The Best Baby Toys

Are you looking for baby toys and in need of inspiration, or searching for gift ideas for a baby shower, baby's birth, christening or first birthday or maybe looking to spend money that your baby received as a gift?

Below are reviews of the best baby toys. Not necessarily the top selling toys, but the toys that in my opinion are they ones that are going to be played with again and again by your baby.

As a mother to Cicak Junior, who is now a lively toddler I can remember how confusing it was knowing which toys to buy for my then baby. As a new parent it can be difficult knowing which toys will last the test of time and be more than a passing fad.

The most popular baby toys that I bought were not necessarily the most expensive, and are the ones that he still revisits now. I remember asking my mum for advice about whether a toy was too advanced for him and her reply was that he would play with it at the level he is currently at. This is very true, as many baby toys have features that babies cannot operate alone until they are toddlers.

Choosing a good baby toy that is age and development appropriate for a baby can be difficult. Baby's need colour and sound to stimulate their senses and hands on activities to help to develop their coordination. During the first year of a baby's life their developmental curve is steep, seeing them progress from a helpless newborn to a mobile and vocal one year old.

You also have to remember that anything you give a baby will, at some stage, end up in their mouth, being explored for taste and tgexture. It is therefore very important to be careful what you buy for your baby. Whilst it might be tempting to cut corners and buy a cheap toy that is not made by a reputable manufacturer, you could well be risking the health of your baby, with toxic paints and loose parts a real danger. If money is tight then it is safer to buy fewer toys from well known toy makers, or take advantage of second hand or pass-me-down toys. Just be sure to check that everything is good and secure and give them a clean with an antibacterial wash or wipes.

By researching the best baby toys, you will be helping your baby to get the most from their play experience.

All children love music and sound, and the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes provides your baby with an introduction to music.

With large buttons that are easy for baby to operate and a cute caterpillar handle to grab hold of this music player has a repertoire of seven classical tunes, lights and buttons that will provide your baby with hours of fun.

Most importantly, from the point of view of a parent who tries to tidy toys away once baby is asleep, it has a volume control and an on and off switch!!

Take Along Tunes from Baby Einstein is currently the number 1 best selling baby toy from Amazon.com with the second highest number of positive customer reviews, so you can be sure you are buying a toy that is going to entertain your child and remain a popular toy for more than 5 minutes.

This Munchkin Figure 8 Teether is exactly the same teether that my own child had as a baby and I would fully recommend it to anyone with a teething baby.

Because it is not gel filled there is no benefit to be gained by placing it in the freezer, but don't look on this as a disadvantage because it makes it the ideal teething ring  to take with you when you are out of the house.

Divided into eight sections, this teether is easy to hold and has different textures for your baby to chew on. I was a little concerned about making sure this teether was thoroughly cleaned, because of all the textures on it, so as well as washing it in the dishwaher I also sterilised it on a regular basis, more often if Cicak Junior had a cold.

All babies and toddlers are fascinated by reflection, and it forms an important part of their development to realise that their reflection in the mirror is not an entirely different person to themselves.

The Sassy Crib and Floor Mirror gives a true undistorted reflection that can help babies to focus and has textured animals for baby to reach out for.

Having a mirror will help your baby's sight and communication skills, and I still find it really sweet when my toddler talks to his reflection.

Cicak Junior had several Lamaze toys and they were all built to the same high standard as the Lamaze Play and Grow Freddie the Firefly, which is currently a number 1 best seller in baby toys.

Young children really benefit from toys that offer a multi sensory experience, and this is exactly what you get with the Lamaze Firefly.

With crinkles, squeakers and mirrors in the wings, textured knotted feet, a teether, plastic rings that clack together this firefly is going to keep your baby happy for a long time! And most importantly - it is completely safe for your baby to suck and chew - as all babies do!

I particularly love the very useful plastic ring at the top that can be used to attach the toy to a stroller, car seat or indeed crib. If you have ever retraced your step through a crowded mall, frantically scanning the floor junior's favorite toy, you will know exactly why this is important!

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Top Toys For a 12 Month Old Boy

The best toys for a 12 month old boy, chosen by a Mom

Are you looking for the best toys for a 12 month old boy, maybe as a first birthday gift or for Christmas, and want to choose wisely?

Look no further because I have reviewed the best toys for 1 year old boys.

