The holidays are right around the corner. Still, why wait to buy your baby a new toy? Any time is as good as any. That’s because toys aren’t just fun. They’re learning power tools for your child’s brain–even if they’re not marketed as “educational.”
Just think: When you choose toys and activities that track with your child’s age and stage, you’re speaking your baby’s language and helping him develop cognitive, emotional, social and physical skills he can build on. Yeah—by just playing.
The inside story: Every time your baby plays with a toy—zzzt, zzzt–brain connections are made. In Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, I interviewed Roni Liederman, PhD, who said it best: If you could see inside your child’s brain when he’s playing, “it would look like a Christmas tree, with thousands of sparkling lights going off.”
Playing paves the way for the sandbox of life too. According to The Power of Play by child psychologist Rachel E. White, PhD, “The skills children learn through play in the early years set the stage for future learning and success from the kindergarten classroom to the workplace.”
Of course, toys can’t get all the credit. You’re a key player in the process because babies and toddlers are attention junkies. They crave the one-on-one interaction and the security playing with you and other caregivers provides.
So, just so say no to “phubbing”—snubbing your baby with your phone by texting or answering e-mails when you’re supposed to be playing together. Everyone knows the feeling: You’re with your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend or colleagues and they’re on their phone when you’re trying to get their attention. Wah!
Which toys should you buy for your baby? Read on for a game plan for now, the holiday season—and beyond—with help from Parents magazine and Dr. Toy.
Top Toys to Buy Now
Reality check: In the U.S. toys are a $22 billion industry. That amounts to lots to choose from and decipher on store shelves. To help you buy the best toys for your baby or toddler, Parents magazine editors and kid testers they recruited spent all summer testing toys by playing with them and .
“We tested 1,000 toys to get to our list of 49,” says Parents lifestyle editor Jessica Hartshorn. “It’s not only the child’s reaction we were looking for, but the parents’ reaction too,” Hartshorn says. Toys that got the thumbs-up from parents got a yes to these questions:
–Does the toy hold my child’s attention?
–Is this a toy I would want in my house?
–Does the toy easy to put together? (Too many pieces = deal killer.)
–Can I store it?
–Is the toy fit in my diaper bag? (for portable toys)
Parents can’t fit more than eight baby toys on a printed page. Needless to say, the toys they ended up selecting were highly curated. “I’m very proud of the list we came up with. It’s 49 strong toys,” Hartshorn says.
Here, the toys that made the Parents cut for babies from birth to 12 months:
Birth to 12 Months:
Fisher-Price Dance & Move BeatBo
Yookidoo Gymotion Robo Playland
Playskool Fold ‘n Go Busy Elephant
Skip-Hop Explore & More Rocking Owl Stacker
Chewbeads Baby Gramercy Stroller Toy
Little Tikes Lil’ Ocean Explorers 1-in-1 Adventure Course
For a complete list for kids of all ages, check out “Best Toys of 2015”.
More Great Contender Toys
For more ideas, Dr. Toy also announced her 100 Best Children’s Products of 2015. Interestingly, none of her toys for babies overlapped with Parents’ toy list, which means toy shoppers like you and me have an even longer vetted toy list to choose from.
Here’s Dr. Toy’s Best Toys for babies and toddlers:
Puzzingo Kids Learning Puzzles; it’s a free download, for kids 18 months to 5 years
Craft-tastic Yarn Tree Kit; 8 months to 12 years
Mon Premier Bebe Calin Christmas Tales; a doll for kids ages 1.5 to 3 years
Luca and Company IVI 3D Play Rugs, for ages 0 to 7
Music Together Hey Diddle, Diddle singalong song book, for ages 1 to 8 years
Music Together Mr. Rabbit, singalong song book, for ages 1 to 8 years
Music Together Two Little Blackbirds, singalong song book, for ages 1 to 8 years
Oribel PortaPlay Convertible Activity Center, for 5 months to 5 years
Tubby Table Toys, for kids ages 1.5 to 4 years
Whistlefritz Spanish for Kids: The Ultimate Collection, for ages 1 to 7 years
Up the Fun Factor
All kids can be can be surprisingly fickle with toys. Even with the most engaging toy, their interest can vanish faster than a dollop of whipped cream on a cup of hot chocolate. To keep toys in play longer, try these tactics:
Buy according to your child’s age. Take the manufacturer’s recommended age range on the toy package seriously. “Don’t buy up,” Hartshorn says. “Buying a toy that’s months older than your child’s age won’t make him smarter. Instead, he won’t get out of it what he’s supposed to or be able to play with it easily.” In addition to play value, age grading can alert you to a possible choking hazard, the presence of small parts, and other dangers. Try not to buy toys with small parts for a child older than 3 if you have a baby in the house. Your baby will find a way to get it.
For kids age 3 and up: Look beyond the logo. Some of the season’s most popular toys tie in with TV, book, or movie characters. But—good news–these toys aren’t on your baby’s radar yet. “When your kids are really young, you can stay away from licensed characters and go with more inexpensive toys,” Hartshorn says. But once your baby hits age 3 or so, there’s no getting away from them. “They get their favorites soon enough,” says Hartshorn.
When you get to that stage, even if a licensed character toy tops your child’s holiday or birthday list, ask yourself a key question: “If I took Elmo (or whoever your child’s fave character) off this package, what do I have?”
“If a toy has nothing to offer beyond the character, don’t buy it,” says Richard Gottlieb, a toy-industry expert in New York City. Toys with low play value are destined to get ditched extra early. A better bet for older kids: Select toys that require creativity. “Building blocks, nontoxic art supplies, educational video games, musical instruments, and sports equipment last longer with kids than toys that have limited uses,” says Jed Baker, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of No More Meltdowns.
Rotate toys. If your baby/toddler/preschooler/older child get loads of toys this year, don’t let her have at them all at once. Instead, set aside some of the bounty for later. After that group has lost its luster, bring out the sequestered toys, and so on. Toy cycling helps constantly refresh your child’s interest. What’s old is new again.
What is helpful? Lemme know. Ask a question or leave a comment.
–Sandra Gordon Copyright Babyproductsmom 2015
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