Toys buying guides

From newborn to 6 weeks

Newborns spend most of their time watching and learning from your facial expressions, and your voice. But soon toys begin to play a fun role in your baby’s development.
These toys are ideal for the various stages of your baby’s first year.

• A baby can hold a toy for a few moments when it is placed in their hand.
• They can follow moving objects with their eyes and turn towards sounds.
• They are likely to cry at sudden loud noises. They will be making smoother and stronger movements.
• From three months, they should be able to lie on their tummy and start to support themselves on their forearms.

Suitable Toys: rattles, mobiles, cot toys, soft toys, musical toys, fabric books.

From about 4 to 6 months

• Babies will want to touch, hold, turn, shake and mouth objects.
• They will start to learn cause and effect.
• They can focus at different distances.
• They will begin to become interested in and smile at mirror images.
• They will begin to lift their head to look at things.
• They should be able to roll over and sit with support.

Suitable toys - all those listed above, plus activity mats and gyms with mirrors.

Product features

• Rattles
  Bright colours will attract your baby. Soft fabric rattles are best for very young babies as lack of co-ordination may cause them to bump their faces with the rattle. Lightweight rattles are easier to hold and, as co-ordination develops, clear plastic ones will let your baby see what's making the noise.
• Mobiles
  Choose bright shapes that move easily in a breeze or a musical mobile that plays a tune as it turns. You should hang mobiles within your baby's range of vision, but not within reach.
• Cot toys
  Toys with different textures that make a noise when squeezed or pressed are great for babies.
• Soft toys
  Soft toys made from soft, plush fabric with embroidered facial features are perfect for young babies.
• Musical toys
  Musical mobiles, musical boxes, wind chimes, squeaky toys and rattles will all interest your baby.
• Soft books
  From an early age, your baby will enjoy looking at these brightly coloured books with cloth pages. Read or make up the story as you turn the pages.
• Activity mats
  Activity mats are brightly coloured with different textured materials, squeakers and shapes to explore. They sometimes come with their own carrying bag so you can take them with you when you go out.
• Gyms, activity bars
  Gyms, consist of a floor-standing rack fitted with dangling rattles and toys. Some also have an integral play mat. Babies lie under the gym where they can watch and, later, swipe at the toys. Activity bars are fitted with toys that fit across a buggy or car seat.
• Mirrors
  Only give your baby a purpose made, unbreakable nursery mirror to play with. Some are designed to be fastened to the side of the cot.  

The second six months of your baby's life is a time of fast development. Babies become stronger, more communicative, dextrous, mobile and aware. They will explore everything by putting it in their mouth, and will chew on resistant objects to ease sore gums when teething. As co-ordination and dexterity improves, your baby will begin to enjoy toys that move or make a noise when they touch them. They will also enjoy toys that can be taken apart. They will sit up, crawl and stand and begin to see the world from a different viewpoint.

Age and Skills

• Between six and 12 months, babies will learn that things they cannot see may be hidden and not gone.
• They will choose particular toys to play with and show affection towards favourite dolls and teddies.
• They will grasp objects, pass them from hand to hand and bang them together.
• They will crawl, stand up and take their first few steps.
• They will enjoy hide and seek games.
• They will learn to use toys such as hammers and telephones correctly.
• They will be able to recognise and identify pictures in books.

Suitable toys - teddies and dolls, noisy toys, shape sorters, blocks, nesting containers, multi-activity toys, books, basic role play toys, bath toys, moving toys.

