When looking for gifts for babies, it can be very difficult to know just what to buy. Children younger than one have a limited attention span and limited skills. The wonderful thing about this age is how new everything is to them. They are constantly learning and developing new skills, and the right toys can help them do this. Milestones typical for children at the end of three months include raising the head from the floor when on stomach, swiping at hanging toys, tracking movement with eyes, and turning towards sounds. At seven months, children begin to enjoy mirrors, sitting, and picking up objects. At one year, babies will enjoy objects that they can shake, bang, or otherwise manipulate, if it stands, walks on its own, or can be fit into another container. Focus on toys that are age appropriate and that can help the child increase these skills.

Where to Look

While there are numerous toy stores online and in retail locations throughout the county, it can be difficult to sift through the many toys these stores have available. How is a person to know what toys are age appropriate, fun, educational, and safe? One way is to look for toys that have been given awards from a reputable source.

• Parent’s Choice Awards – This non-profit organization has been helping parents choose toys for more than a quarter century. Awards are given annually and can be searched by award, age group, or price. The three categories include games, puzzles, and toys.
• Toy Industry Association – This non-profit organization is comprised of toy industry manufacturing leaders. The past awards section allows you to look at toys by age group. If you want more ideas than just the winners of the current year, you can look at results from past years as well.
• Toy of the Year – Self-described as the Oscars of the toy industry, these awards have been presented for more than a decade. Awards are broken down by age and type of play such as outdoor, activity, and innovative.

0-3 Months

At three months, the baby is interested in his or her immediate area. Encourage tummy time on a play mat that will encourage the child to explore their surroundings such as those offered by Fisher-Price and Baby Einstein. The best of these products will have bright colors, different textures, and objects that move and make sound for the baby to explore while on her tummy or back. Other options include stuffed animals that have teething ring parts or soft raddles that can be attached to their arms or legs. Ideally, these need to be easily washed such as the organic products from Apple Park. At about three months the baby will become more interested in musical mobiles in their crib, although they are suitable for newborns as well.

4-6 Months

At four months, babies begin to have the ability to bear weight on their legs. This is a good time to introduce them to bouncers, jumpers, and activity centers. These allow children to increase their gross motor skills by encouraging leg strength and pre-walking skills as well as fine motor skills used in manipulating the various toys. Jumpers allow the child to flex their legs to jump up and down in a controlled environment. Many will allow the seat to turn around to access toys surrounding them. Activity centers usually don’t have the jumping function but allow children to sit in a similar seat and propel themselves around a central hub containing a variety of interactive toys.

7-9 Months

Manual dexterity begins to increase at this age and toys that can be manipulated such as wooden blocks, Duplo Blocks, and Mega Blocks products are ideal. There are a wide range of products from each line that can be chosen based on the interest of the baby or parents. Racecar, pirate, and animal themes are popular for boys, and Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty and princess are popular for girls. Items that allow the baby to see himself are also popular. Safety mirrors that can be attached to the car seat, or hung from a baby gym or activity center will enthrall babies beginning at about seven months through the toddler years.

10 months - 1 Year

At about one year old, children are able to control their fine motor skills even more. Sorting and nesting toys are a great choice for this age group. Toys that can be pushed and pulled are also popular with children in this age group because it allows them to make a big impact on their environment, a new novelty for them. The Fisher-Price sorting set is an award winning toy that gives babies a chance to sort shapes into a container they can carry around from room to room. Playskool nesting cups let baby practice her skills with her favorite Sesame Street Friends.

All Ages

Reading is beneficial for babies of all ages. For the first year, it is best to choose board or cloth books so the baby can safely play with the books while they are read to. Taggies have washable cloth books that all have small textured and colored tags along the edges for babies to play with. A wide selection of books can be found from Scholastic. Popular authors include Sandra Boynton, Margaret Wise Brown, and Dr. Seuss.