It is amazing to see the variety of toys and other things that are available for kids in India now. The variety can easily be confusing. In the last one year, I bought some of the best toys and some we got from friends as hand me downs and some as gifts. Out of my experience, I can list some best toys which my daughter enjoyed playing with. We should try and give them toys that help in their development. I have always tried and bought toys which will interest my daughter and she will be able to use for a few months. Toys are expensive and thus, buying relevant ones makes sense.
I have also noticed that in spite of the number of toys I get for her, random things in the house interest her more. So empty bottles, spoons, mixing bowls and other things are also a part of her toy room. Parents must take care that no number of toys can replace them for their kids. Interacting with kids and playing silly games also is very important for their development and this should not be ignored.
Some of the toys I think most babies love are:
Baby Gym
Baby gym is a toy which I know parents use from the first month only. However, we started using it from the end of the second month or so. The baby gym we used was the Fisher Price one (I use a lot of their stuff). The idea is to have objects which are colorful and bright. The baby gym also helps them get tummy time though my daughter never really enjoyed it. The mat should be easy to clean as baby’s can drool or spit out. These gyms are help in teaching them to grasp things and reaching for toys. They also assist in hand eye coordination and rolling.
Mirror
Many people in India do not like to show a mirror to a child for some superstitious reasons. I was also advised to do so but I did not follow it as I was not convinced. Mirrors are there in some toys else a small but safe one can be used by kids. A mirror is a great way to distract a crying baby. (I still use the trick) Babies find mirrors entertaining especially when they are learning to sit.
Ball Rattle
This ball is a toy my daughter started playing with when she was about 6 months old and continues to enjoy it at 16 months. Small babies when they learn to hold it are able to hold it easily because of the webbed design. I used to roll the ball to her and the sound and the movement always caught her attention. It is said that playing with a ball teaches children back and forth dynamics. Also, ball is a simple word and among the first few they learn. The sound and the movement of the ball are a great learning tool for the baby.
Board Books
Books should be introduced to children as early as possible. I got a little late and then my daughter took time to like them. Now she loves her books and gets them to me so that we can read. When babies are small you can sit with them and turn pages and show them pictures. You can read simple stories to them too. When the babies learn to sit they learn to turn pages. Slowly they start recognizing things and this helps in speech development too. It can get boring for parents to read the same book several times but trust me, it is fantastic for their development.
Blocks
For babies under one you can always get the soft blocks and once they grow older you can graduate to the wooden ones. The soft blocks come with sounds which the babies love. These blocks are easy to clean and the babies can bite and chew them also without spoiling them. You can show the baby how to stack them and knock them down. These blocks also help in developing lot of skills like hand eye coordination, transferring things from one hand to the other, grasping, depth perception and cause and effect.
Play Table
The play tables are a great toy to buy especially the ones which come with detachable legs. The table top can be used till the babies sit and when they learn to stand with support they can play for a long time on their own. These have different sounds and learning tools and can be used till they are two years old.
Ring Stacker
This is one of my daughter’s favorite toys. She initially started playing with the colorful rings. She would love to hold them and do different things with them. Slowly she learnt to place the rings without any order and now she can do them the right way. This toy is a lot of fun and helps them learn many skills. She learnt banging the rings and then grasping. It also helps in hand eye coordination and introduces the concept of size too. A great learning toy for sure.
Push Toy
This toy is good when the kids learn to sit. With the toy the babies love to sit and play and slowly they learn to kneel down and stand with support. It though poses balancing problem when the kids start walking. The toy rolls fast and thus, it is important to keep an eye on the baby when they learn to walk.
Most of the above toys are good fun to play with and also help in developing many skills in the babies. Rattles and teethers are also good and kids enjoy playing with them. The Fisher Price Set of 3 is a great option to buy for your kid or give as a gift. As parents, we must remember that all babies are different and their reaction to a toy will vary. Your baby can respond well to a toy which is not even in the list. I have given these options seeing what most kids around me like. Play time is important for a baby and these best toys just make it more fun and learning.
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