During the first 8 weeks a baby doesn't really want any toys. They will only really start taking an interest in them at around 2 months when they discover their own hands. However, this does not mean that they are not already sharpening their senses such as sight and sounds. At This age babies enjoy looking at brightly coloured contrasting items as it helps them focus and improve their eyes. From 2-3 months is when kids start discovering their hands and figure out, they can grab stuff with them. Now toys become vital tools for development. The ideal Toys Here are ones that grab their attention so they should make a noise and be brightly coloured. They must also be soft as it is likely that you child will hit themselves with them at this age.
From Three months onwards is where kids really start taking a keen interest in toys. Kids love being introduced to new ones all the time. New toys are so important as they allow babies to explore their world in all its diversity and engage their other senses. To encourage this, they toy should be of varying textures shapes wights colours, make different sounds and even have different smells. Great examples include textured activity blankets, activity boxes with sounds and movement, soft blocks, balls, plastic cars, trucks, and trains, pop-up books brightly coloured, multi patterned crib mobiles, rattles, unbreakable mirrors, floor gyms, activity boards, soft, washable, colourful stuffed animals or dolls with a smiling face, small stuffed fabric balls . Remember because at this age everything is new, a child will be willing to have fun with almost everything as long as it is safe for them. Safe means no sharp edges, nothing made of glass and nothing toxic. It also needs to be too large for them to swallow or choke on which usually means it is bigger than two inches in diameter. Not only are most of these available at Casey's Toys but they are all safe for kids as well.
Between 1-2 a baby is enthralled by cause and effect and will love toys that respond to actions and allow them to flex newly acquired motor skills. Recommended toys include a ball and hammer or those with buttons that cause characters to pop up or music to play.
Between 2 and three play is more purposeful and kids will love playing with blocks or puzzles. They will also start to play pretend and imitate the actions of those around them. They also enjoy toys that make real life sounds such as ringing phones and talking dolls. Kids are highly active and enjoy push or pull toys. This may be an appropriate age for a ride on toy to be introduced as well.
Finally, between 4 and 6 there is an explosion in learning ability. Now is a great time to introduce interactive educational toys that teach maths and verbal skills. Two great examples are phonics boards and minicomputers. Kids are now able to imagine that they are someone else and will fantasise about being an air plane pilots, police officers, doctors, or teachers.