Best Baby Toys

Encourage learning and development with these top five toys for babies and toddlers

Top Five Baby Toys

• Limiting the number of toys your child has access to gives her a chance to figure them out without just bouncing from one toy to the next.
• Most must-have toys can be introduced at age one or younger so your child can adapt her play with them as she grows.
• Basic building blocks are ideal–the more flexibility in a toy, the longer your child will be interested in it.
• Instead of buying a lot of different animals, get your child a mommy, daddy and baby animal from the same breed to help foster roll play.
• Crayons and paper are one of the best ways for your little one to express her creativity.

here's a fine balance between having enough toys to stimulate your child and suddenly finding your home overtaken with clutter. The good news? Less is more when it comes to toys.

"When children have too many toys, they bounce from one to the next and gain no appreciation for them," says Peter Emmenegger, owner of Inquisitive Kid, an on-line natural toy and furniture store. "Limiting selection helps them stay with each toy longer and really figure it out."

The best solution is to invest in items that will be used over time. Look for quality toys, made with natural materials that will hold up after lots of playtime. Most must-have toys can be introduced at age one or younger and your child can adapt her play with them as she grows. Keep your child busy without turning your home into a Toys R' Us by keeping these five essential items on hand:

1.    An all-natural doll (Age: from birth)  

A natural doll or plush animal is comforting to the touch and will help with sensory development. From a few months, a baby will be able to cuddle and chew on natural towel dolls (such as the Comforter Brown Zmooz seen here).

As she grows, your child can use the doll as a sleeping companion and playmate to mimic what she sees going on around her. Emmenegger suggests buying a toy that is as unfinished as possible: "Lack of expression on a doll adds to the imagination."

2.    Books (Age: from birth)

Although your newborn won't understand the concept of reading, it's a great way to spend time together and your baby will benefit from the intonation and inflection in your voice. Studies show that the earlier babies are exposed to reading, the better they perform in school later in life.

"Early on, babies like to focus on pictures of things that are familiar to them," says Dr. Tanya Remer Altmann. From six to nine months, books with pictures of babies and animals are great. Later, you can progress to more complex board books and, eventually, to longer stories and paper pages.

3.    Building Blocks (Age: from one year)  

The more flexibility in a toy, the longer your child will be interested in it. Basic blocks are often better than prefabricated sets that show a child how to build certain items, such as a castle. "Let your child decide whether she wants to build a play station, a house or a barn," says Emmenegger.

Abstract Image Blocks (seen left) are ideal toys that grow with your child. Starting around age one, she will love to watch you stack them and then knock them over. At around 18 months, she will start to stack the blocks herself. As your toddler grows, she can build things with the blocks. By age three or four she will be able to put the images on the blocks together like a puzzle.

4.    Animals (Age: from nine months)

Whether wooden or rubber, all children love animals. At early ages they will hold and carry the animals and between 12 to 18 months they will start to imitate sounds. Later, they will start to role play. Emmenegger suggests getting animals that are proportionate to the size of your child's block set so she can build a stable for them and use the toys together.

Also, rather than getting a collection of different animals, try to find a mommy, daddy and baby animal from the same breed. "A mini family is a great way to foster roll play," says Emmenegger.

5.    Art and Design (Age: from 18 months)

Crayons and paper are one of the best ways for your little one to express her creativity. Beeswax block crayons are natural, don't break and have huge lasting power. A wee Warhol is born!