby.

The type of toys babies will love will be different than the type of toy an older child will enjoy. Babies love to explore with all of their senses. When you find a baby toy that stimulates multiple senses, you will probably have a winner.

Look for baby toys that are textured as that will appeal to the baby’s sense of touch. Bright colors, flashing lights and characters that dance and move will stimulate the sight while music and talking toys will engage the baby through their hearing.

Many of the best baby toys incorporate all three of the above elements. The more the senses are stimulated, the more the baby toy will be able to hold the attention of its young user.

So, are the educational aspects of choosing a baby toy just as important for a newborn as for a 12 month old? Most parents and child development experts will agree that the answer is yes. What is different, however, is how the toys educate. For the youngest babies, the stimulation itself can be educational. Toys may help babies learn to focus their eyes, hold their head up and develop upper body strength by encouraging them to spend time on their tummies. Toys for older babies may use repetition to teach numbers and colors or begin to lay the foundation for language and music appreciation.

Some make the mistake of thinking that educational baby toys must be overtly so. But not all educational baby toys are going to recite the alphabet or teach the difference between red and blue.

Most educational baby toys are going to simply lay the foundation by discreetly teaching or encouraging behaviors that will benefit the baby down the road as they continue to add skills and, eventually, begin attending school.

Of course, safety is of paramount importance when choosing baby toys for any age group. General toy safety is such an important topic that it will be discussed in the section of this guide titled “General Safety”.

Below are sections that include tips for buying baby toys for specific age groups as well as examples of some of the most popular and highly rated toys in each age group.

0 to 3 Months

Toys for babies who are newborn to three months have more than one purpose. Some toys are intended to soothe the baby while others are intended to provide stimulation. At this age, sensory stimulation is of the utmost importance. If an infant toy does not interest the baby visually, it is unlikely that the baby will spend any time with the toy.

Keep in mind that the youngest babies have limited vision. In order for a toy to be visually appealing, it should include bright, strong, contrasting colors. Of course, the others senses, such as hearing and touch, should be stimulated by the toy as well.

Some of the best infant toys for this age group include toys that are fun for the baby via the sensory stimulation that they provide, as well as educational.

Even the youngest babies can enjoy The Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Adventure Gym. There are several brightly colored characters hanging from the half-moon shaped band that will rest right over the baby. A pillow allows the baby’s head to be propped up so that he or she can have the best view of the dangling characters.

The Fill 'n Fun Water Play Mat is a wonderful example of an educational baby toy. This toy encourages the baby to spend time on his or her tummy. When a baby spends time in this position it helps them to develop upper body strength as well as skills when it comes to lifting their head. This highly rated baby toy includes 8 different activities and a mirror.

As mentioned above, some baby toys are intended to soothe the baby. The Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Deep Blue Sea Soother attaches to the side of baby’s crib. Parents can choose from music or the sounds of the ocean and baby will enjoy looking at a colorful bobbing whale, crab and fish.

Another soothing baby toy is the Baby Einstein Around the World Collection Soother. This newborn toy features actual imagery from locations all over the world. There is also music to help to soothe the baby and parents can control the toy from across the room via a remote control.

Lamaze Mortimer the Moose is an example of a baby toy that is appropriate for babies of all ages. This multi-colored stuffed moose features sensory stimulation in the form of varied textures and sounds. The antlers double as a teether and, to make mom’s life a bit easier, just like majority of Rattles and Teethers the entire toy can be tossed into the washing machine.

Some parents think that books for the youngest babies are not appropriate. Some studies show that the sooner baby is read to, the earlier of a reader he or she will be. Books such as Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board Book are wonderful choices for the youngest babies.

3 to 6 Months

Babies in this age group are beginning to be a bit more mobile. While true crawling is probably a few months away, baby will begin to drag themselves on their belly in order to get from point A to point B. They enjoy lounging on their backs while playing with their own fingers and toes. Babies in this range will get better at sitting, be generally more coordinated and start making some noise.

Baby toys for this age group will encourage the growth of the above milestones and help baby continue to grow and develop. This is a good age to introduce your child to bath toys.

Surprise Inside Elephant by Earlyears is a stuffed baby toy that includes multiple textures, which help to keep the baby interested and stimulated. As the baby gets older, the toy has features that can continue to challenge and stimulate the baby such as various colors on each piece, a mirror, squeaking toy mouse.

Footie rattles are a wonderful baby toy for this age group. As the baby spends time on his back, the sock like toy will encourage play and movement.

The Munchkin Magic Cube is a baby toy that provides an introduction to music. Remember, this is the stage of the baby’s life when he or she is starting to make some noise. According the toy’s sales copy, this baby toy will teach the baby to “learn how sounds combine to make music.” It is easy to hold and flashing lights will hold the attention of babies on the younger end of this age group.

The Play and Pat Water Mat Turtle features bright colors and, once it is filled with water, floating characters. This toy encourages baby to hold him or herself up in order to look at the visually stimulating toy.

Of course, don’t forget books, which were introduced to baby when he or she was younger. At this age, baby books that have variety of textures that the baby can touch, such as fur, make wonderful choices.

