Your precious little angel has arrived and you are his or her medium to interact with this big world at least for the next 6 months. The initial 6 months of life are spent exploring by the babies when they are still developing their senses and the basic awareness of the environment around them. You need to stimulate their senses so that they can learn and achieve and toys are the perfect tools to accomplish this objective.
The major concerns while buying baby toys for ages 0-6 months are safety and development quotient. Every object in their vicinity needs to be safe, hygienic and non toxic as most of it goes straight into their mouth. In this phase, they learn to focus, follow things with their eyes, and develop hand eye coordination and motor skills. With a flurry of options available in the market, you can buy bags full of toys but here are some toys that actually help in better development and are safe:
Rattlers
Babies varying from 0-6 months love toys that make sounds and which they can handle on their own. Rattlers are the best and most practical buys at this stage. Make sure that they do not make very loud sounds as this can affect a child's hearing and the child should be able to easily grasp it. They should be light and colorful.
Teethers
Teethers should be you first buy at around 2-3 months of age. Some babies start teething as early as 3 months and even if they don't they like to put something in their mouth to sooth their gums and teethers are the safest options available. Some teethers come with a gel filling that can be cooled in a refrigerator. These are particularly helpful in relieving some pain of the aching gums.
Hanging toys and activity centres
Since the babies in this age group spend most of their time lying down, hanging toys attached to their crib excite them beyond measure. You can opt for musical swirling toys that can be tied at the top and they can aid in sleeping also. Activity centres offer a lot of variety in terms of sounds, textures, colors, shapes, patterns, buttons and much more. They hold the baby's interest for a long time and stimulate his or her senses widely.
Play gyms
Another all-in-one toy for 0-6 months age group, play gym has number of toys hanging from the main frame that encourage baby to reach out and grasp. You can change the toys to increase the curiosity and to offer the variety. Some gyms come with additional accessories like wheels that can be used by little older children when learning to walk.
Balls, rolling toys, mirrors all intrigue and promote development in babies and prepare them for the next stage. But always remember that it is your involvement and affection towards the child that will encourage him or her to learn and explore the new world around and their first learning toys are just to enhance not take the placement of a parent.
Troy James Macraft is the chief editor at Great Kid Gifts.
First Learning Toys
