This young baby toys guide is a must-have reference and starting point for selecting developmentally appropriate toys and activities for babies one through three months. The key to choosing toys is understanding infants’ basic abilities and preferences as they grow. These abilities and preferences are important in attracting and motivating infants to engage with toys because true learning and retention only come through engagement.
So, how do we pick the right toy for the right child? This is where we need to look at age as a GUIDELINE to selecting toys. The U.S. Product & Safety Commission (CPSC) and international ASTM are the organizations that oversee toy regulations and keep products safe for our kids. They have developed these regulations by categorizing toys by the child’s age. However, the age was determined by the abilities and preferences of typically developing children, and it is well known that children develop abilities at different rates. So, as you select toys for your child, please look at age as a guide and abilities and preferences as a better indicator.
From the moment they are born, young infants start acquiring information from their physical senses, learning from what they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Ideal young infant development is based on feeling safe, secure, and loved. This Young Baby Toys Guide will take parents through toys and activities for their babies one through three months, going through physical, cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. It is based on Whole-Child Education where children simultaneously learn in many different areas. By the three-month mark, you can expect the baby to start cooing, recognizing different faces and voices, and exploring their surroundings with all five senses. Learning through play is important in helping a baby achieve important developmental milestones. So, what exactly does play look like for a young infant one through three months old?
Table of contents
What Play Means for Young Babies
During the initial three months of life, infants primarily learn through reflexive actions such as kicking or arm movements. They repetitively explore and manipulate objects, initially with their eyes and ears only, and subsequently by developing hand-eye coordination. Establishing a bond with your young infant is critical for their early childhood development. You may accomplish this by engaging in Kangaroo Care or by reading/singing to them. It is essential to follow your baby’s cues for playtime and provide them with downtime when required.
During these early months, infant play involves observing and exploring their own bodies. They possess a reflexive grasp that only enables them to briefly explore objects. At around three months, they begin to swipe or reach toward a dangling object to grasp it. Any object grasped is likely to be explored with their mouth and handled with jerky, unpredictable motions.
At birth, newborn babies can focus primarily about eight inches from their faces, but this range increases over time. By the age of two months, young babies have fully functional color receptors in their eyes, with a preference for blue and green. 3-month-old babies may be able to view objects several feet away. Toys and play objects should fit within their visual field at these distances. Young infants are attracted to bright and vibrant colors, tend to favor colors such as yellow and red, and have a preference for patterned objects over solid ones. High-contrast patterns such as black and white spirals are also appealing. They show a preference for the human face with different facial expressions over all other patterns and will intently watch faces.
Young Baby Toys Guide
Young Baby Toys
Selecting great toys for children aged between 0 to 12 months can make a significant difference in their early development. Infants usually begin using educational toys once they have control of their arm movements and start to reach out, which usually occurs towards the end of the first month. As they progress through hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills development, soft, lightweight, washable, and easy-to-grip objects with rounded corners are best suited for them. While three-month-olds babies prefer toys made of soft materials, their preference for such toys decreases as they approach their first birthday. As young infants begin to learn and enjoy toys, they prefer simple actions that produce a clear and direct effect. For instance, toys that light up, move, or produce sound from simple kicking or shaking are engaging and appropriate. Infants are also drawn to brightly colored and patterned toys that make gentle sounds.
Young Baby Activities
The mental well-being of the caregiver who looks after young infants significantly impacts their early childhood development. The caregiver should be attentive to the infant’s needs, foster a healthy attachment, and ensure that the infant feels safe, secure, and loved. Physical touch is essential and cuddling an infant often and gently stroking their skin provides comfort and security.
Supporting the development of your young infant entails providing them with various stimulating activities that encourage sensory exploration, motor skill development, and bonding. Tummy time with visual stimulation, such as colorful toys or images, can strengthen their neck and upper body muscles while developing their visual skills. Playing with soft toys can improve their sense of touch and hand-eye coordination.
Organizing playdates with other infants around the same age can encourage social interaction and help infants develop their social skills. Establishing a routine and daily ritual, such as bedtime or daily walks, helps infants develop a sense of predictability and security. Consistent routines provide a comforting structure for infants and help them understand the rhythm of their day. This activity also supports their emotional development and fosters a sense of trust and safety.
This website has categories set up for children of all ages. Toys and activities should be chosen according to the child’s abilities rather than their age because research has shown that abilities develop at different rates and are difficult to distinguish into defined play categories. Your child may excel in one play area and seem to be delayed in another play area. This is typical development. It’s good to try plenty of different play activities with your baby. This gives your baby many ways to learn about their world.
Young Baby Toy Categories
Educational Play
Books:
Start reading to young infants early! Reading promotes brain development and cognitive thinking and teaches about language and emotions. Read slowly at first. It’s never too early to start. At this young infant stage, the baby will focus on your face, tone of voice, and emotions as you read. Holding books is not yet appropriate.
