From the moment your baby is born, they’re absorbing the world around them through their five senses. They’re listening to your voice, differentiating between light and dark, slowly sharpening their depth perception and understanding motion. Reading books to them is especially important because it teaches your baby about communication and lays the foundation for their vocabulary.

Along with cognitive development, your baby is also gaining the strength to master critical fine and gross motor skills that will enable them to hold a pen, open a door, tie their shoe laces, run a race, type on a computer and so on. That’s why it’s imperative that you provide them with developmental toys to help them gain those skills.

In the first three months, introducing your infant to tummy time will help strengthen their neck and back muscles, which will ultimately aid them when they’re ready to sit-up. As your newborn gets older, you can place toys on the mat in front of them for them to reach for, which helps them reach the grasping and crawling milestones.

Another great item to have is a rattle like HART + LAND’s Silicone Dumbbell Rattle. Having a rattle that your baby can manipulate demonstrates cause and effect, which simultaneously builds confidence. Since babies also like to explore their worlds with their mouths, it’s important to provide rattles and teethers that are non-toxic and safe to chew on.

As your baby gets older, you can introduce push toys and sorting blocks. By providing a toy like the Push & Pull Puppy, your baby can make it zoom across the room or make its way up the leg of a table, which will fuel their imagination while helping them hone their hand-eye coordination. O.B. Designs’ Silicone Stacker Tower can be used to teach colors and shapes and will really start to hone your tot’s fine motor skills. This type of toy is great for babies that can sit up on their own and are ready to practice playing independently.

Another fun way to help your baby with cognitive development is through sensory play. Not only will it help with their imagination and creative thinking, it provides a wonderful tactile experience, which will stimulate your baby’s senses. Sensory play like play dough or finger paints can also be emotionally soothing. Eco Kids Finger Paints are made from food-safe, non-GMO ingredients, making them one of our top picks for infant craft ideas.

If you don’t want to break out the paints or play dough, you could use Guidecraft Wooden Rainbow Blocks to encourage their development. Crafted with a hardwood frames and vibrant acrylic inserts, they encourage hand-eye coordination through stacking, knocking and organizing.

Kids really are like little sponges, so the best way to help them build confidence, understand spacial awareness and gain the strength to reach their milestones is by aiding them with the type of toys that are fun AND functional.

The Tot 10:

From birth

Wee Gallery Explore Organic Playmat

 

 

Opposites with Frank Lloyd Wright Board Book

 

  

3 months +

HART + LAND Silicone Dumbbell Rattle

 

 

Wee Gallery Sensory Puzzle Ball 

 

 

6 months +

Plantoys Push & Pull Puppy

 

 

O.B. Designs Silicone Stacker Tower

 

 

 

8 months +

Dough Parlour Berries Set, 3-Pack

 

 

Eco Kids Finger Paint Set

 

 

10 months + 

Wonder + Wise Baby Activity Walker

 

 

Guidecraft Wooden Rainbow Blocks