| Beyond a doubt, the best learning toys for babies | | | | them, and the last thing any parent needs is a visit to |
| are objects that they will be attracted to, want to | | | | the hospital. |
| touch and explore, and are safe for little hands and | | | | ---Simple is sometimes better. For small babies, who |
| mouths. | | | | are just learning to grasp and understand cause and |
| Babies are pretty easy to please, but there are | | | | effect, simple toys are sometimes the best. Blocks |
| things to look for that will not only keep your baby | | | | and caterpillar toys can be just as fascinating as |
| occupied with exploring; teach them a bit about the | | | | other, expensive toys. |
| world at the same time. Here are some things to | | | | Experienced parents learn pretty quickly the |
| look for when buying your baby their first toys. | | | | frustration of spending a lot of money on toys that |
| ---Non-toxic, safe materials. Babies love to explore | | | | don't do much more than collect dust. |
| and one of the ways the youngest does this is by | | | | ---Don't buy used toys. As tempting as it is in this |
| putting everything in their mouths. As adults, we are | | | | economy, try not to buy used toys. They may have |
| sometimes horrified by the items we have to pull | | | | broken or missing parts and may have toxic |
| from their grasps, but it's just a baby's way of | | | | chemicals. The best baby learning toys aren't |
| learning. So if they're going to be stuffing things in, | | | | necessarily the most expensive ones, but one that |
| make certain you pay attention to age limits, even if | | | | will engage your baby. |
| you think your baby is "advanced." Large objects | | | | ---Texture, color, shape. Babies love the feel of |
| made with non-toxic materials from reputable toy | | | | different textures, colors and shapes. They love to |
| companies are always a safe bet. Don't be | | | | touch, and touching for a baby is learning. Buy learning |
| discouraged if your baby puts the blocks in their | | | | toys that allow babies to explore the world's |
| mouths instead of building the Sydney Opera House. | | | | different shapes and textures safely. |
| ---Pay attention to age limits. Age limits are put on | | | | Buying babies toys can be a hit or miss proposition. |
| toys for several reasons, both cognitive and for | | | | What engages one baby will leave another |
| safety. They have been developed over time based | | | | completely uninterested. So don't worry if your little |
| on case studies and research, so it's best not to | | | | one ignores their toys at first, they likely gain interest |
| second guess them. Babies won't learn if they are | | | | later. |
| bored or frustrated with a toy that isn't suited to | | | | |