Developmental baby toys for 3-6 month olds

As I've mentioned previously, babies do not need lots of toys.  But what if you need to buy a gift for a new born baby or a baby who is having a naming day or christening - what should you buy? Developmental baby toys for 3-6 month olds would make a great gift for a newborn because this is the age when they would start to appreciate a toy.

What babies really need

Babies need food, somewhere to sleep, and to be kept warm. Air, water, sleep and food and excretion are metabolic requirements for survival in all humans. Clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements. These are babies basic physical needs or physiological needs. Babies need safety, which meets their security needs. Babies need to be loved, these are their social needs. Your baby needs you or a significant other to give them a sense of belonging! Babies need: food - which is milk, until 6 months of age a place to sleep - usually a cot, in some cultures a hammock clothing  Babies do not need hundreds of toys.

B is for Ball: the best baby toy you can buy

I say balls are the best baby toy you can buy as I really love "toys" for baby that you do not need to buy. (That's another story) But every baby should have at least 1 ball.

ACTIVITY: Offer your baby a ball to explore - touch, taste and look at. Watch it roll. Encourage her to see what else she can do with it.

This will eventually help her learn to roll it, drop it in a box, and take it out again.

EXTENSION: Try balls with different shapes and textures (bumpy, "kooshy", squishy etc.) 

Balls are the best toys.

Why? Because they 

• move
• can be manipulated and moved in a variety of ways 
• they make baby start to think about cause and affect
• they can be played with alone or with a friend

DEVELOPMENT: Balls for babies stimulates:

• sense of touch as they feel the ball
• vision as they watch the ball roll
• eyes and hands working together  as they try to reach and grab the ball
• thinking as they try and work it out

You don't need a lot of toys for your baby but if you need to purchase something, maybe a gift for a child's friend, please consider buying it from my store, where you will find 5 different balls and some other educational toys. The purchases at my Amazon store are at no extra cost to you than what you would pay directly from Amazon and they help support all the free information you find on this site. Thank you.

Books for babies

Reading aloud to your baby is a wonderful way to spend time together. Being read to is the beginning of the literacy and language skills needed for later reading.

It will help children understand that books are important, that you value books and what books are all about.

When should you start reading to your baby?

As early as possible.
From birth they will enjoy being held and listening to your voice so this is a good time to read rhyming books like nursery rhymes or the Mem Fox selections below.
By about 2 months babies may like to look at brightly coloured or contrasting pictures like the Tana Hoban books.
By 4 or 5 months they will be reaching and grasping and enjoying books with different textures like touch and feel books.

What books should I get for baby?
Board books are great for babies up to 2 year olds or even older. They are strong enough not to tear when little fingers reach for them.
Books made of material or plastic are also good.
Any book you enjoy reading is wonderful as it is about baby hearing your voice.
Books with simple, large pictures on a white background.
Books with babies in them or animals in them.
Books with photos of real things.
Books with a few words on each page.
Rhyming stories.
Touch and feel books.

Some suggested books that are suitable for baby:

I Went Walking by Julie Vivas
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Nana's Colours by Pamela Allen
When I Was a Baby by Deborah Niland
I can by Helen Oxenbury
I touch by Helen Oxenbury
Tickle tickle by Helen Oxenbury
Black on White by Tana Hoban
Red, Blue, Yellow Shoe by Tana Hoban
White on black by Tana Hoban
Who are they? by Tana Hoban
Night-Night Baby, a Touch and Feel book
That's Not My Teddy by Fiona Watt
Peek-A Who? by Nina Laden

Most of these books and others I recommend are available here.


      

What are your favourite books to read to baby?

Reading tips
Reading the same book over and over is usually enjoyed by babies and helps develop their language.
Hold your baby when you are reading.
You don't need to read the whole book at once.

Do you have any reading tips?