Baby Toys

A baby’s first birthday is an exciting time for parents and family members. The baby has no idea what’s going on, just that everyone is smiling and happy and handing him new ‘stuff’ to play with. Very often, children receive toys inappropriate for their age, and will find more enjoyment from the wrapping paper and box than the new treasure.
Well meaning Aunts and Uncles feel that they must give little Johnny the best gift and head straight to the big name toy store and spend a fortune on the ‘hottest’ toy of the season only to be let down when the baby shows little interest in the new toy or worse yet, is terrified of the ‘bouncing-flipping-singing’ media frenzied creation. Here’s an idea. How about giving a unique, but time-less toy that the child can learn and grow by? Simple, well-made toys are best for babies and toddlers.
What kinds of toys are best suited for twelve month old babies? Some suggested toys are items like:
Large plastic blocks
Stacking rings
Stuffed toys of different textures
Cloth dolls
Activity centers
Music boxes and toys that make sounds
Toys to ride push or pull
Remember, babies of this age put everything in their mouths and explore their world through their senses, so make certain that any toy you give as a gift has no small parts or small pieces that will come off. Many of the toys listed above can be used when the child enters toddler and preschool years as well, making quality and durability even more important.
A twelve month old baby is entering into the toddler stage, many are already walking by then, and love to explore with riding toys and other activities such as toy lawn mowers and wagons. A wonderful idea for a first birthday gift is a well-made, classic toy rocking horse. There are beautiful rocking horses to be found, and will become a family heirloom as other children enjoy it throughout the years.
All young toddlers love to snuggle and cuddle soft dolls and animals, and they make great first birthday gifts. Rather than buy the same doll or animal that everyone else will be bringing, look for a unique, well-crafted doll or animal that can withstand lots of love and ‘dragging around’ by the little one.
Everyone loves to give toys to kids as birthday gifts; however, not everyone knows what kind of toy is best suited for a certain age child. Giving a gift that not everyone else will think of is also a great way to make your gift stand out and be remembered. As strange as it may sound, a simple, wooden or classic toy is very often the ‘unique’ toy these days and very rarely given. TV and movie characters will come and go, but the toys that stand the test of time will be enjoyed by children for years to come. Do a little research and purchase a toy that will not only delight little Johnny, but will help him learn and grow at the same time.

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How do you know what toys are the best for your baby? A new parent can spend a fortune on baby toys and chances are your baby will not play with half of them! Here are some considerations to keep in mind when buying baby toys.
First, the most important consideration is safety. Do not buy any toy that will be dangerous for your baby. Make sure the toy is not too heavy-if it falls on your baby, will she be injured? Also, check for any choking hazards. A good test to see if a toy is big enough or not is the toilet paper roll test. If a toy can fit inside a toilet paper roll, it is too small for a baby. Even big toys can pose a choking hazard if they have parts that can fall off easily. Remember that babies put almost everything into their mouths, so this is one of the most important safety factors.
If you are purchasing a large ride-on or sit-in toy, make sure it is stable enough to hold your baby’s weight. Sturdy plastic is the best material for these types of toys. Also, make sure there are no sharp or rough edges on the toy that the baby can get hurt on.
Babies like contrasts, so look for toys that have bright, contrasting colors. This will keep their attention and give them something interesting to look at. Babies prefer bright, bold colors to the pastels we usually associate with their age.
The next thing you are going to want to consider is your baby’s age. Some parents are tempted to buy toys that are too advanced for their baby, because they think they can push their baby’s development. This is not true. Babies will not develop skills any faster if they are given too complex toys to play with. They will simply ignore these toys.
Newborn to three-month-old babies are not able to interact with their toys. The best toys for babies at this age are toys that they can look at or watch. Between four and six months is when babies start to interact with their surroundings more. Toys that they can bat at are good for this age. Also, if a baby holds a toy, chances are they might hit themselves with it, so make sure most toys are soft. After six months, interactive toys are great because this is when babies start to learn about cause and effect. Also, babies older than six months are able to control their movements more.
Pay attention to your baby and what his or her preferences tend to be. Just because you have a little girl, doesn’t mean you can’t buy her a car, if she enjoys pushing things with wheels. You will still be able to teach her to be a little lady, even if she does like playing with cars. Buy your baby toys that interest him-don’t be too tied down to gender restrictions at this young age.

