Baby Games and Activities

Toys for every child
When you’re choosing toys for your baby, consider cost and safety. Toys need to be sturdy. They should have smooth edges and not break, splinter or crack. Make sure the toys can be cleaned easily. Test all toys regularly to make sure there are no loose parts.

All babies explore with their mouths. Make sure toys are safe for mouthing. Avoid play materials that are made of foam. Your baby could bite off a piece and choke.

Use these guidelines when you’re choosing toys for your baby.

• The toy is interesting to explore and manipulate.
• The toy is not a choking hazard.
• The toy matches the child’s physical abilities.
• The toy challenges but does not frustrate.
• The toy is well-constructed and durable.

Great toys for babies

Great toys can help your baby grow and learn. Most are inexpensive. Many can be hand made. Remember to check the toys often for safety.

• Books—Buy plastic or cardboard picture books. Get books with pictures of common objects.
• Dolls—Offer soft, simple dolls with painted faces.
• Stuffed animals—Provide soft, plush animals with sewn or painted faces.
• Transportation toys—Buy sturdy, one-piece cars and trucks. Buy toys your baby can carry and roll.
• Grasping toys—Offer toys that have interesting textures and parts to explore. Examples include plastic linking chains, stacking rings and shape sorters.
• Sand and water toys—Offer unbreakable household cups, spoons, funnels and strainers.
• Construction toys—Buy sturdy wooden blocks. Offer a few at a time for your baby to stack. She will build with
  them when she’s older.
• Puzzles—Buy simple wooden inset puzzles with two to four pieces.
• Mirrors—Share unbreakable hand mirrors. Hang a mirror low on the wall where your baby crawls.
• Nesting and building toys—Buy or gather cups and boxes of various sizes that “nest” inside each other. Turned upside down, they can be stacked on top of each other.
• Balls—Buy a variety of sizes and textures for rolling and tossing.
• Art and craft materials—Offer a few large, nontoxic crayons. Use tape to hold paper in place.
• Musical instruments—Buy or make shakers, rattles and drums.
• Audio materials—Buy or borrow recordings of simple songs, rhymes and rhythms.

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