TOYS

Children learn about the world through play. Toys can facilitate cognitive, language, and emotional and social development.

Cognitive development in the first two years is based on sensorimotor experiences through the body's sensory equipment: the eyes, ears and hands. They learn about cause and effect during this time, exploring how to repeat interesting effect caused by their own activity and to anticipate events. For example, a rattle makes one sound when it is shaken and a different sound when it dropped onto the floor.

The beginnings of memory emerge as they imitate behaviors, start to form mental representations of objects and learn that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight (object permanence).

Toys can facilitate cognitive development when babies have opportunities for free-play, where babies can explore their shape, color and texture (soft, hard, soft, scratchy, crinkly) and what can be done with them.

Language development starts before babies can utter their first words. The first speechlike sounds young babies make are vowel-like cooing noises, "oooo". Next, babies start babbling where they repeat long strings of consonant-vowel combinations, "mamamamamama" or "dadadadadadadada".

Hearing human speech is especially important for language development beyond the babbling stage and babbling develops further as babies hear more spoken language. Babies also start using preverbal gestures, such as pointing. Babies will say their first word around the first year of age, with a dramatic spurt in vocabulary growth between 18 and 24 months. Around the time of the second year age they will start to combining two words into sentences, such as "Daddy drive." Grammar development starts by age 2 and a half.

Playing with toys can facilitates language development when they hear you talk about the what the toy is and its properties: color, shape, texture.

Emotional & Social Developmentbegins early in first year. Basic emotions of happiness,anger and fear are the first emotions that develop. Social smiling is usually observed between 6 and 8 weeks of age and laughing between 3 and 4 months. In second half of first year, the emotions of anger and fear become more evident. Babies show strong attachment to their caregivers and stranger anxiety. Self-conscious emotions emerge as they approach age 2, such as pride and guilt.

Babies also learn that about trust and security when their needs are met and they are handled with love in the first couple years of life.

Playing with babies facilitates emotional and social development when you use different expressive sounds and emotions during play. Time spent playing with babies also shows them that they are important.

>>Less Info

You don't need to spend a lot to get a great toy!

When selecting toys to buy, consult the guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also, check for the latest recall information from the Consumer Product and Saftey Commission. This is especially important if purchasing toys that haven't been sold in stores for a while, such as when buying new or previously owned toys from Ebay.

Unsafe toys for babies include:

* Toys that can fit through a cardboard toilet paper tube are choking hazards. (Be sure to check the age label of the toys. If the label says it is for ages 3 and older, then it probably contains small parts that pose choking hazards.)
* Toys with loose string, rope, ribbons, or cord longer than 6 inches are strangulation hazards.
* Toys with sharp edges.
* Toys that make very loud noises.

Click on our links below to browse through all our recommended toys or to shop by age.

All Toys

1 - 3 months

4 - 7 months

8 - 12 months

13 - 24 months

25 - 36 months

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