Childhood education experts say that children playing with toys are the first foray of a child experiencing knowledge.
A child's world is initially small and restrictive and slowly expanding, like parents' embrace, the crib, and then the home. There is no question that toys are meant for fun, but toys also help them learn about and expand their worlds incrementally.
A toy can almost be a proxy tool and teacher hybrid for initially learning about and understanding the world around them.
A baby and a young child learn via its sensory skills and its steadily developing cognitive functions.
The human mind functions by sending electrical signals via neurons, information pathways in the brain that tell our body what to do when commanded by the brain.
The average human brain has trillions upon neurons and synapses, short stop gaps between neurons that pass along messages from the brain. But the human brain is ready to learn at birth.
The infant's brain has over 50 trillion synapses. And the average three-year-old brain has over 1000 trillion synapses.
A child's first foray playing with games and toys or even peek-a-boo with parents stimulates sensory learning capabilities.
The best toys are non-choking hazard toys which help babies stimulate their sensory and cognitive capabilities since babies learn by vision, touch, sound, and putting things into their mouths.
Toys can also help babies sharpen their hand-and-eye coordination and basic motor skills.
In other words, parents should never feel like they are spoiling their children with toys. Toys help children have fun, learn, develop their cognitive capabilities, and give parents a break from time to time.
Here are the top five toys for babies.
Check out 123 Baby Box today to register for monthly subscription boxes containing items, gifts, and toys for baby and mommy.
Related: 30 Best New Mother Gifts
1. 123 Baby Box
123 Baby Box is a monthly subscription plan service that mails out a box of infant essentials, toys, and goodies suitable for babies and mommies every month. Each subscription box is curated by experts and mothers at 123 Baby Box and contains up to six items.
Each box could contain toys or products useful for babies and mommies during the first developmental months and years of baby development.
Parents can choose from a monthly, six-month, and annual 123 Baby Box subscription box plan.
Each 123 Baby Box subscription box comes with curated products worth anywhere between $75 to $100.
Why Subscription Boxes Are The Best Gifts for Babies
To order a 123 Baby Box subscription box plan, all you have to do is register on the website.
Then, pick your subscription plan and input your baby's birthday. Then, all boxes sent to you will be tailored to your baby's age and stages of development.
123 Baby Box subscription box services are one of the best gifts for babies because they save time on shopping for the essentials you usually buy.
Subscription boxes can add an element of routine, regularity, and a surprise to look forward to during the hectic early years of raising an infant or small child.
123 Baby Box subscription boxes are also a great bargain. First-time applicants can save 30% on shipping and over 50% on their first 123 Baby Box.
2. Dolce Activity Zebra Stuffed Animal and Plush Toy
The Dolce Activity Zebra Stuffed Animal And Plush Toy is a deceptively simple-looking toy designed to help babies safely develop sensory and cognitive senses.
"Dolce" is an acronym for "Develop, Observe, Learn, Create, and Educate." The Dolce Activity Zebra Stuffed Animal and Plush Toy were once nominated for Toy of the Year for their educational abilities.
Dolce's richly vibrant colors, hug-inviting aesthetics, and built-in toys help to enable the baby's sense of wonderment in learning.
This toy has crinkly ears that can aid hand and eye motor development.
The toy also has a built-in teether for teething or curious babies who learn with their mouths. Dolce features a bean bag base that keeps it sitting upright. And there are even tiny mirrors on each foot to help the baby play peekaboo.
Why Sensory Toys Are Perfect for Babies
As mentioned earlier, sensory play is the act of a child stimulating its senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing by playing games.
Sensory play can also help children fine-tune and develop their motor skills and hand/eye coordination.
Sensory play toys are a great choice to help babies have and learn at the same time. Sensory play toys help babies develop nerve connections in its brain.
And sensory play toys are also calming and help babies enhance and develop memory.
3. The Play Gym by Lovevery
The Play Gym by Lovevery is an innovative play mat and activity gym designed to encourage and enhance a baby's motor skill learning, physical activity, and visual cognitive abilities.
This play gym is suitable for use by infants and toddler-aged children.
The Play Gym by Lovevery features five zones of educational development inspired by the Montessori method of child education.
It features four interchangeable education card sets, a teether, an organic ball, a batting toy made of sustainable wood, and many more components designed to enhance a child's learning and stimulate senses.
Why Play Gyms Are Excellent for Baby Development
Baby play gyms are excellent for initial development because they can help babies satisfy their sense of exploration and wandering in a safe and contained environment.
Baby play gyms enhance hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and cognitive development.
4. Calmies Teether for Babies Without BPA
The Calmies Teether for Babies is a ball-shaped teething toy made from all-natural plant-based rubber designed to stimulate sensory-motor skills and soothe teething symptoms.
The Calmies teether is easy for the baby to grip and chew on. This teething toy does not contain toxic or unnatural chemicals, like BPA, PVC, parabens, or phthalates.
This toy has a distinct natural rubber smell. Other companies add chemicals to suppress it.
How Teethers Soothe Baby Teeth
Teething is painful for babies because their first set of baby teeth erupts through their gums. Teething causes jaw pain, soreness, and irritability.
And teething toys soothe baby teeth by distracting them from their pain. Chilled teether, not frozen, amplifies this effect as well.
Teethers are also calming and help keep babies occupied.
5. Tobbles Neo
Tobbles Neo is six brightly colored and weighted ball objects that can be played with individually or stacked into a column.
The balls are activity toys designed to keep the infant engaged, thinking, and curious.
The balls can nest into each other, spin, wobble, tilt, wiggle, be toppled, and then assembled again.
Why Activity Toys Make Great Baby Gifts
Activity toys are great baby gifts because they keep babies mentally occupied, curious, and learning.
Activity toys are toys that infants can physically and mentally engage with; this includes shaking, holding, sucking on for teething, and listening to the noise it makes.
These also include textured balls, squeeze toys, soft dolls, mirrors, or board books made of vinyl.
And while there are a lot of toys that can just distract your baby, you should endeavor to buy ones that educate it and help it jumpstart its cognitive development.
Toys Are Great Gifts That Boost Baby Development
The first few months and years of a baby's life are the most important and influential in many cases.
It's a given that parents will buy toys for their babies. Just always buy toys designed to help it learn.
123 Baby Box is an innovative monthly subscription box service featuring up to six goodies for baby and mommy.
Related: What to do When Your Baby doesn't Sleep Unless Held
