I'll speed through the lecture from Child Development 101 to just give a brief overview of what's going on the first year. Essentially, babies are learning about and interacting with the new world around them. This includes the obvious progression toward the development of language as well as the gross motor (large muscle) skills like rolling, sitting, creeping/crawling, and eventually walking. But from a play or toy standpoint, the most salient trends are the development of reaching, grabbing, and manipulating the environment.
You can see this progress from random flailing and reflexes to emerging control of arms and hands, with attempts at intentional reaching or batting (around approximately 4 months). From there, that progresses to definite reaching and grabbing (say, your hair). Then it's all about refining the grasp and moving with purpose. Around the end of the first year, you'll see the "pincer grasp" (think: picking up Cheerios) in addition to the whole-hand grab. This progression to the pincer grasp is important because it leads to breakthroughs in self-help skills--such as feeding oneself--and will be important for holding a writing implement and other tools down the road.
Ideally, that quick lesson will help explain the common threads between the items that seem to be most popular with this age.
First up: a list from elsewhere on the interwebs detailing what one person suggests are the best toys for boosting development during the first year. While it's true that anyone on the internet can have an opinion, this woman is an occupational therapist--meaning she focuses on those fine motor/small muscle movements--and knows what she's talking about. So in lieu of reinventing the wheel, I'm sharing and crediting her work.
I'll just highlight and expand on a few things she says.
Books.
It's worth repeating, because you really can't have too many. And, unlike play gyms, it doesn't really matter if baby already has one. Variety is the spice of life. If you're unsure about what baby might already have in his library, don't worry about it. Duplication is even welcome, because you can keep one in the diaper bag/car/wherever. Babies thrive on the repetition of reading, so having two Goodnight Moon board books isn't going to hurt anyone.
Need some direction?
- Parenting.com has a list of the Top 25 Books for Baby - this wouldn't be my Top 25 exactly, but the classics are on there and you can't go wrong.
- How well do you know the parent? This is one of those "why didn't I think of that??" moments:
mom and dad will chuckle, if nothing else (it's for the parents, obviously). Tip: search for it just as "go the f to sleep"...
These Things.
Remember these?
They're still pretty popular with the infant set. In my opinion, if something stands the test of time, it's best to assume that means it's on to something. Of course, these look a little different now, but the basic premise is the same. Babies have to learn to manipulate the levers/dials (fine motor) to see the character pop up (cause and effect). Now they come with noises and singing pals and what have you, but a classic, non-noisy one is just as good for baby--maybe better, so they don't get over stimulated--and better for your sanity. You don't need every bell and/or whistle out there, I promise.
A more current version: Fisher-Price Boppin' Activity Bugs from Amazon:
Baby powered. No batteries needed!
Just search "pop up toys" on Amazon, and you'll get several options. They will also usually have these at Target and similar stores, but they might tend toward the battery-operated versions. Purchase noisy toys at your own peril, depending on how much you like the baby's parents.
Similar, but a little different: squeaky egg toy.
they love 'em.
Rings/Links.
These are on the OT's list as well, but I have heard this repeated across the internet. Another blogger I read has said she will begin wrapping all baby shower gifts in these.
Even if/when baby isn't as intrigued with the rings themselves after a while, they can be used to attach more interesting toys to jumpers/carseats/what have you.
Stacking cups.
Man, babies are pretty easily entertained. At first, it probably won't be stacking or nesting, per se, but more like crashing and banging. Whatever works.
More on push toys.
Yes, these are also on the OT's list, but I had a little more to say. It doesn't have to be this one, but here is an example:
Don't be fooled by the larger, walking child. These are also good for the less mobile set because babies can also interact with them in different ways: lying on tummies, sitting, etc. That's the key thing you'll want to look for if you're interested in one of these. Ask yourself: "could a child who can't yet walk be engaged with this for a reasonable amount of time? After s/he can walk, is it still interesting (and safe)?" On the toy above, a sitting child could play with the spinning blocks or the alligators. The images on the wheels would also be engaging for a child lying at that eye level.
Search "push toy" on Amazon for more examples. FYI, my professional opinion is that the VTech ones (and similar) have too much going on and are actually overstimulating to babies without the developmental payoff. I've said it before and I'll say it again: a higher price tag (and more electronic bells and whistles) does NOT equal a higher-quality toy from a learning standpoint.
Other considerations for gift giving.
The following suggestions don't really have anything to do with promoting baby's development. However, I originally started this series with the holiday gifting season in mind. I wanted to share some other ideas that new parents might appreciate in case you don't want to go toy shopping, don't know what baby might already have, or would just like some other ideas.
- Baby clothes. Depending on how old baby is, s/he might have already outgrown a lot of the cute outfits that mom got at her baby shower. Sizing of baby clothes is not consistent, nor are the growth curves of infants. They can skip entire sizes entirely. It might be worth helping the new parents stock up in sizes that might have been overlooked. Baby's feelings won't be hurt...he's still too young to really be mad if you didn't get him a fun toy.
- iTunes gift cards. There are a lot of ways new parents can put these to use.
- Apps. There are some great ones for tracking all the things you need to track with a newborn, such as Baby Connect, which has been recommended to me by more than one new mom. Other less-baby-related apps are also helpful, like Wunderlist, which can help parents keep track of lists (e.g., grocery lists) and sync them across devices (e.g., mom's phone to dad's phone). [For the record, a more comprehensive app post is forthcoming]. They're on their iPads and phones and laptops a lot, so this is a high-value item.
- Movies and TV shows. For those middle-of-the-night feeding sessions.
- Music. Lullabies for baby, of course. Or just white noise.
- Amazon gift cards. Amazon is a lifesaver for new parents. It does the trick when a trip to Target just seems too overwhelming. Also, they can use it however they'd like: diapers, baby needs, something they've had their eye on...because Amazon has EVERYthing. Most new parents have Amazon Prime and/or Amazon Mom and are already pros at this. They'll appreciate a little addition to the diaper fund, and a gift card helps avoid the confusion of you having to pick a size.
- Babysitting. Or maybe just a bottle of wine. Or a nap.
- Check the registry. This could be more or less useful, depending on baby's age. But registries stay active for a while, even after baby's arrival. This might give you a peek into something that the parents wanted but never received.
And there you have it. Best of luck shopping for the little nugget in your life, and hopefully providing some developmental benefits in the process. Don't stress about this one too much, because at this age they are really more in to a wooden spoon, some wrapping paper, your keys, and the cat.
Any favorites for the 0-12 month set I've left off the list? Let me know in the comments!
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