Believe it or not, newborn babies are already working on building foundational cognition, motor, sensory, and language skills that will help them talk, walk, and interact with the world around them! 

Toys for babies in the first year of life should encourage tummy time, social awareness, stacking, object permanence, spatial relations, use both sides of the brain, and promote overall speech, language, motor, sensory, cognitive, and memory development. 

Toys can include mirrors for tummy time, crinkle and sensory toys to explore the world around them, and black-and-white images to stimulate the optic nerves. Here are some of our favorite toys for early development:

Resources:

MacLean DJ, Schuler M. Conceptual development in infancy: the understanding of containment. Child Development. 1989 Oct;60(5):1126-37.

Dag NC, Turkkan E, Kacar A, Dag H. Children's only profession: Playing with toys. North Clin Istanb. 2021 Aug 20;8(4):414-420. doi: 10.14744/nci.2020.48243. PMID: 34585080; PMCID: PMC8430366.

Gadre MS, Deshpande VR. Impact of Early Exposure to Play Materials on Motor Development in High-Risk Infants: A Randomised Controlled Trial. J Mother Child. 2023 Jul 6;27(1):64-71. doi: 10.34763/jmotherandchild.20232701.d-22-00025. PMID: 37409658; PMCID: PMC10323968.

Zero to Three. n.d. “Tips for Choosing Toys for Toddlers.” https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/tips-for-choosing-toys-for-toddlers

Miller, L. & M. Gibbs. 2002. Making Toys for Infants and Toddlers: Using Ordinary Stuff for Extraordinary Play. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.