Babies & Toddler Information

A baby's only activities until the age of two months are sleeping and eating. He is not interested in anything else. After two months, the baby starts being more curious about the world around him. At first, he just watches the activity in the room. At the age of 4-5 months, he is already moving his arms and legs with a lot of energy.

At this point, as a parent you should stimulate the baby to continue this rhythm. The best way to do this is through play. And since play is unconceivable without toys, you should consider getting some for your baby.

Researches made in the last few years revealed that babies too can have an assortment of toys. Babies respond to sight, sound and touch. Toys that stimulate these senses can help your baby learn about the world around him, how things work and so on.

To help you find best baby toys, I've made here two age groups, birth to 6 months and 6 to 12 months. The difference between these age groups is huge because a baby grows very fast and so his needs differ from month to month.

Toys for babies of one to six months:

In this period, a baby isn't very active. He is mostly sleeping. When the baby is awake, he does not seem to be interested in anything else but eating and crying.

At the age of two months, the baby starts following every activity in the room. He is able to focus his vision on an object for a few moments. This is when you must introduce the baby in the world of toys, if you haven't already done so. Use black and white and high contrasting color toys. The baby can't play at this age because he can't make complex moves like grabbing, or turning around.

At the age of four months, the baby is already moving his arms and legs. He has more energy than ever, and he is eager to use it. He is able to grab things and crawl. In this situation, a new activity is making room in his life: play. Although it is very rudimentary, play is very important for the baby's development.

Here are some toys I recommend you to buy for your baby:

• Juggling toys

• Animal shaped toys made of rubber

• Little mirrors that can't injure the baby

• Toys made specially for chewing

• Little colored circles bound together

• Musical toys

Be a bit more careful with musical toys. Buy musical toys for your baby only after you have checked that the sounds they produce aren't very powerful. Musical toys that produce sharp noises are dangerous because babies tend to get the sound source close to their ear, which, being fragile can be affected.