Raising a baby is definitely a mental job, just like buying toys for a 0-1 year old baby. If you are not careful, you will fall into a trap, spend money unnecessarily, and may cause harm to the child. In order to choose the right toys for my baby that are suitable for development, I stayed up late and spent a lot of time researching toys.

I have compiled a summary of my selection experience, hoping to help more novice parents get through the confusing period of toy selection.

First and most important, for babies, the safety of toys is the most important. There are some small details that need special attention when purchasing:

Use toy safety signs as a guide and look for warnings or other safety information on toy packaging, such as age warning signs, warning signs for specific hazards, the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor, and the manufacturer or distributor's trademark/mark.

Choose toys with the 3C mark. 3C is a national mandatory standard. I think toys with this mark are non-toxic;

Try not to have attached decorations to avoid falling and being eaten by children. Accidental swallowing;

The size of the toy should not be smaller than the baby's fist to avoid suffocation caused by accidental swallowing by the baby.

The second point is to pay attention to the development characteristics of the baby. From 0 to 1 years old, the baby is in a period of rapid physiological development. Whether it is touch, vision, hearing and psychological development, children at this stage will Big changes occur.

So we can make good use of the sensitive period of development within 1 year of age and choose different toys in a targeted manner, which will make the child's development more comprehensive and complete.

0～3 months

At this stage, babies can basically only lie down, so toys that stimulate the baby’s sight, hearing and touch are the best choices. In addition, babies aged 0-3 months can only distinguish light and dark, but cannot effectively distinguish colors, so you can consider buying black and white cards for your baby to see, or you can buy soft-sounding toys such as bed bells and small sand hammers for your baby. This is helpful for hearing development and visual development.

At the end of three months, the baby's palms begin to slowly loosen up, his little hands like to scratch, and his little feet like to kick. At this time, you can prepare fitness frame-type toys so that your baby can lie down and play as much as he wants. The fitness frame can actually be used as a bed bell, but because of the added gripping and kicking functions, it can be used longer than a bed bell. Whether it’s a bed bell or a fitness frame, pay attention when choosing: the music and lighting must be soft.

4 to 6 months

After 4 months, the baby spends more and more time lying on his stomach. By about 6 months, some babies can already sit on their backs or sit alone. , both hands can be free. At the same time, babies like to put things in their mouths, and toys must be chewable. The main uses of toys at this stage are: touching, grabbing, shaking, and biting. Any toys that meet these conditions can be used as toys, such as: teethers, hole books, cloth books, hand rattles, tumblers, etc.

7 to 9 months

Baby during this period, both fine and gross movements have made a qualitative leap. The hands can be used together, the fingers can pinch things, and the hands can be picked up, put down, and let go consciously. In terms of general movement, he has learned to crawl and can explore things of interest independently. The main purpose of toys at this stage is to practice fine finger movements, eye-hand coordination, and promote crawling, such as the following: various balls, crawling dolls, and other toys that can guide the baby to crawl and chase.

10 to 12 months

During this period, children's eye-hand coordination has improved, their control over their arms and fingers is stronger, and they can initially distinguish colors, shapes, etc. In terms of general exercise, I started to learn to stand and walk. The main purpose of toys at this stage is to further practice finger movements and eye-hand coordination, such as the following: simple puzzles with handles, rainbow towers, Jenga, building blocks, rocking cars, etc.

After one year old, the baby has more self-awareness when playing with toys, and this is when he starts to be interested in everything. Instead of choosing toys for your child, it is better to arrange a natural exploration space for him, remove all dangerous things in the room, and let your baby crawl and play in this area, look through drawers, open cupboard doors, and find some fun things for himself.

Mom and dad can be there to protect him. If you encounter something that your child doesn't understand, you can also use it to demonstrate it to your baby. Tell me what this thing is used for, guide the baby to understand it, and satisfy the child's curiosity. This is your baby's favorite way to play.