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Are you tired of paying for expensive toys that your baby shows no interest in? Well, there are plenty of ways to create your very own fun baby toys . . . without having to resort to expensive materials. These are far more likely to be interesting to your baby, and if they aren’t . . . well, it doesn’t matter!
Crinkler
Take the nylon mesh that your onions or melons come in and stuff some sheets of colorful cellophane inside. Tie the tube off well so your baby can’t pull the cellophane out and let her crinkle away. This toy is great for two reasons, one, the noise is fun for kids and not annoying to parents, and two, the mesh and cellophane offers interesting textures for tiny tots to explore.
Curtain Ring Chain
To make this super simple toy, you just need some big round plastic curtain rings. If you can, get some different colors, but your baby will like it even if you can only buy one color. To assemble the toy, simple push each ring onto another one to form a chain. Babies adore dangling and tugging on this toy. Wash the rings before you give them to your little one, though, since he will also want to chew on them. Oh, and make sure that any curtain rings you buy are at least 3″ in diameter so they aren’t a choking hazard.
Floaty Foamies
Need some inexpensive bath toys? Buy some bright colored craft foam and make your own! This is super easy, just draw a bunch of sea animals, between 3-5″ long, and cut them out. These fun toys will float in the bathtub, are nice and easy to grab and are fun to stick to the tub wall! You can even make a bath book by cutting four or five squares of foam, punching two holes along one side and tying them together with plastic lace. Write and draw with permanent markers and you have a book that can go in the tub and be chewed on.
Foot Pillows
Trace your baby’s foot or yours on a piece of felt. Cut out two of the shape, from the same color or from two different colors. Sew around the edge of the foot, leaving a 2″ hole along one side. Stuff with cotton batting and include a couple of little jingle bells. Sew closed and let your baby play with this soft noise maker. There’s no need to turn the foot inside out, since felt won’t fray, you can just sew around the outside edges, making this even simpler.
Baby Bubble Bottle
You’ll need a clear plastic bottle, water bottles work well. Take the label off and fill the bottle 2/3 with water. Add a few drops of food coloring to make a nice colorful water and then add vegetable oil to just below the cap. Screw the cap on tightly (you may want to tape it as well) and let your baby shake the bottle to watch the oil form bubbles that move slowly through the water.

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You can’t go anywhere without some sort of baby toy for sale. There are toys that rattle, roll, talk, sing, vibrate, giggle, dance, beep, light up, and pop. If you remember back to the days when you were a child, can you recall such elaborate toys? The answer is “no”. Of course there are some new style baby toys that do a lot to develop infant skills; however, I tend to steer towards the classics. There are 3 old fashioned, classic baby toys that my daughter loves the most.
Rings
20 and 30 years ago, when we were babies, we played with colorful plastic rings that stacked up based on size. Now days, they have a similar toy on the market, but this toy does not require the baby to stack the rings in the correct order. They will fit any way they are placed on the stick. When a ring is slid on the pole, a musical note is played. Although the new-fangled ring toy has sound and lights, my daughter prefers the old fashioned one that has the primary colors. The rings are lighter in weight and make her think about order.
Balls
There is nothing like a ball to entertain a baby or toddler. You can buy balls of all different shapes and textures. Some balls are hand sized, while others are as big as a globe. Some have a slippery finish, while others have rubbery spikes. Balls encourage babies to move and crawl. They also encourage toddlers hand, eye coordination by allowing them to play catch. There is no toy that could ever take the place of a standard ball.
Pop-up Box
Pop-up boxes are usually rectangular in shape. They have characters that pop up when the baby or toddler pushes a button, turns a knob, or flips a switch. Babies at about 12 months of age get the most benefit from these toys because it teaches them cause and effect. The pop-up box lets them see that if they do an action, something will happen. Usually these toys have no bells, whistles, lights, or music, and babies don’t care!
We all want our babies to be as smart as they can be. This is why parents buy every toy on the market today. However, there is no need to spend too much money on bells and whistles. Rings, balls, and pop-up baby toys are classics that hardly cost a cent.

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Toddler toys that can help your baby walk – using toddler push toys to your advantage and how to buy them
Amongst all the kinds of toddler toys that you will buy for your little one, a push toys is the most essential. Apart from the fact that these toys are an absolute must for encouraging basic motor skills like standing, walking and running in your toddler, they often turn out to be one of the all time favorites. These push toddler toys are also multifunctional and it does take a while before your child actually outgrows them.
Standing, Walking, Running…
Enhancing toddler motor skills is primary function of a ‘push’ toddler toy. With the help of this one toy you can help your child learn to stand, walk and even run. Using the ‘push’ toddler toy to stand can be done when your baby starts showing an inclination towards walking but is not yet able to do it independently. The handle of the push toy can be used as support by which your baby can raise his or herself and stand. Once your baby has mastered the art of doing this then encourage him or her to take their first steps holding their hand. You can encourage your baby to walk using the support of the push toy handle. ‘Push’ toddler toys like Smalltime Child’s ‘pushing car wooden walker’, are the best way to boost a child’s confidence for walking and then eventually running.
Additional Bonuses of toddler push toys
One of the few kinds of toddler toys that have multiple uses, the push toy generally comes in shape and sizes that motivate role play in toddlers. Most often you will find that the push toy has a shape of a car, a lawn mower, a vacuum cleaner etc. Some ‘push’ toys also serve as activity centers as they come with activities such as building blocks, shape sorters etc.
Types of ‘push’ toddler toys and their pros and cons
Type 1: Two-in-one push toys. These toddler toys serve a dual purpose. They serve as push toys as well as ride on toys. This toy is an economical option as the child basically gets two toys in one. It also leaves room for your child to manipulate the toys the way he or she sees fit. The only con that there could be with this toys is that when it is converted into a push toy, the child might not be able to stand behind it comfortably as the back wheels get in the way.
Type 2: ‘Push’ toddler toys that come with some sort of other activity. These could be in the form of maybe a music box, building blocks or shape sorters. These too can work out very economical as there are two toys packed in one.
Type 3: Toddler toys that are just plain push along toys but to compensate for that they come is various shapes that most often imitate household gadgets like a lawn mower. This encourages role play and can be used to introduce your child to household chores in a fun way.
Choosing the right toddler push toy
The most important thing to remember while choosing a toddler toy of this category is that you need to buy a sturdy one. This is the single most important feature that you would need to look for as your child is bound to try climbing and various other stunts. The toy should be able to stand without tipping over.

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