Toys do more than amuse your child. While a set of building blocks or a doll may seem like a simple toy to you, to a child it’s a valuable learning tool, teaching skills such as hand-eye coordination, memory, recognition, and much more.

We’ve listed toys that suit various stages of your child’s development to help you find the perfect playthings for your baby, toddler, or child. While this toy buying guide will give you a good idea of what type of items to shop for, keep your child’s developmental stage and preferences in mind, too.

Bargain Toy-Buying Tips:

• Shop online for toys. By buying online, you can easily comparison shop and find incredibly low prices on top toys. Many websites offer free shipping if you spend over $50 or $100, making it easy to do your toy shopping online. You can use a site like Bizrate.com to compare prices on hundreds of the hottest toys.
• Toys are some of the most popular items discounted during the holiday season. Look for low prices on toys during Black Friday sales and pre-Christmas sales.
• Look for online toy coupons. Big-name toy companies such as Hasbro often release toy coupons, and you can always find great toy and game deals at coupon sites like DealCatcher.com.
• Look for toy ads and catalogs around the holiday season. Toys R Us has a Big Toy Book, Walmart has a Toyland Toy Catalog, and Kmart has a Toy Book, for example. You can save up to 50% on the most popular toys of the season.

0-3 Months

You’ll find most newborn toys are quite similar: they use colors, shapes, and patterns that appeal to babies, who spend a lot of their time looking in amazement at the world around them. Your baby is using his senses to explore his environment: looking at, smelling, tasting and touching everything he can! Your baby’s motor skills aren’t very developed however, so he’s likely reaching for a lot of objects he can’t grasp.

Suggested toys: rattles, activity blankets, musical mobiles, soft balls, plastic keys on rings, textured toys he can put in his mouth, crib toys.

3-6 Months

Your baby is really starting to respond to sights and sounds, and will enjoy toys that react to touch. He is teething during this time, so every toy will end up in his mouth – make sure you buy toys without small parts. Babies at this age never seem to get bored with repetitive games, such as opening and shutting a box or pressing a key to hear music. He will spend hours fascinated by activity blankets like the Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym.

Suggested toys: picture books, freezable teething toys, bath toys, baby-activated toys, activity blankets, musical toys, pop-up toys, squeaky toys.

6-9 Months

Babies in this age range are constantly reaching for toys, although they lack the coordination to hold onto them for very long. You’ll see your baby playing with his hands and feet a lot, so consider a toy that straps onto the wrist like this soft baseball from Amazon.

Your baby’s coordination and memory will improve drastically at this age. You may find he becomes bored with toys that used to be entertaining. He is starting to develop language (although to you it may sound like babble) so look for children’s CDs or books that talk like the Play-a-Sound series.

Suggested toys: picture books, freezable teething toys, bath toys, talking toys, activity blankets, stacking blocks and cups, soft dolls, push-pull toys, musical toys.

9-12 Months

Your baby is starting to explore much more now, and is able to roll over, sit up, crawl, and pull himself up while hanging onto something. Your little one will want to grab toys and hold onto them, and will enjoy banging and dropping them to make noise. At this age your infant will like to stack toys of different sizes and shapes and also put them in and take them out of containers.

Suggested toys: picture books, talking toys, blocks, balls, sand toys, stuffed animals, musical toys, electronic toys.

1-2 Years

Your baby is full of energy and very mobile. You’ll notice that he will play for longer periods of time and get involved in puzzles and learning games. Imagination will be a big part of your child’s play, and he will want to imitate you and other family members. Activity centers will make extremely good gifts: consider adding a Little Tikes Super Chef Kitchen or Anchors Away Pirate Ship to your playroom for hours of entertaining pretend play.

Suggested toys: pretend play sets, paper and crayons, children’s books, outdoor toys, bath toys, dolls, stuffed animals.

2-4 Years

Your child will love playing with a wide range of toys – everything from pretend play centers to arts and crafts. You’ll start to see your child’s individuality really shine through. Some children love to sit and paint for hours, while others love rough and tumble play in the sandbox. Your child will also enjoy messy play at this age, such as filling up and dumping buckets of dirt and finger painting.

Suggested toys: dress-up kits, ride-on toys, dolls, building toys, art supplies, books, pretend play centers, tricycles.

4-6 Years

At this age kids like to interact with each other and involve others in their imaginative play. You may see your child acting out grown-up roles using costumes and other props. Kids are also starting to get into toys that require skill, such as board games or brain teaser books.

Suggested toys: electronic toys, art supplies, musical instruments, books, outdoor play sets, bikes, dolls, action figures, board games.

6+ Years

Your child is in school, and will enjoy the social interaction of imaginative play with other kids. Kids will enjoy developing their individual skills through sports and activities such as dance, swimming lessons or martial arts. The toys you buy for your child now depend largely on his interests and hobbies, which will develop a great deal in the next few years. Some of the activities he likes to do now will become life-long interests.

Suggested toys: books, bikes, sports equipment, dolls, action figures, board games, arts and crafts, video games, musical instruments.

Toy Safety Tips:

• Always follow the manufacturer’s age recommendations. Keep toys intended for older children away from younger siblings.
• There are some toys that aren’t safe for children of any age. These include toys with small magnets, which can cause serious damage if swallowed. Keep up to date with toy recalls and warnings by visiting the federal government’s recall website, www.recalls.gov. You can also sign up for free e-mail notices of future recalls at www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx.
• Keep soft toys out of your baby’s crib. These pose a suffocation hazard.
• Be careful if buying used toys. Ensure they haven’t been recalled and inspect them for damage.
• Keep toys organized in a rubber container. This will prevent trips and falls over toys. If you do use a toy box, take the lid off or use a lid support to keep it open. Otherwise, the lid could fall and trap your child or cause serious injury.