As a mother to a 3 year old boy I know that the best gifts for a one year old boy are toys that will last the test of time and become more than a brief diversion, something that will grow with your baby and last well into toddler hood. Indeed, many of the toys that my one year old played with are still firm favorites now that he is three.

One year of age is a time of transition, from being a baby to a toddler, and you want to choose toys that will reflect his increasing mobility and independence.

Children need a variety of toys to provide different stimuli to encourage their brains to develop and reach their full capacity. Here you will find an excellent range of toys that are guaranteed to keep your 12 month old happy.

I have also included useful information about the development of 1 year old babies, and how the toys that I have chosen will help them to develop these skills. This is particularly helpful if you are buying toys for someone elses toddler, or if you are planning ahead and are not sure what toys will be suitable once your baby is a year old.

If you are looking for inspiration for an upcoming birthday, I hope that the toy reviews for boys age 1 year old will give you ideas for your own one year old boys, and please remember that all of the top toys I have reviewed here would also make suitable gifts for 1 year old girls.

Between the ages of 12 and 18 months of age your child will become more mobile and will love to play with toys that can be pushed and pulled across the floor. 

Learning to pick up smallish objects encourages fine motor skill development which is important for tasks learned later, like writing. and using imaginative play to role play with the figures aids speech development.

Little People are a definite favourite with toddlers, and this Fisher Price Little People Lil' Movers Airplane will provide endless fun as they role play with the three figures provided and sing a long to the catchy song.

My 3 year old son loves all his Little People, but the airplane is probably his favourite. This was one of his first Little People wheeled vehicles, and the carry handle on the top of the plane helps him to push it along the floor, or indeed more recently to whoosh it through the air. 

Cicak Junior has been playing with this airplane now for almost two years, and I fully expect him to get a lot more play time with it.

As your baby approaches their first birthday you will notice that they are beginning to make more recognisable sound, and are also using non verbal language, for example shaking their head to mean "no".

Toys that encourage them to talk are therefore beneficial in developing their speech.

Children see and hear people using their cell phones all the time and children love to copy what adults are doing. This Smilin' Smart Phone is the perfect phone for them to be practising calling their friends.

This toy phone provides hours of educational fun for your one year old, with sounds, phrases, and songs accessed by pressing the buttons, which are good and big and easy for little fingers to manipulate.

My son has two toy cell phones and he by far prefers this one. Even though it is a lot bigger than our phones he holds it to his ear and has pretend conversations with it.

Cicak Junior got this phone as a gift at a little over 1 year of age and is still using it three years later, which definitely represents excellent value for money.

Building with blocks is an excellent way to develop a child's eye to hand coordination, and all children love it when they get to knock over a stack of blocks that you have built together.

Mega Block First Builders building blocks are perfect for developing a toddler's eye to hand coordination. This brightly coloured set has 80 pieces that are large enough for little fingers to manage, and it also comes with a handy storage bag.

At one, my son loved to pick the bricks up, throw them around, explore their texture and "help" me to build things.

Now at three years of age he will sit and play with his bricks. He can build basic objects, add bricks onto wheels to make vehicles and build towers.

A building block set will last your child for maybe three years, and if you buy a set such as these Mega Block ones they are compatible with the smaller bricks that are suitable for older children. 

By the age of 1 your baby will probably be rapidly developing into a toddler, and toys that enable them to stand alone, and walk by holding onto it will be very popular and will also help their gross motor development. 

The VTEch Sit to Stand Learning Walker is consistently a topseller with Amazon and is the walker that I would personally recommend. 

My own baby had this exact same walker for his first Xmas and when he walked less than three weeks later I thought we had a toy that would no longer be used - but I was wrong. He loved the activity panel on it and still loved to push it around.

We eventually gave it to a friend with a baby, but Cicak Junior still loved to play with it when we visited them.

Around the one year mark babies should be able to manipulate items in order to get a response, for example shaking a maraca. 

They should also have the necessary fine motor skills to be able to hold the hammer and attempt to hit the keys with it.

This extremely well made and durable Hohner Kids Glockenspiel is designed for ease of use by little fingers, and is currently the number one best seller in the Kids Instrument Accessories category with Amazon.com.

With safety in mind, the musical bars are designed so that they cannot be removed, and the color coding on both the keys and the songsheet will enable even quite a young child to attempt a tune.

My three year old boy has had a similar glockenspiel for a while now, and whilst he is too young to play an actual tune he loves to hit the keysw and make a "tune".

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