6 to 9 Months

During the period from six to nine months, babies will start to stand. They will get better control over their actions as once flailing limbs will not be in better control. Babies will also start babbling and language will become increasingly important from this point on.

Baby toys for those in the six to nine month range will become educational in more obvious ways. Toys will stimulate and encourage the use of fine motor skills and continue to lay the foundations to teach babies about colors, counting and language. This is when stacking toys become important in baby's development.

The Baby Einstein Count and Compose Piano features sight, sound and language development features. This educational baby toy provides a solid introduction to numbers and features instruments, numerous songs and colored lights that keep a beat along with the music.

The Together Tunes Too by Yookidoo will help with fine motor skills and also continue teaching babies about colors. With 6 favorite nursery rhymes, lights and moveable parts, this musical baby toy will stimulate all of the baby’s senses.

Because babies in this age group have started to stand, this is the time when walking toys, such as carts and trolleys can be introduced. As the baby’s walking skills begin to develop, he or she will be able to use these walking toys for stability until they are ready to stand on their own.

For pure fun, consider the Little Tykes Toddler Swing. The high back seat will support baby and the swing can be attached to any existing swing set.

9 to 12 Months

The time from nine to twelve months is an exciting time for babies and their parents. It is during this time that many babies will start true crawling. Walking will follow shortly as will baby’s first words. As the baby’s coordination and motor skills continue to improve, the baby will be better able to grasp smaller objects. Toys for this age group encourage improved motor skills and communication development.

The Infantino Monkey Pod allows baby to record the sound of his or her own voice (or the voice of mommy or daddy). This musical baby toy features five songs and the eyes flash along to the beat of the music.

The Playskool Busy Basics Busy Poppin’ Pals helps to encourage those ever improving fine motor skills. As the baby works the buttons, levers and switches, he or she will be rewarded by a variety of animal characters that will pop-up out of the top of the toy.

This is a good age to introduce ride on baby toys. The Ready Set Go Trike by Alex Toys is a good examples of ride on baby toys for this age group.

The Step 2 Water Wheel Play Table will encourage hours of stimulating play. The water falls and works to turn the wheel which spills the water into compartments on the table where the baby can splash and play.

General Safety

The above examples of baby toys are just examples pulled from the thousands of available baby toys. When choosing toys, keep all of the above tips in mind for each age group and you will be sure to have baby toys that will not only be fun for your baby, but will also stimulate development and learning.

Of course, if the toy is not safe then it doesn’t matter how much fun or how much it stimulates or soothes the baby. Unfortunately, parent’s best intentions can turn into their worst nightmare as more than 200,000 children are rushed to the emergency room each year as the result of an injury due to a toy.

While not every accident can be prevented, there are things that parents can look for in order to be sure that they are choosing the safest baby toys possible for their child.

Age Recommendations

It is surprising how many parents ignore the age recommendations on baby toys. While this does have to do with the appropriateness of play for a certain age level, it also has to do with safety. Toys are developed with a certain age group in mind. A toy that is totally safe and appropriate for a 12 month old will not necessarily be safe and appropriate for a 3 month old.

Pay attention to the age recommendations and use them as a guideline when choosing the best and safest baby toys.

Small Parts

Why toymakers insist on making toys that have tiny removable parts is beyond the understanding of most parents. Not only are these parts surely to be lost within a few weeks, but they can also pose a serious choking hazard for babies.

Even if the toy was not intended for use by the baby – perhaps it was given to an older sibling – it is best to just remove the small parts and pieces. The safest baby toys have not small parts.

Strings

While most parents are aware of the danger that small parts can pose when included in baby toys, fewer are aware of the dangers of strings or ribbon. Sadly, babies and small children are strangled by such ribbons each year after the cord or ribbon becomes entangled around their necks.

These tragedies can be avoided if parents simply remove long ribbon or cords from infant toys. The safest baby toys will not have long strings or ribbons.

Stuffed Animals

Stuffed animals for babies must be carefully selected. Avoid any that have plastic eyes that could fall off or be chewed off. Also, to prevent your teething baby from developing a hairball of sorts, avoid plush animals with long fur that is easily removed.

Instead stick to smooth stuffed animals, such as Earl E Bird, especially for younger babies.

Quality

Obviously, the quality of the baby toy is of the utmost importance to baby toy safety. But how can you know which baby toys are safe? One way is to know the materials included in the toy. Avoid certain materials such as lead and PVC piping.

Parents should also regularly check for baby toy recalls. This can be done by visiting the Web site for US Consumer Product Safety Commission at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html. Make it a habit to check the site regularly to be sure none of your newborn toys are on the recall list.

Condition

There are many baby toys that were perfectly safe when they were new, but as they become worn they pose a potential safety hazard. If you notice broken parts, worn paint or color or other condition issues, the best bet is to toss the baby toy.

Even with all that there is to know about purchasing safe and appropriate baby toys, it is sure to remain one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a parent. It’s not just choosing the baby toys but then having the chance to watch and interact with your baby as they enjoy playing with and learning from their baby toys.

Take the time to choose carefully to be sure that the baby toys that you choose will do the most good, and provide the most enjoyment, for your baby.

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