by Lindsey Bendix, Manager, Eddy Joy Baby Boutique
THE Best Educational Toys for Infants and Toddlers
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A baby gym can be used since birth and serves many different purposes. It encourages hand-eye coordination, depth perception, reaching, grasping, tummy play, and rolling. Attach toys with plastic links to hang them closer, encouraging baby to reach and grasp, and place toys at the side to encourage rolling. Unbreakable mirrors can be attached to the gym so baby can play with his or her reflection. It can also be used as motivation during tummy time. As your baby learns to crawl and sit up, he or she will continue to find uses for the gym. Small squeezable bath toys actually have several uses that make them great toys for baby. Bath toys work great instead of fingerpuppets when performing for your newborn. Their bright colors and fun shapes, along with your excellent performance skills, help to engage your baby’s senses. As your baby gets older they will make good teething toys, and they can be used well past the first year as they learn to squeeze and squirt them. Bath toys can also be used for pretend play, making bath time more fun.
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With the vast amount of toys out there, it can be overwhelming to pick out what’s best for your child. A toy should benefit your little one in several different ways, and it should be something that can grow with your child. There are many developmental skills a child is expected to learn in the first few years of life. That’s why it is important to find educational toys that will help him or her in discovery and growth.
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High chair suction toys help babies learn how to use something other than their mouths to play with toys. It forces them to use just their hands and develop hand-eye coordination, depth perception, and learn cause and effect. Skwish Stix has been nominated for 2014 Toy of the Year and is a great example of a suction toy. It’s not always the newest, flashiest toys that are the best for your child. Sometimes the simple ones are the most educational. Watch out for toys that are full of buttons, lights, and music that seem to have no clear cause as your child is learning cause and effect. They may have many different functions, but the more the toy does, the less your child has to do, making it more entertaining than actually educational. n
p‘hood should Consider a toy’s developmental and educational benefits and ability to grow with your child before making a purchase.
Board books are important to introduce early in a child’s life. They are hard to destroy and usually contain images with contrast that will catch baby’s attention. Board books can be used to encourage tummy time, and your baby can help turn the pages once they are able to sit. Books are a great learning tool at any age and will grow with your baby into his or her toddler years. February 2014 | thehoodmagazine.com