Educational Technology:
Young infants will be interested in audio that includes language that can be imitated, such as lullabies, simple songs, rhymes, and nursery rhymes. Gentle, predictable sounds are best played at low volumes.
- Most types of screen time are best saved until the child is over 2 years old. But! Connecting with family and friends over video calls can be fun.
Building Play
Blocks:
When it comes to providing blocks for young infants, it is important to ensure they are lightweight and easy to grasp. The edges should be rounded without sharp points, and the block should be too big to fit into the mouth. At this stage, infants will not be building anything yet but will explore the blocks by grasping, squeezing, and shaking them by about three months. Therefore, it is recommended to use soft plush cloth, sponge, or rubber-like materials that are lightweight and squeezable. They should have bright, vibrant colors, especially yellow and red. It is also advisable to use blocks with high visual contrasts and patterns. It is important to avoid wooden blocks as they are too sharp for these young infants.
- Plastic block
- Soft plush blocks
- Sponge blocks
- Rubber-like blocks
- Foam blocks
- Pillow blocks
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Music Play
Music:
Young infants are naturally inclined towards music and are particularly drawn to multi-sensory elements. They love to use their hands, feet, and mouth to explore objects and learn through reflexes. When they reach about three months old, they develop the ability to grasp and reach for objects. At birth, their focus is best at a distance of 8 inches from their face, but by the end of this period, they can see things several feet away. It’s important to choose music items that are small enough for infants to handle and easy to grasp when ready. The edges of the objects should be rounded to avoid any sharp edges that could cause harm. Additionally, the items should be made of lightweight, soft, sturdy, and washable material that is brightly colored with high contrast to keep the infants engaged.
- Musical Mobile
- Musical Gym
- Wrist, Ankle, and handheld bells
- Wrist, Ankle, and handheld chimes
- Small lightweight tambourines
- Instruments that make sounds when kicked.
Music Technology:
Although the young infant can not push buttons, they are developing an interest in their surroundings. The technology will engage them with energetic sensory elements like music, moving characters, blinking lights, and speech. By three months, babies will prefer patterns to solids and colors of yellow & red to blue & green. Their eyesight at birth is 8 inches from the face, and they can see several feet away by the end of this period. By two months, all color receptors, blue, red, and green, function.
Infants are sensitive to sounds due to fluid in the middle ear. They are capable of distinguishing speech sounds as early as one month. They will prefer sounds that fall within the human voice’s frequency range. Low tones are effective in quieting babies, while high tones are distressful. Babies enjoy gentle, repeated rhythms like heartbeats and exaggerated speech sounds. They react in distressful behaviors to changes in volume and sudden loud noises. They are beginning to localize sounds, babble, and make singing sounds with adults by three months.
- audio that includes language that can be imitated
- Lullabies, simple songs, rhythms, nursery rhymes
- Gentle, predictable sounds played at low volumes.
- Music Boxes (wound by parent or caregiver)
- Video equipment is not appropriate for this age, but the infant may watch the screen.
Pretend Play
Dolls and Stuffed Toys:
Young infants in their early developmental stages tend to explore objects through mouthing and tactile exploration. During this time, their fine and gross motor skills are in the initial stages of development. Therefore, dolls and stuffed toys designed for them should be basic, made of one sturdy piece that will not break or pull apart. All edges should be thick and round, without hard corners or projecting parts. There should not be any removable clothing or loose parts. They should be made of soft, pliable and cuddly material that is washable or easily cleaned.
Doll size should be 4-8 inches, ultra-lightweight, no more than 0.5-2 ounces, so it can be easily grasped and supported in the air. The colors should be vibrant, with reds and yellows, and highly contrasting, such as black and white, with basic patterns. A small degree of cause and effect, such as shaking, produces a sound. Sensory elements should be soft textures and soft sounds like rattles or music. In addition, they should have friendly features, especially the face, with highly contrasting facial features that are hand-sewn or molded. No eyes that move, fur, hair, clothing, buttons, ribbons, or whiskers should be present.
- Small dolls (baby, bean bag, rag dolls)
- Small stuffed or plush animals
- Music dolls
- Stuffed Toys
- Grab-on toys
Exploratory Play
Infant Manipulative Toys:
When choosing manipulative toys for young infants from one to three months, it is important to consider their visual field and ability to grasp objects. At birth, the baby’s focus is best at around 8 inches from their face, but by the end of three months, they can see several feet away. The toys should be small enough to fit within the baby’s visual range and have parts with a shape that is easy to grasp, with rounded corners or edges. The toys should also be lightweight, soft, and washable, with bright, vibrant colors and high-contrast patterns. Toys should also have different textures. These infant toys should include sensory elements, such as gentle and soothing sounds and voices that are not too loud, sudden, or extreme. The visual objects should also move slowly to match the baby’s developmental needs.
