5 Tips for Buying the Right Stuffed Baby Toys

Many adults still have fond child­hood mem­o­ries of a beloved bear or other com­pan­ion. So when it comes time to get­ting a stuffed toy for a new baby we want to get the right one. Choos­ing baby toys requires care. This arti­cle pro­vides 5 tips for buy­ing the right stuffed toys for babies.

Arti­cle Body:
Many adults still have fond child­hood mem­o­ries of a beloved bear or other com­pan­ion. So when it comes time to get­ting a stuffed toy for a new baby we want to get the right one. Choos­ing baby toys requires care. This arti­cle pro­vides 5 tips for buy­ing the right stuffed toys for babies.

1. Safety first. Choose non­toxic fin­ishes. Fur or hair should be short and firmly attached. Look out for any dan­gly beads or threads, since these can pose a chok­ing haz­ard. There should not be any remov­able parts on stuffed toys for a baby. If a baby toy comes with optional cloth­ing, lay this aside until the child is older. Make sure any tags are removed. How­ever, if there is a well-sewn per­ma­nent label on the toy, many babies love to touch and hold this part.

2. Toys should be age appro­pri­ate. Babies put every­thing in their mouths, so all baby toys should be designed specif­i­cally for babies. Some stuffed ani­mals have mul­ti­ple uses, such as attached teethers. For kids one year old or older, stuffed toys are avail­able which com­bine activ­i­ties like bowl­ing or sto­ry­telling. Stuffed toys also com­fort to kids of all ages. Hold­ing a stuffed toy can help older babies and tod­dlers get through dif­fi­cult days.

3. Con­sider whether a toy is mainly dec­o­ra­tive or to be used for stim­u­lat­ing early learn­ing. This may not always be obvi­ous. While most baby toys, like rat­tles, will be out­grown, stuffed toys can have stay­ing power. With their soft fur or hair, shiny eyes, and some­times tails or whiskers, they offer plenty of tac­tile stim­u­la­tion. For instance, a teddy bear’s curly fur and vel­vet paws can offer tac­tile stim­u­la­tion that helps baby’s neu­ro­log­i­cal devel­op­ment. Babies learn through their senses, so vary­ing tex­tures are very inter­est­ing. Stuffed toys often ful­fill an edu­ca­tional com­po­nent, but par­ents should be selec­tive. Other impor­tant early skills include grasp­ing, hold­ing, and pass­ing a toy from one hand to another. For younger babies, choose baby toys that are small enough to be held and manip­u­lated. While older chil­dren may appre­ci­ate giant stuffed toys, they are likely to be ignored by babies.

4. Con­sider the ben­e­fits of get­ting a toy that makes sounds. Some stuffed toys include a sound com­po­nent — a squeaker, chime, rat­tling part, or crinkly area — to engage baby’s atten­tion. Sounds stim­u­late con­ver­sa­tional skills, where babies coo at the toy and the toy “responds” with its own sound. Ensure that the vol­ume is soft. Tra­di­tional noises may be bet­ter than elec­tronic ones at this age. Optional music can also be appeal­ing. With some imag­i­na­tion and the help of an adult, plush toys can also be inter­ac­tive, espe­cially the ones that make sounds. Mak­ing them talk, move, and play peek-a-boo fur­ther enhances their inter­ac­tive poten­tial. Babies learn that cats meow and dogs woof. Sim­ple games are delight­ful and can be repeated many times.

5. Select baby toys that will have some stay­ing power, to allow chil­dren to form last­ing attach­ments. Many stuffed ani­mals come in a range of col­ors. Black and white com­bi­na­tions are meant to stim­u­late very young babies, while bright pri­mary col­ors are meant for slightly older babies. Bright col­ors appeal to devel­op­ing visual systems.

Watch the video related to baby toys

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Help answer the ques­tion about baby toys

How much money do you spend on baby toys?
Another ques­tion for health! It just says Toys — (cost) I need to know how much an aver­age per­son spends on baby toys ;D Thanks!

About Author

Joe Kanooga is a father of two kids, a suc­cess­ful busi­ness owner and the author of numer­ous arti­cles about baby toys as well as toys for kids of all ages. Click here to down­load our free stuffed toys guide­book filled with help­ful tips, ideas and information.