Sensory toys are toys that are specifically designed to stimulate one or more of the senses. They are great for babies and children on the spectrum. Studies have shown that sensory toys can help children remain calm by providing unique sensory experiences.
With the right baby sensory toys, your little one will be able to start engaging with all their senses. The toys also instantly provide feedback to their sensory systems, allowing them to start learning how to regulate their sensory needs.
Sensory Toys For Babies
Sensory toys for babies are ones that are designed to be stimulating and engaging to their developing senses. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and designs.
Perhaps the most popular versions are soft and squishy toys that can be manipulated by your little one’s hands. This can be made using a variety of materials that the baby can explore with their tactile senses. You can buy a few soft toys in different materials to give your little one some variety, assisting them in their exploration.
There are also toys that stimulate their sense of hearing. This includes rattles, shakers, and noisemakers. With them, your little one can start learning to focus on sounds. These toys also teach them the basics of cause and effect, where shaking a rattle results in a sound. Toys that teach babies basic music skills such as drum sets, xylophones, and maracas are also great for this.
Sensory Toys By Color
Color is another key factor when it comes to choosing baby sensory toys. For very young babies who cannot yet differentiate colors properly, simple monochromatic colored toys with high contrast patterns are better than toys with multiple colors.
However, as they grow, you can start introducing more colors to their toys. Eventually, you will start noticing them starting to have favorite colors. You can then buy more toys in these preferred colors.
Sensory Toys By Size
While the shapes and colors of the toys you go for are important, you should also consider the size of the toys before you buy them.
Buying toys that are too large will make them cumbersome and difficult to play with. If your little one cannot hold it in their hands, it’s harder for them to manipulate the toy, which means they might miss out on the sensorial benefits the toy would have otherwise had.
On the other hand, a toy that is too small can easily become a choking hazard, especially for younger babies who put everything they lay their hands on in their mouths.
Therefore, it is important to strike a delicate balance when it comes to choosing a toy that is the right size for your little one. Buy toys that are designed to be played with with little hands. This will help your kiddo practice their gross and fine motor skills as well as their hand-eye coordination as they play.
Final Thoughts
When thinking about sensory toys for babies, it is easy to default to texture, where the toy feels bumpy, soft, hard, or squishy to the touch. However, as we have seen, baby sensory toys have lots of other factors to them. Once you consider all these factors, you will be able to choose the best baby sensory toys for your baby.
