The first few months of your newborn’s life seem to be all about feeding, changing diapers, and sleeping. But did you know that it is important to incorporate playtime as well to encourage your little one’s development? Through consistent play, children of any age – including babies –get to learn about themselves and their surroundings. So what types of toys should you buy your newborn?
Development Milestones During The First 6 Months
Although each baby is unique and develops at their own space, you can expect your baby to hit some basic milestone during the first six months. Here are the milestones to keep an eye out for, and how play can help:
- Babies 0-2 months
- For the first month, your baby’s vision will be a bit fussy, so he will only be able to focus on things that are about 20-3 cm away from his eyes. He can also make eye contact.
- He will start smiling
- Cooing and gurgling
- He can turn his head towards sounds
Try holding a soft toy within the visible range of your 2-month-old baby during tummy time. This is a great way to encourage visual, neck, head, and core development.
- Babies 2-4 Months
- Copying your facial expressions
- Social smiling
- Reaching for objects with one hand
- Babbling
- Holding and shaking a toy
- He can roll from his tummy to his back
Try handing your 4-month-old a rattle to hold to encourage skills such as reaching and hand-eye coordination.
- Babies 4-6 Months
- Recognizing and responding to their name
- Looking at themselves in a mirror
- Begin to sit up without support
- Taking an interest in toys and objects
- Passing toys from one hand to the other
Engage your 5-month-old in a simple game of peekaboo to start teaching concepts such as object permanence and social development.
To help you encourage the development of important skills in your baby, here is a list of features to look for in toys for newborns to six-month-olds:
Your little one’s eyesight is yet to fully develop, but his hearing is well-developed at birth. Consider trying toys that emit sounds such as rattles, musical mobiles, and wind chimes.
During your child's first three months, he will find absolute delight in toys that make movements. Because his eyesight is still developing, he can spot a moving object more easily than a stationary one.
- High-Contrast Patterns And Bright Colors
High-contrast objects (simple shapes in white, black, and red) are crucial for a baby’s sight development and will help him learn to distinguish shapes and patterns. Try a multi-sensory cube with different shapes or patterns to entertain your little one in those first few weeks.
Toys (or even fabric books) that have varying textures are great for babies to explore. Touchy-feely toys are great for stimulating your baby’s senses.
Final Thoughts
Your baby will develop rapidly during the first six months of his life, and you will notice that he takes pleasure in discovering and exploring the world around him. Finding the right toys for his age can be instrumental in helping him to learn more about his new environment.
