How to choose baby toys? Share toys suitable for babies aged 0-1

I’ve been raising my baby for over a year, and the toys at home have piled up like a small mountain as I’ve been buying them gradually. Today, I’d like to share what toys my baby played with during the 0 – 1 year stage, hoping to provide some reference for new parents.

1-month-old: Black and White Cards – Initiating Visual Enlightenment

Newborn babies can only see the world in black and white. At this time, black and white cards come in very handy. Every day, I hold the black and white cards and move them slowly at a distance of 20 – 30 centimeters from my baby’s eyes, letting the baby gaze at them. Each playtime doesn’t need to be too long, about 5 minutes is enough. This helps stimulate the baby’s visual development and lays the foundation for the baby to recognize this colorful world.

2-month-old: Rattle Shakers – Exercising Hearing and Grasping

By the second month, the baby’s hearing starts to develop gradually. We bought a rattle shaker in the shape of Anpanman for the baby. When gently shaken, it makes a clear sound. This sound can attract the baby’s attention and encourage the baby to practice tracking the sound, that is, turning the head in the direction of the sound. At the same time, we can try to place the rattle shaker in the baby’s little hand, allowing the baby to attempt to grasp it and exercise the baby’s hand muscle strength.

3-month-old: Tummy Time Toys – Assisting Neck Development

At three months old, babies start to try to lift their heads. At this time, tummy time toys are essential. We bought a dancing rabbit toy for the baby. When placed in front of the baby, the rabbit dances merrily, attracting the baby’s gaze and encouraging the baby to lift their head to look. However, this kind of electric toy is relatively easy to break. You can also choose a roly-poly toy, which is more durable and can also attract the baby to lift their head.

4-month-old: Teethers – Relieving Oral Discomfort

At four months old, babies enter the oral stage and like to explore the world with their mouths, putting everything they can find into their mouths. At this time, teethers become the baby’s good companions. There are many styles of teethers on the market, such as rabbit teethers and mushroom teethers. When choosing a teether, be sure to avoid those with holes, because saliva can easily hide inside and breed bacteria, which is very unhygienic.

5-month-old: Manhattan Toy – All-around Grasping and Chewing

At five months old, the baby’s grasping ability is getting stronger. The Manhattan Toy is a good choice. Its unique design allows for 360° grasping, so no matter how the baby grabs it, they can always get a hold. Moreover, the baby can put the Manhattan Toy into their mouth to chew, satisfying the needs of the oral stage.

6-month-old: Jollybaby Cloth Books – Safe and Interesting

At six months old, babies start to become curious about the surrounding things and like to touch them with their hands. Jollybaby cloth books are very suitable for babies at this stage. These cloth books are tear-resistant and very safe. There are tails of different materials on the books, and the baby can touch them with their little hands to feel different textures. When flipping the pages, there is also crinkly paper inside that makes a rustling sound, attracting the baby’s attention.

7-month-old: Touch-and-Feel Sound Books – Exploring the World of Sounds

At seven months old, babies become more and more sensitive to sounds. Touch-and-feel sound books are great toys, such as Listen, What’s That Sound? and the Usborne series. There are various touch points on the books. When the baby presses them with their hands, different sounds will be emitted, such as animal calls and musical instrument sounds. This allows the baby to explore the world of sounds while touching and stimulates the baby’s curiosity.

8-month-old: Early Learning Machines and Pat-a-Drums – Stimulating Exploration Desires

By eight months old, the baby’s mobility increases, and their curiosity becomes even stronger. Early learning machines and pat-a-drums can satisfy the baby’s desire for exploration. The early learning machine can play children’s songs, stories, and other content, allowing the baby to learn in a relaxed and happy atmosphere. The pat-a-drum allows the baby to pat it themselves, producing different sounds and light effects, which the baby will find very interesting.

9-month-old: Carrot-Pulling Toys – Exercising Hand-eye Coordination

At nine months old, the baby’s fine motor skills have further developed. The carrot-pulling toy is a good exercise tool. There are some small carrots inserted in holes on the toy, and the baby can use their little hands to pull the carrots out and then put them back in. This process can exercise the baby’s wrist strength and hand-eye coordination.

10-month-old: Wooden Bead Maze – Improving Fine Motor Skills

At ten months old, the baby’s fingers are becoming more and more flexible. The wooden bead maze allows the baby’s fingers to get sufficient exercise. The baby can use their fingers to move the beads and make them穿梭 (shuān cōng, which means “thread through” or “move around”) on the frame. Through continuous practice, the baby’s fine motor skills will become more and more flexible.

11-month-old: Busy Boards – Learning Basic Life Skills

At eleven months old, babies start to show a strong interest in the surrounding daily life things. The busy board is like a miniature daily life scene, with various basic life skills such as opening door locks, pressing switches, and pulling zippers. The baby can operate them by themselves and learn these skills while playing, and they will have a great time.

12-month-old: Push-along Walkers and Twist Cars – Combining Learning to Walk and Playing

At twelve months old, many babies start to learn to walk. Push-along walkers and twist cars are great auxiliary tools. The push-along walker allows the baby to hold on and walk slowly, exercising the baby’s leg strength and balance ability. The twist car allows the baby to sit on it and move forward by twisting their body, which is both fun and can exercise the baby’s coordination ability. Moreover, these two types of vehicles generally have anti-tipping designs and are very safe.

In fact, toys don’t have specific age divisions. The key is quality over quantity. You can select some toys and rotate them regularly. Maybe the baby doesn’t like a certain toy at the moment, but they may love it after a while.