Babies and children learn through play and to aid their development playtime should engage all of their senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. To your baby, everything is a learning experience and anything new is fun.
Stimulate your child’s hearing with toys that make ringing or rattling sounds.

Musical boxes are fascinating to young children. As your baby’s manipulative abilities improve they will become absorbed with touch as well as sound and will love toys that make a noise when squeezed. Activity centres, which will have a series of knobs and buttons that your baby can turn or push to make noise, are a great learning aid.

As well as stimulating hearing and touch, they will help baby to understand the link between cause and effect. Rubber balls of all sizes are always a favourite with young children.

Any fairly small objects that are interesting to touch, with holes into which your baby can poke their fingers, or handles to wrap their hands around, are ideal. Look for objects that are brightly coloured and also make a noise. Your baby will love a large, specially designed baby mirror placed in the cot so they can see their own reflection.
Although you should obviously play with your child as much as possible, it is also important that children learn to play on their own so that their own sense of exploration and imagination is given free rein.

Simple games

‘Peek-a-boo’ is one of the most successful games you can play with your baby. Hide your face in your hands or with a scarf then peek out at him or her, saying “peek-a-boo” as you do so. Babies develop a sense of humour quite early and this is a game they find endlessly amusing.

When your baby is old enough to sit up without support, roll a large, soft ball towards him or her. The baby will eventually try to push it back to you with her hands. This will help your baby to develop early ball sense.

Rhymes and songs

All babies like to be talked to and rhythmic sounds are easier to listen to than normal speech. Spending time talking and singing to you baby, whether it is a soothing lullaby or a more lively song sung while you bounce your baby on your knee, will be enjoyable and fun for both of you. It will also help encourage early speech. And don’t worry if you’re not the best singer in the world - your baby will love the sound of your voice whether it is in tune or not!

Physical activities

From around six months, when your baby begins to develop good head control, he will benefit from physical play such as gentle bouncing, swinging or rocking. This will help make him aware of his own body and improve locomotive skills such as crawling or walking, as well as balance and co-ordination. Be gentle though – rough play is not suitable for very young children.

Choosing toys

A young baby will not be able to interact with toys much at first so they should be soft, simple and attractive to look at and to touch. Your baby will like soft toys he can squeeze and that feel nice to touch. Toys should be brightly coloured and have an interesting shape to stimulate perceptions of form and space, as well as the baby’s sense of colour. Primary colours are best at this stage. Always name the object your baby is playing with.

Your baby’s mouth is an important sensory organ and for the first year at least, every toy will end up in there so provide interesting objects that they can investigate safely. Soft toys should be washable and colourfast.

Mobiles

For a newborn, a mobile placed 25cms (10 inches) above the cot provides visual stimulation. Make sure, however, that it is out of the baby’s reach.

Noisy toys

Rattles, soft toys that squeak and musical toys are all suitable for a young baby.

Books

Even very young babies like looking at books and being read to. For babies under six months choose cloth books with large, brightly-coloured pictures. After six months you can move on to small board books. As they get older they will also enjoy books with sound and touch that involve a little more interaction.

‘Toys’ around the house

A baby under one-year-old does not need shop-bought toys. Use colourful, noisy household items to stimulate and fascinate. Large pieces of felt, thick strands of wool and bean bags, for example, will provide interesting textures for your baby to explore.

Plastic ice cube trays, egg cartons, colanders and sieves and plastic bottles of different shapes and sizes will provide him with endless fun, as will anything noisy such as wooden spoons, small saucepans with lids, cake tins, etc. Babies love to play with pots and pans and saucepan lids. The more noise they can make the more fun they will have.

Toy safety

Safety is the most important consideration when choosing toys. With a young baby, bear in mind that they are likely to put everything in their mouths.

• Toys such as rattles should be light in case your baby hits herself with them.
• Avoid toys with small holes where fingers could get trapped.
• Soft toys should be made of flame-retardant material and should be colourfast otherwise your baby could suck the dye off, which may make them ill.
• Small parts that could choke your baby, such as the eyes on small toys, should be firmly attached.
• You should check for the European mark of quality on any toys that you purchase, which ensures that they have been tested to high safety standards.

As they get older

From one year to 18 months your baby’s manual dexterity will improve and they will enjoy toys that challenge their manipulative abilities, such as a jigsaw puzzle. Stacking toys that can be built up or fitted together will encourage dexterity and spatial visualisation.

From around 10 months your baby will be able to pick up small objects such as pencils or crayons. They will be more mobile and will enjoy being able to push or pull toys like trains or cars.
Once they starts talking and can understand words and ideas, babies love stories and books. Those with brightly coloured illustrations and textures are best.