How to Select Toys for Birth to One Year Baby?

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Be aware of that they are offered as a guide to help in your selection, but remember that all children are different. Study your child and get to know his or her interests, abilities and limitations. Not all children enjoy the same kinds of play: one child will be interested in building with blocks or doing puzzles; another may prefer riding bikes or playing ball; your child may enjoy pretending with a dollhouse or playing board games. Try to match the toy to your child and keep in mind that his or her interest in a toy will often carry through more than one age group.


Babies: Birth to One Year Baby


Experts agree that even babies need an assortment of toys. Since infants respond to smell, taste, sound, touch and sight, properly selected toys provide a small baby with opportunities to learn about size, shape, sound, texture and how things work.


Choose toys that:

have pieces that are too large to swallow
are lightweight for handling and grasping
have no sharp edges or points
are brightly colored
are non-toxic


Brightly colored, lightweight toys of various textures stimulate a baby's senses. For young infants, toys to look at and listen to are best. Rattles, squeaky toys and crib gyms are ideal for grasping when the baby is ready to hold objects.


Soft dolls or stuffed animals made of non-toxic materials are fun to touch and hug but are not designed for sucking and chewing. Make sure the seams cannot be easily torn or bitten open and that eyes and noses are securely fastened.


A baby who is sitting up is ready for blocks with pictures or bright colors. Nesting cups or boxes and stacking rings are also favorites. Babies at this age enjoy their first sturdy picture books showing familiar objects. Balls and push-pull toys are good choices when a baby can crawl and walk.



[Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
and the The American Toy Institute]