It is both exciting and challenging to raise a baby, particularly for the first time. This is a time to develop the bonds that will last a lifetime, allowing the child to develop self-esteem and the ability to relate positively to others. It’s also the time for parents to start finding out who this new person really is. Each child is special, and it is important that parents learn to understand, appreciate, support and promote each child’s unique characteristics and abilities.

Birth-18 months

During birth almost all neurons (nerve cells) are present but most are not linked in networks. During this year, the bonding cycle (synapse formation) is rapid, with brain activity being 12 months closer to an adult than a newborn. Sensorimotor, visual cortex, and later the frontal lobes are areas of greatest development. Play represents brain zone growth. Piaget called the “trial play.”

Vision, sound, touch, taste, smell: these are the ways in which babies know the world. Hence, the best child toys are typically brightly colored noisemakers. They will soon move from mobiles (for extra interest, try a musical one) and mirrors (which they find fascinating) to grasping and holding. Toys they can control with satisfying effects–play quilts with different textures: squeak or jingle attachments; rattles; activity bars: drop and retrieve softballs–begin to teach them dexterity and the idea of cause and effect.

When babies sit up, crawl, stand up and then walk, the possibilities grow rapidly. They’re able to play with nesting cups, activity boxes, stacking rings, large blocks, and shape-sorters a little later. Such toys help develop fine motor skills and achieve object-to-object connections. Books of cloth or paper, particularly enticing with images of faces or familiar objects, let us then practice object-recognition and instill fundamental ideas of language. Babies and kids always love bath toys as they enjoy playing all sorts of water-like filling, emptying, and splashing. And they are ready to roll with push-pull toys as soon as they’re up on their feet.

A word of caution: make sure that any toy in this age group for a child has no small pieces that can be lost or broken and swallowed, no sharp edges or lines, and it is made of materials.

Toys and accessories for babies to play and learn like plush toys, stacking & nesting toys, blocks, musical toys, books for clothes and boards and more.