- Mirrors
- Mobiles
- Infant gym
- Teething toys – Rattles – Lightweight balls (musical, chiming, grasping, special effects, or textured) – Multi-textured infant toys – Multi-sensory infant toys – Cloth & plush toys – Toys that make sounds when kicked
Water Play:
Introducing your young infant to the sensation of water can be done through supervised water play. To do this, you can fill a small basin with warm water and let your baby splash and kick their feet while you supervise them. This activity provides your baby with sensory stimulation while also helping them become comfortable with water, which can prepare them for future bath time and swimming experiences.
Active Play
For newborns through the age of three months, it is essential to choose equipment that can support the infant fully while also providing some degree of active engagement. One of the most effective types of equipment for babies in this age group is a mechanical baby swing. These swings are designed to offer full support to your infant, which is particularly important in these early stages when they are still developing neck and head control.
The gentle rocking motion of the swing not only soothes the infant but also provides a rhythmic experience that can be very comforting. The consistent movement has been noted to simulate the sensations they experienced in the womb, which can be helpful in easing the transition to the world outside. Furthermore, this motion can aid in sleeping patterns, digestion, and comfort, providing a calming effect that benefits both the baby and the parents.
When selecting a swing, there are several features to consider:
- Safety Harness: Safety is paramount. Ensure that the swing is equipped with sturdy, five point harness with reliable straps that can keep the baby securely in place without causing discomfort.
- Stable Base: A good swing should have a robust and stable base to prevent any tipping movements or accidents.
- Adjustable Settings: Look for swings that offer different speed settings and motions which can be tailored to your baby’s preferences and needs as they grow and change. Some swings also offer different reclining positions which can be adjusted as your baby’s support requirements change.
- Comfortable Padding: Ensure the seat of the swing has sufficient padding that supports the infant’s back and head while being soft enough to prevent any undue pressure.
- Easy to Clean: Babies can be messy; therefore, select a swing with materials that are durable and easy to clean.
- Engagement Features: Some swings come with attachable toys or mobiles which can help in stimulating visual and motor skills as the baby reaches for and focuses on these objects.
Toy Safety
These first three months are a great time for parents to create a dedicated, safe place and play area for their child. Toy Safety is essential because small objects should not be around young infants.
Conclusion
As babies grow from one to three months old, they become more aware of the world around them and develop better control over their movements. To support your baby’s development, you can introduce baby-safe mirrors to help them develop self-awareness and encourage social interaction. Incorporating music and singing into your daily routine is a great way to help support your baby’s listening skills and language development. Nursery rhymes that involve touch, such as ‘Round and round the garden,’ are also popular with young infants. Sharing nursery rhymes or traditional songs from your own culture and language is also essential.
As your child becomes a 3-month-old baby, they might show a preference for a favorite toy. This is the perfect time to start considering why it’s a favorite. Is it the color, pattern, or feel of the fabric? Or is it just the right weight and easiest toy for those little hands to hold onto? Floor time with a baby gym is essential at this age. Hanging a few toys is a great activity for reaching and stretching. Simple games like Peek-a-Boo, or sensory toys with texture and soft noises are fun! The best toys are those the young infant chooses for themselves.
It’s important to understand that every baby is different, and their development may vary. Always follow your baby’s cues and adjust the activities according to their abilities and preferences. It is typical healthy development when a young infant excels in one skill and may seem lacking in another. Remember to be patient and consistent with these activities and always create a nurturing and supportive environment to allow your baby to explore and learn at their own pace.
References:
- Young Infant Development & Growth: 1 thu 3 months
- Toy Safety Guidance for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
- Developmentally Appropriate Toys: What and Why are they Important?
- Whole child Education: What is the Approach to Teaching?
- Zero to Three
- Consumer Product and Safety Commission
I value your input and comments tremendously. If there is anything else I should include in this blog post, please let me know! Until my next post, Keep Everything Simple. Talk with you soon!
Julie Ann
Wednesday 11th of December 2024
This toy guide for young babies is perfect! I have a baby shower to go to next month, and I will be ordering from your list. Thanks for the guidance.
Catalina
Sunday 8th of December 2024
I didn’t realize how much goes into choosing the right toys for a baby’s development. I love the idea of focusing on bright colors and patterns—they really do grab my baby’s attention.
amy liu dong
Sunday 8th of December 2024
Reading something that will guide you in buying proper toys for your little ones is so good.
catherine
Sunday 8th of December 2024
You gave me an idea of what toy to give my two-month-old twin nieces. I will share this with their mom as well as her reference!
Lisa Lisa
Saturday 7th of December 2024
We have a little one in the family, and I need to make sure to share these recommendations with her parents. You have listed some great baby toys.