Product features

• Soft dolls and teddies
  Choose dolls, teddies and stuffed animals that are small enough for your baby to pick up and play with. There should be no parts they can pull off and put in their mouth.
• Noisy toys
  Wooden spoons, saucepans and plastic bowls will provide your baby with all they need to make noise, or you could buy a toy drum or baby band.
• Shape sorters
  Posting objects into the right opening helps your baby learn about shapes and matching.
• Blocks
  Choose wood, plastic or soft bricks. At this stage, your baby will only stack two or three blocks at a time.
• Nesting containers
  Sets of beakers that fit inside one another are great for hide and seek games, where smaller cups can be covered by larger ones.
• Activity centres
  These are single units that combine several toys that move, spin and make a noise. They provide a great variety of play and most can be fastened to the side of the cot.
• Moving toys
  Simple cars and other push-along toys appeal to babies that are beginning to crawl.
• Books
  When your baby is able to turn pages by themselves, you should introduce board books and use lift-the-flap books to share hide and seek games.
• Role play toys
  A hammering bench, telephone and bucket and spade will encourage your baby to use equipment.
• Bath and water toys
  Floating and pouring toys will help your baby learn about water and make bath time more fun.

At this age, babies become toddlers. They will start to talk and will have developed many other ways of expressing themselves, by pointing to the things they want, laughing, crying and shouting. They will become much more mobile, and as soon as they can walk confidently, they will begin to run, jump and climb. Safety becomes even more important as your toddler becomes increasingly curious and their new skills put more things within reach. It is important to make the most of this curiosity by introducing new and challenging toys to extend their physical abilities, solve puzzles and act as props in the imitative games they play.

Age and skills

• Improved wrist control means your baby will become more skilled at shape sorting and stacking and will begin to scribble and throw a ball.
• Your baby will be gaining more control over their body and will enjoy pushing, pulling and riding on things.
• They will start copying what you do.
• They will be able to put ideas and actions into sequence, like throwing a ball and running after it.
• They will begin to play with more purpose.

Suitable toys - balls, activity and construction toys, push along and ride along toys, interactive toys, colouring and painting equipment

Product features

• Balls
  Large, soft balls will help your toddler learn to throw.
• Activity toys
  These include more complex sorting and matching games and pop-up activity toys.
• Construction toys
  These include bricks and stacking rings.
• Push along toys
  These include brick trolleys, activity walkers and prams.
• Ride-on toys
  Toddlers enjoy ride-on vehicles they can push along with their feet.
• Interactive
  Plastic tea sets, washing up and cleaning sets, telephones and tool benches all equip toddlers for pretend play

At this age, toddlers will play more independently and will want to do things for themselves. You should try to provide the right balance of encouragement and support, by allowing them to experiment for themselves and by offering help when they become frustrated. A toddler's personality will become clearly defined and they will be able to understand much more than they can say. Your toddler will now be able to play with toys that require more dexterity and they will persevere with things that do not seem to work straight away.
 
Age and skills

• Your toddler will begin to enjoy make-believe play.
• Play will become more purposeful and your toddler will be more persistent with activities.
• They will now be walking more confidently and will want to pull toys along behind them.
• They will be able to follow simple instructions and remember what to do.
• Language will become more important.

Suitable toys - pull along toys, dressing up outfits, play houses, puzzles, books, pre-school computers

Product features

• Pull along toys
  Toddlers confident enough to walk and turn around at the same time will enjoy these, especially if the toy makes a noise, has flapping 'feet' or produces some other effect as it moves.
• Dressing up outfits
  Start your own dressing up box or buy outfits that are easy to put on and take off. Make sure anything you buy is big enough to last at least a year, or choose hats, capes and other equipment where size doesn't matter.
• Puzzles
  Play trays and simple jigsaws give toddlers a sense of achievement as they see the pieces fit in and the picture take shape.
• Books
  Picture books, story books and novelty books with squeakers and pop up pictures will feed a toddler's interest. The books they 'read' alone should be durable and wipe-clean.
• Preschool computers
  These provide a fun way to learn numbers, alphabet sounds and early words and are a great way to introduce your toddler to keyboards and computers.

• Purchase toys from a reputable retailer
• Dispose of packaging after opening the toy
• Keep toys away from fire
• Watch out for older children playing with toys that have small parts, close to your baby
• Always use a harness when using swings
• Put toys away after use to avoid falls, and do not leave toys on the stairs