Product spotlight: toys!

mrosek91

Hello! Today's discussion is a pretty big one: TOYS! We're unlikely to come up with a complete overview of every toy our kids wind up with, and certainly we can't always control the tornado of toys we all somehow accumulate, but it would be great to share some favorites, maybe aiming for the first 6-12 months or so to give FTMs some guidance on a few items to have on hand as our babies start to interact with the world.

When did your babies start to notice little baby toys? Which were the first favorites? Which toys did you have scattered on the floor, which did you have stashed in your diaper bag for emergency distraction, which did you have in the car? Any brands you love? Or particular style of toy? Is there something super special worth splurging on? Do you begrudgingly deal with a thousand blinking lights and loud plastic noises, or are you strict about only accepting organic wood blocks carved from virgin Nordic forests? Did you use a Baby Einstein? Did you babies have a lovey or comfort item to adore and drool on? On the flip side, is there anything you absolutely HATE and want to warn other moms about (or just vent)? And how do you store your toys? Any cute storage products to help with organization? Please share!

queen_frostine

KICK PIANO. It was her best toy. I used to put my daughter in the baby swing with the piano tied to a chair in front of her and managed to get breakfast/dressed in the morning with the occasional word of encouragement every minute or so. It got kicked into malfunction so we have to get a new one for this kiddo.

Other than that, any of those little toys that hooked on stuff and would rattle or crinkle and could be chewed on. She had some in the car and some on her bouncer thing and some on her baby gym.

nsk489

Sophie the giraffe—does it live up to the hype?

littlelibelula

I was surprised how little a baby plays in the first three months. My doctor recommended black, white and red. You can buy cloth books, character cards, mobiles etc in those colours for the first three months. Plus anything to encourage tummy time. Some people recommend a log type toy for stimulating this, even boppies work for this (pop bottle wrapped in a yoga mat, cheaper) 

Teethers are great for when the teeth are coming in. Anything, wooden rings, frozen teethers, books with rubber corners, teething necklaces, lovies with chewable everything. Also a great distraction when breastfeeders are teething and bite you when they're eating. They can chew a teether for a couple of minutes instead of biting. 

I will continue to stockpile cloth books, I like board books, but they still get chewed on so much during teething. Cloth are so convenient, they can get chewed on, splashed on, sometimes crinkle and squeak and other interesting things. 

I collected rattles, recorders, hand bells, noisy toys and keep them all in a little box and use them to make music, or noise. My DS enjoyed the rattles closer to a year and right now (15m) really enjoys the rattle stick, I think it's like a maraca. 

Push toys were great when DS was starting to stand and move, but an upside down plastic crate worked really well for him and he couldn't tip it over which was a problem with the push toy when he was just starting to pull himself up. 

When they start to explore, a kitchen set of their own is very entertaining. Old measuring cups, measuring spoons, bowls, wooden spoons etc. By DS loved my silicone spatulas, very great for teething and making noise. Also small gardening set and a bucket of water, beans, sand etc is also great when they stop putting everything in their mouth 9-12 months. 

When they start to walk around a little broom is fun. And busy boards, so much fun, just find lot of little things and attach them to a board, spinners, latches, locks, calculators, little doors, tubes, zippers. 

If you are artsy or handy with a needle there are some great projects out their. Felt books, cloth blocks, turn a stuffy into a taggie toy. 

Here are some links because I could go on forever. 
If you like daily activities toys/Montessori check out this channel. 



If you want free or simple activities from birth check this site out. I wish I had seen it from day 1.

https://pathways.org/growth-development/0-3-months/milestones/

queen_frostine

@nsk489 My kid liked it, but I think a cheaper option would be just fine.

yellingbanana

@nsk489 yes, it does. I got it with my 3rd child and he loved it! It still gets love from the baby I nanny (after being sanitized of course!). 

yellingbanana

Babies LOVE this toothbrush to chew on:

https://www.baby-banana.com/

gusgus14

yessss to that banana toothbrush! Huge hit here.

ckmb_1250

Just make sure you have a crinkly toy. Like really crinkly and loud. My daughter was colicky for the first two months and there were several times that this little crinkle toy we had stopped her from crying!

mrosek91

I would recommend not buying a lot of toys in the beginning, they are popular gifts. Also, a lot of the time the baby ended up liking the box more than the toy.

One thing I recommend is the rattles from the Manhattan toy company. We got both the Winkel, and the Skwish as gifts for DS#2, and he and DS#3 both loved them. They were great to first learn grasping, and then when they started teething they loved chewing on them.

queen_frostine

Y'all are reminding me stuff I forgot. We had that toothbrush, and the winkel and the skwish!

asf0613

**goes and immediately looks up sophie the giraffe**
**goes and immediately looks up banana toothbrush**
**goes and immediately looks up manhattan toy co**
**adds all to registry**

brynn_mamaof4

I really like this ball for baby! It’s super easy for them to grab on to with their fingers once they start doing that and hold on to it.. has little balls for shakers. Always a big hit with newer babies just really starting to explore! I never used a Sophie but I always buy them as part of baby shower gifts for other preggos. 

mkc3888

@brynn_mamaof4 I think we got that toy in our amazon welcome box and my daughter loved it for all the reasons you stated!

texas_t

+1 for Oball and Banana Toothbrush