Love Baby So Much

How to Choose the Perfect Baby Toy for Different Ages

It's possibly been ten or twenty years or more since you had to learn about baby toys. If that's the case than a lot has changed since Peter Powell Kites made the number 1 in the Christmas toy best sellers in the seventies and Masters of the Universe made it in 1984.

Now some toys look like laptops and are called learning centres while musical cot mobiles that don't come with remote controls as standard are thought of as relics of the past. Other toys blast Mozart at you and if it doesn't have flashing lights and swirling balls it's not worth investigating. Surely the world has gone mad? Well, not really.

There's certainly a lot more choice over the types of toys you might want to consider for your wee ones today but all the toys you were familiar with are still available today. Stalwarts like Lego and Stikle Bricks are still popular with hugely extended ranges to incorporate many popular film brands.

And traditional wooden shape sorters and musical toys are just as much fun today as they were when you were young. Train sets are ever popular and Daddies are sure to be chomping at the bit to convince their three year old that 100 metre train tracks are necessary for the attic.

Technology has advanced to such an extent that it is now possible to make affordable toys using advanced electronics.
Eight Steps to Choosing the Perfect Baby Toy

Possibly what has advanced more is the way the knowledge of how babies learn has been shared to a greater extent between manufacturers and parents. There are a number of toy brands available today that have turned to psychologists to help develop better toys for children.

And of course testing with children is viewed as incredibly important to most toy companies today. So how do you as mummy or daddy or perhaps a friend or a member of the family choose the perfect toy?

Well you've already started well by coming to visit this site! Thank You. Step One complete.
Step 2 - Do your homework first

Have you any experience of children and babies at all? If you haven't then urgently seek guidance from parents you know.

Ask your neighbours if they've had success with particular toys for particular age groups. And have a quick search on the internet to see what the best selling toys are for girls and boys.
Step 3 - Check the toy has passed a safety standard

It's really important to make sure that whatever baby toy you choose it has passed the appropriate safety standard. In Europe it should have the mark CE on it. If it doesn't have the mark on it, forget it. You don't want to risk the safety of a baby.
Step 4 - Carry out your own stringent safety checks

Carry out even more checks of your own. Think about the age of the baby and whether it is likely that baby will be biting hard because they are teething.

Look out for plastic toys that might break into tiny pieces in baby's mouth and avoid anything that has lengths of cord or string more than a couple of inches long especially if it will be within reach of baby.
Step 5 - Think about your baby's age and stage of development

Sometimes it's tempting to buy your one year old a toy for an 18 month old. Generally it's better to match a baby's age with the developmental age of the toy as baby will be in a position to learn more from it. Younger children will be fast developing their motor skills and children over one will be into problem solving and more physical toys.B & W cube
Step 6 - Think about the lifespan of the toy

When looking at a potential toy for your baby, think about its uses. Can the baby toy be used in different ways to keep baby interested over a longer lifespan or is it one that can be handed on to someone else within a few months of purchase?

Some toys evolve through three stages to keep baby interested when lying flat, sitting up and standing up.
Step 7 - Read all the information about the toy first

When buying a baby toy make sure you read about the toy and understand what it's for. Babies go through many developmental stages and you want to make sure that the skills baby will learn from the toy are appropriate to his age.
Step 8 - Don't buy toys for you

Even if you think that a baby toy is just fantastic, do research it before you buy. You might think a psychedelic dance mat is the best thing ever but your six month old might prefer his play mat.

Babies love play mats because they appeal to their sense of discovery and exploration of the world around them. You have to remember that baby came into a world that was alien and they're having to learn about their world bit by bit. That's why play mats with strong defining edges play a big part in giving baby a sense of their own space and their own world. Play mats tend to have hooped rings above that have hanging creatures – this also helps define baby's world as the real thing is just too big for them to take in.

It's also important to recognise that a toy may look particularly strange to you but it has been designed to appeal to a young baby. It is likely that toys for younger babies will have strong contrasting colours, faces, teething rings, lots of lights and music and maybe some jiggery bits.

Older babies will find more fun in shape sorters, pop-up puzzles, ride ons and lift and learn puzzles.

Three year olds will want to play more with physical toys, role play with play houses and paint more.

If you can think about baby's world in those simplistic terms then you are already on the right road to buying the perfect toy.
Different Baby Toys for Different Babies

Your baby will be growing now at the fastest rate. For the next two years you will see significant changes in the way baby reacts to you and interacts with others. There are lots of baby toys available today at all price ranges to help your baby discover his world.

Make sure you select a baby toy that is suitable for your baby's stage of development and do not assume that because your friend's baby loved a particular toy, yours will.

Toy buying on the internet is a fantastic way of researching and purchasing toys that are right for you and your baby. If you do want to check something out go and see it in a shop first then order online for the best deal.
Have a look at the right toys for the following age groups:

* 0 – 1 month
* 1 – 3 months
* 3 – 6 months
* 6 – 9 months
* 9 – 12 months
* 12 – 18 months
* 18 - 24 months
* 24 months +

To find out more about what to look out for when choosing and buying nursery toys visit our How to Choose and Buy a Baby Toy for Helping to Develop Different Skills section.

To find out more about the different types of nursery toy that are available for each age group visit our Types of Nursery Toy section.

To find out more about the different online baby and nursery toy shops and stores visit our Top Sites section.

To see what different nursery toy manufacturers offer visit our Brands section.

You can also find out more in our How to Play with Baby section.