A Favorite Baby Toy

Fold a piece of clothing, hand Lily her toy, fold a piece of clothing, hand Lily her toy... so it went as I tried to catch up on folding the mountain of laundry while Lily was willing to sit in her Bumbo chair. Unfortunately though, Lily's grip is not the surest and she can't reach the things that fall on the floor from her seat. So up and down I went, handing her the toy and then folding something. It was so nice to see her interested in something besides me for a moment, even if her dexterity wasn't quite as in tune as her interest.

Choosing your baby's first toys can be a hard choice for a thoughtful parent. I like to choose things that are well made with fair labor and are safe, but I also want to make sure it is something my baby will really enjoy.

Keeping in mind that one of your baby's favorite toys are his parent's own fingers, I try to find toys that have several parts about that size that are easy to grab.

Triola is a nice girly example, Rally Clutching Toy is a boyish one and Trio is a gender neutral one.

Once your baby has gotten a little more coordinated and is playing with two hands at once and able to hold onto thing of different sizes, you might want to add in cute little things like the Moby Flexible Handling Toy.

I get hooked on baby toys. The lovely clacking sound of the wood is definitely preferable to a plastic rattle to my ears, and is usually a bit quieter. At least it is quieter until the child learns to bang it on other things to make different and better sounds. I love to place a baby down in the middle of the floor and spread the toys around and watch to see what she goes for first. Sometimes it is her own toe, but sometimes she will zero in on a particular toy and work hard until she gets it. That is a privileged moment for a parent; to see their child begin to form their own goal and to work to pursue it. And it all begins with a bright little toy.

(Cottonbabies has information about the testing and quality standards of the toys it sells: Plan Toys and Haba Toys.)