Toy Ideas for Newborn Babies

31st July 2015

Children love toys in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s a huge cuddly teddy bear, a scooter or a doll’s house, kids love to play with toys and it can keep them entertained for hours on end!

Children develop at different stages (see our blog about children’s social and behavioural development) and throughout the years, they should be playing with different toys to encourage them to develop certain skills.

For those of you with a newborn baby, at this stage, your child should be able to:

Make out objects that are around 10 inches away, but they won’t be able to make out any detail or see the full spectrum of colours yet.
Follow objects with their eyes very slowly.
Mimic basic facial expressions when someone looks intently at them.
As your baby is right at the beginning of their development with only the most basic skills so far,  the majority of their learning will be initiated by stimulating the senses through light, sound and touch.

Mobiles

A mobile can either be musical or non-musical and will not only brighten up the nursery but will reassure your baby as they go to sleep. The swaying motion of the hanging toys, along with the soft music or light (these are optional) will help your child to develop auditory skills. Some mobiles even come with a remote control, so you easily reactivate it without your little one seeing you and becoming unsettled again.

Soothers

Anything that can soothe your baby will help teach them to stop getting worked up by crying and to calm down instead. Gentle and soothing sounds can help your child unwind and understand that it is bedtime. There are cuddly toys that emit a soft glow and play soft music when squeezed gently. The music and the light will slowly fade out as your child drifts off to sleep.

Play gym

Play gyms are great for newborns as they are kept fully entertained. You will see the excitement in their eyes as they respond to the bright colours and their exciting surrounds. You can hang toys from the overhanging arch, encourage your child to use the small mirror to look at their reflection, grab the sides for a crackly sound and different texture, as well as many more things. Each play gym will differ in components, so make sure you read up on what it includes before buying one.

Bedtime blankie

The extremely soft material makes for a perfect snuggly, comfort blanket to cuddle up with when it’s naptime or bedtime. Alternatively, it can be used for gentle play and help enhance hand and eye coordination, as well as encouraging creativity.

Musical toys

Your newborn baby will love noisy and colourful toys; anything they can listen to and look at. Musical books that sing songs and nursery rhymes are great for grabbing your child’s attention. If the book has spinners and sliders then even better, as your baby can interact with the book even more!

Rattles are another basic and traditional toy but they are equally as engaging for a child in terms of the noise they make. You can also buy toys to hang from mobiles or gyms, that when you pull down on their arms or legs (for example), they will begin to play soothing music to your baby.

If you’re searching for a certified and well-established nursery around Nottingham and Mansfield then please get in touch with the friendly team at Tiny World. We have over 30 years of experience in caring for babies from as young as 6 weeks old, through to 11 years old.