When preparing a nursery for a baby’s arrival, many of us put off the purchase of toys till the last moment. We also let our friends help us or give them as presents. Others will go out and buy everything that catches our eye. Meanwhile, baby toys, especially during the first months are one of the main sources of information about the world for your kid. They can help to develop your child’s mind and fine motor skills which are in close connection with their speech. That’s why we’ve prepared for you a short guide about toys you should buy from your baby’s birth to six months.
General rules for buying toys
Check how solid the toy is and make sure it doesn’t contain any small details that can be easily broken and get into your child’s mouth. There shouldn’t be any sharp parts either because your child can get hurt. The best variant is toys that contain the colors red, yellow, green and blue because they are the first colors your child can perceive. Remember that there should be no more than 2-3 toys near the baby at the same time and that you can change them every couple of days.
The first month
During the first month of your baby’s life, you don’t need to have any toys. But you can help to develop your child’s eyesight by hanging some simple black and white pictures with geometric patterns near its bed or swaddling table. With the help of these, he or she will learn how to focus his or her eyes.
The second month
During this time, your baby begins to take an interest in its nearest surroundings. That’s why it’s a good time for you to put in a bright mobile (a moving toy set with music and different figures), a funny rattle or cardboard bricks, balls, rhombs with black-white geometric patterns near your child’s bed or swaddling table. They will boost the development of your kid’s eyesight and its ability to focus their eyes on moving objects.
The third month
It’s high time you started to teach your child to take and hold different things. Rattles are perfect for this purpose, but other toys (balls, bricks, plastic or rubber rings, etc.), which your child can take with its hand, are also good. Take care to buy different kinds of rattles: with a grooved, round or straight handle. Such toys can be made of plastic or fabric. It will be better if you have both types handy. One more important thing for your children’s room is an activity gym and play mat. Besides, you need a bench or exercise ball, which you can take your baby for a ride on in the morning.
The fourth month
You need some bright toys which can draw your child’s attention.
In this stage of the development, you should stimulate your baby’s interest for lying on the belly and turning from side to side. That’s why you need some bright toys which can draw your child’s attention. For this task, you can use Weeble Wobbles, rattles, soft balls, bells and other music toys. Besides, it’s a good time to develop your baby’s sense of touch . This task can be easily solved with the help of toys made of different fabric or just a set of various shreds (plumelets, satin, fur, flannel and other kinds of fabric). To develop fine motor skills, you should buy bright rag bracelets or socks with pompons which can be put on their hands. Such toys will teach your baby to match his or her hands together and touch one hand by another. One month later you can put these socks on your child’s feet as well.
The fifth month
The main toys of the month are bricks. They can be made of plastic, wood or vinyl. The acquaintance with such a toy helps your baby to develop the ability to grasp things. To develop fine motor skills at this age, you should buy several balls (the size of a ping-pong ball), blocks or small bricks. It will be better if all such toys are made of wooden. With the help of these toys, you can teach your baby to put them from one hand into another and make decisions. One more useful toy for the period is a teether which your child can chew during the period of teething. Choose teethers with a ribby surface and those that can be cooled in the fridge. This will help to sooth pain during the period of their teeth appearing.
The sixth month
At this age, your child will be interested in books with pictures.
The sixth month is a good time to pay attention to your baby’s hearing. You can vary his or her games by different music toys. They can teach your child to react to the sound and find the source of music. It can also make him or her crawl to such a toy. Besides, you can buy toys for bathing. Your baby will be glad to play with them while taking a bath. At this age, your child will be interested in books with pictures. Such books are made of wood, tough check, fabric or even vinyl. Moreover, you can purchase toys with a small mirror. You child will exam his or her reflection with a big interest.
The next article we’ll tell you about the toys your child need during the second half of the first year.
