"Must Have" Toys for Infants (Newborn to 12 Months Old) from a Mother's Perspective

If you asked me a year ago which toys would be the best ones to use for an infant I would have given you a blank stare and tried to fumble my way through an answer. Now, a year later and 12 months post-baby I have a brand new perspective on baby toys. Being a first-time mom bringing my baby to daycare for the first time, and trying to figure out how to entertain and assist my infant in growth makes me work hard to stay on the pulse of infant toys.

Parents these days aren't looking just for toys that will entertain their children, they are looking for toys that will also educate their children and give them a head start into the next phase of their lives. We all would like to think we have the smartest baby on the block, and that starts with getting our babies to learn things at a young age. That's where toys come into play.

When you arrive home with your newborn baby, the baby will most likely not be interested in much of anything besides eating and sleeping for the first couple months of life, but slowly but surely your baby becomes more and more aware of their surroundings. Later as your baby develops early signs of holding up their own heads they are amazed by the smallest of movements and alert to various sounds. Once they begin rolling from side-to-side they realize that they have the ability to move like mommy and daddy and they love stimulation. Once they begin to crawl all bets are off. Anything and everything intrigues them.

I was lucky as a first time mom that with the aid of the Internet for reference, exposure to a daycare environment on a regular basis, and a close knit circle of mommies that love to blog about their babies, that I came to realize what worked in stimulating my baby at each age.

Bouncer
Although you may not at first think of a bouncer as a toy, it definitely is. Besides being a cozy chair to snuggle your baby at an early age when they are not very mobile, bouncers typically have a few vibration settings to soothe your baby, and have several toys that attach to the bouncer. Some of them include rattles, mirrors, or even an IPod dock to play your own musical playlist for your baby. This is one toy you will not want to live without and can be used with newborns up until your baby starts crawling out of the bouncer when they are around 9 months old.

Baby Rattles
This may seem a bit basic, but babies really like things that rattle. They don't have to be complex. They don't even have to look that fancy. They just have to be able to be a rattle that the baby can grasp with their little hand to make sound. My little one liked rattles so much that when I was in a grocery store without one and she began to fuss, I would grab a container of Tic Tac's or aspirin bottles to soothe her. Sounds funny, but babies like some of the most basic things.

Activity Mat
As your baby grows and develops to be a few months old they become aware of sounds and colors. I received an activity mat for my baby shower and found that my baby and her baby friends would spend oodles of time amazed on their backs in the activity gym. You can find an activity mat at nearly any store that sells baby items. These mats typically have a soft mat for the baby to lay on with toys that dangle above their head for them to play with and some include music. Depending on the mat you purchase, the baby may swat the mat a specific way and the mat will play music and flash lights. I used a Baby Einstein version and my little one spent so much time giggling and staring in amazement to the flashing lights. Another great thing about activity mats is that they are so easy to travel with. I found that it was so easy to pack up and take to grandma's house that it instantly became a favorite in our house.

Jumperoo
You've probably heard of kangaroos but have you ever heard of a jumperoo? I didn't have a clue what a jumperoo was until I had a baby that could crawl on their own and needed more stimulation and something to help her strengthen her leg muscles. That's where the jumperoo came in. A jumperoo is a jumping device similar to a walker, but a jumperoo stays in place and has a chair the baby sits in. The baby jumps up and down and the jumperoo makes sounds and assists the baby in using their leg muscles to jump up and down. This toy is similar to jumping devices you could put your baby in that was attached to a doorway and let them jump. Either option provides similar entertainment and oodles of giggles from your baby.

Activity Table
Your baby has evolved and gotten past the crawling stage. You now see hints of walking and standing, what toy is the best for an awkward stage? I had this same question in my mind until I ran across an activity table. Activity tables are tables at a baby's height when standing that include various toys attached to the top of the table that are colorful, make sounds, and make music. Some of these tables even have options for multiple languages to begin your baby learning language at an early age. Until I found an activity table as a toy my baby would travel around and around my coffee table until she couldn't stand it anymore. This item is the perfect companion to lead your baby into her second year of life.

I purchased several toys and gear for my baby not knowing what she would be interested in. Knowing what I know now, I feel as though this list of toys really will take your baby from newborn to their first year of life, entertained and engaged. By purchasing these items you will save time, money and frustration.