best developmental toys for infants
Early childhood development is very important. After all, the human brain doubles in size in the first year of life. Here are some toys to help jump start your child’s brain development that are both fun and cute.
Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
Infants can focus on the high contrast colors and patterns, especially the red parts, which research states are the most attractive color to infants.
The little plastic ball component adds interest as parents can giggle it to get their infants attention. As their vision develops, they will be able to start tracking objects, first horizontally, then vertically and diagonally too.
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy
This award winning musical toy promotes auditory development, music appreciation, a sense of tempo, and visual perception. It’s colorful lights have been expertly programed to flash in time to classical tunes. I’ve tested it out on my 2 month old daughter and it does get her attention when she’s fussy. The lights are fun to look at even for me, and the caterpillar handle should be good for teething too. The 7 songs include classical masterpieces by Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and Rossini.
Bright Starts Clack and Slide Activity Ball
So many activities in one toy! Colors, textures, sound, mirror, teething parts, rolling ball — it’s got it all. This toy promotes tactile awareness and motor skills as your baby navigates through its many parts.
Rock-a-Stack
With all the new toys out there, we sometimes ignore the old school toys such as the Rock-a-Stack. This toy is packed with developmental tools to strengthen visual development and hand-eye coordination. As the baby plays, she is practicing her gross motor skills while learning to differentiate between different sizes and colors. It’s even great as a bath time toy. Can’t go wrong here.
Lamaze Peek-A-Boo Forest Soft Book
It’s a plush toy, it’s a book, it’s the Peek-A-Boo Forest Soft Book. Each page features a fun flap for a game of peek-a-boo for you and your baby while they learn about the animals that live in the forest. The crinkly plush owl on the cover encourages your baby to touch and play with the book.
O Ball 1-Piece Rattle & Roll Car
Here’s another multipurpose toy. It’s a rattle, it’s a car, and if your child is one who likes to throw things, the soft O-ball on top protects and bounces. For younger babies, this toy is also “teethable” according to the website, as it does not contain BPA, PVC, latex or phthalates.
VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker
From infants to toddlers, this toy has something to engage babies across the age groups. The front panel comes off for infants to touch and play with on the ground.It then can attach to the push cart to encourage them to go from laying to sitting, to standing on their own. It features spinning rollers, shape sorters, light-up buttons, a 5 key keyboard, and a telephone handset to develop motor skills and enhance role-play fun. With over 70 sing-along songs, music, sound effects and fun phrases, this is a toy that will keep their attention for a long time.
This adorable toy is full of surprises. On the bottom of each egg is a unique shape that is matched to the base. Babies can learn about shapes and practice memory and hand eye coordination by putting the eggs in the right place. They can further match each egg shells to the “little chirpers” inside, each to their own color, or with some imagination this could very well turn into a memory game or a fun story about a chicken family. Each “little chirpers” also — you guessed it — chirp when pressed down, making this multi-level toy even more cute and fun.
Baby Einstein Activity Arms Toy, Octopus
At some point after having a baby, you’ll have to either put them down or go out somewhere. This toy helps to keep them entertained whether in their pack-n-play or in the car seat. It features a ring that rattles for grabbing and teething, a starfish bead chaser for variety, and a mirror to help develop awareness and social skills while they stay safely in the back seat.
