Baby Toys - Educational Toys - Suitability
There are many types of educational toy available and the vast range on offer can be confusing. It's therefore not unusual that we will buy an educational toy which will appeal to us but not be suitable for the baby. The suitability of a educational toys depends on the age and developmental stage of the baby. Pick an educational toy which will stimulate the senses and skills that correspond to the correct stage of development ! A baby's senses are at different stages of development. For instance the sense of hearing is much further advanced than the sense of sight. Between birth and 3 months the range of sight is no more than between 8 and 10 inches. It would therefore make perfect sense to encourage the use of educational toys that can be appreciated at the appropriate infant development stage. Baby Toys - Baby Development Chart
The following Baby Development Chart provides guidelines to the development stages and the appropriate educational toys and Interactive toys that can be chosen and introduced to compliment the development of mental and movement skills at the appropriate time. These are only guidelines - every infant has different rates of development - use the Baby Development Chart for choosing and introducing the right educational and interactive toys at the correct stage of Development. You will find that by applying the information contained in the Baby Development Chart you will be able to relate this to your choices of Interactive and Educational Toys to your advantage and most importantly your baby's advantage! Development Chart to select Baby Toys | Age in Months | What babies are able to appreciate
Mental and Movement skills
Choose an appropriate Educational or Interactive Toys | | Newborn - 1 month | Soft Music - High contrast patterns and faces - Will cry if over or under stimulated. Will be alert for every one in ten hours. | | 1 - 2 | Soft Music - Visual stimulation - Follows sounds and objects | | 2 - 3 | Recognises faces and sounds - Discovers hands and feet - ability to grip objects developing - likes high contrast images | | 3 - 4 | Starts to explore by taste - follows moving objects - able to bear some weight on legs | | 4 - 5 | Shows interest in colors - Starts to show preferences - Grips and moves objects | | 5 - 6 | Able to concentrate on one toy at a time - can roll over | | 6 - 7 | Starts to understand what to do with objects. Can shake a rattle or other toys - Responds to himself in a mirror - rolls in both directions | | 7 - 8 | Realises that an object may be behind something - loves playing peek-a-boo - sits independently - reaches out for objects - tries to crawl | | 8 - 9 | Starts to crawl - Understands the concept of building objects - moves an item from one hand to the other - starts to imitate sounds | | 9 - 10 | Understanding some language phrases - starts to build, stack and disassemble toys - points - stands with support | | 10 - 11 | Understanding of words continues - starts to build, stack and disassemble toys - able to pick up smaller items - walks holding on to furniture - likes to play hand games | | 11 - 12 | Understanding of words continues - able to climb - enjoys and initiates play with others |
Baby Toys - Interactive Toys
Using the above development chart will enable you to make a choice of the most useful interactive toys. The level of interaction will clearly depend on the development level of the infant. The very best ' interactive toys ' are the baby's parents! Interactive games like peek-a-boo or hand games like Itsy Bitsy Spider or Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple will bring hours of interactive entertainment and pleasure to both parents and babies. Social, mental and movement skills will all be encouraged by the the number one ' interactive toys ' - the family! A real 'must' when considering interactive toys is the use of Nursery Rhymes - Visit the following site for some reminders and a whole host of fascinating information about Nursery Rhymes - History and Origins Checklists for New Born Babies !
We have tried to compile a really useful set of checklists indicating quantities as well as content. We have also added useful information on each category such as the sections on this page relating to baby toys. The newborn checklist, or layette checklists, have been categorised into the following sections - please click the link of your choice for more useful and non commercial information: A Development Chart - Baby Educational and Baby Interactive Toys
The Baby Development Chart will help you to choose the most appropriate Educational and Interactive toys to suit the age and skill levels. We believe that this information will provide the guidelines and information that you might require. Baby Toys - Educational Toys and Interactive Toys
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