It’s a Black Friday bonus post! Need some ideas for your holiday shopping today? Let me help you out.
Deciding what toys to buy is daunting and overwhelming for first-time parents. What toys will he actually play with? What toys are best for brain development and teaching new skills? What toys will stimulate him without over stimulating him? What magic toy will make him stop crying?
Getting the “right” toys for Quinn has always stumped me as well. While I’m still confused about what to buy him for the next stage, I thought I would share which toys my eight-month-old son has enjoyed playing with so far. Some he’s just now growing into, and others he’s loved since he could barely grip them on his own.
If you’re a new parent, are about to be a new parent, or have a beloved little one on your holiday shopping list, hopefully this list will give you some ideas.
Tiny Love makes great toys. Here are the ones Q has and loves.
We call this one Tripod Man
Lamaze makes lots of good toys, too. They’re colorful, and they crinkle – two great baby toy features. Q has:
Manhattan toys are kinda pricey, if you ask me, but it seems like every kid has these. Ours are hand-me-downs, and Q loves them. He has:
I don't know what it is about tags, but babies LOVE them. Here are a few Taggies that Q has been given.
Quinn loved his activity toy from Infantino. His exact one isn’t on their website anymore, but these are similar.
Every kid I know has and loves Sophie the Giraffe.
The Baby Einstein Bendy Ball was easy for Q to grip when he first started playing with toys. It also rolls easily, so now he crawls after it.
The Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes might be Q’s all time favorite toy. I call it his “baby iPod.” Sometimes I slip and call it his “walkman” because I’m old.
A rattle is a rattle, right? Apparently not. This Bright Stars rattle is Q’s favorite.
Quinn loved any toy that crinkled, such as these:
These chime toys are great to attach to the car seat handle. The sound they make is soothing (and non-annoying). Q still loves his.
These simple linky rings are great. You can play with them as is, or make a chain and use it to attach other toys to the stroller or car seat. In restaurants and other public places, you can attach a toy to one end and hold on to the other so it doesn't hit the floor. We have three sets of these things.
As cliche as it sounds, Quinn LOVES his rubber ducky in the bath tub.
Hubs’ mom bought Q this Baby Einstein jumper/activity station. It’s for about four-months-old and up. Q goes BANANAS in this thing.
Now, teethers are a whole category by themselves. Here are few that we like:
The butterfly in this set only has the gel on one side so when you put it in the freezer, the baby can hold on to the handle and it's not as cold. (Unlike the toys that have the gel all the way around.) Q liked all the rattles in this set. In fact, "big lip fish" is one of the toys we attach with the links to his stroller with the linky rings.
These vibrate when the baby bites down. Q thinks that's quite funny.
(Also, you can wet a wash cloth and put that in the freezer, too. It melts all over Q and he gets soaked, but he loves it.)
An ice cube in a mesh feeder is Q's favorite treat these days.
Quinn’s grandma brought over a few “big boy toys”, and he’s fascinated by the V-tech activity table (I don’t think they make this exact one anymore) and this activity cube.
Finally, a lovey. I had no idea what these things were until we had Q. It's just a small blanket that they can snuggle with. Some have animal heads on them, some don't. Here is an example of one similar to what Q has, but there are ZILLIONS to pick from.
Want to know what other moms think the best toys are? I did! As part of her “Tips, Ideas and Advice” series, Alison at Mama Wants This posed my question to her readers. Check it out for ideas.
And, as always, Amazon tells us what to buy. Here are their picks for the toys to get this holiday season.
Come on, parents. Share! What toys have your kids loved over the years?
