Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Rattles and Teethers
Consider the age of the baby you are shopping for. You can buy almost any infant toy for a newborn, because he or she will grow into it.
Be sure to buy something that a baby over 6 months old will be interested in. Rattles and teethers won't have as much use as other toys.
Notice the rattles and teethers available. The Bear Dumbbell ($3), Dog and Puppy Teether ($5), and Juggling Lion ($8) are safe, bright toys that babies will enjoy.
Note that the Peaceful Planet Sunflower Rattle ($5) makes rain noises. The Sweet Squeaks Toys ($4) are soft, squeaky toys in the shape of food, such as ice cream cones, pies and muffins.
Be aware that most of the rattles and teethers are designed for ages 3 months to 1 year.
Stuffed Animals
Look at the types of stuffed animals Fisher-Price makes for babies ages 0 to 3 years. The Peaceful Planet line offers cute animals such as a bunny, a mouse and a chipmunk.
Note that all of these toys make sounds on a motion-activated basis. Some also have motion-activated lights. The Peaceful Planet Soothing Sounds Bear has sounds and lights and costs about $14. The animals without lights are $6.
Check out the Cozies Cuddly Toys - soft, stuffed animals with satin trim in the $10 price range. Another popular animal is the Bright Expressions Sight, Sound and Touch Wiggle Bug ($6). This colorful bug vibrates when baby touches it.
Activity Toys
Be sure to look at the activity toys Fisher-Price makes. The Activity Center attaches to a crib and has eleven activities and five sounds for baby to enjoy. It is for ages 4 months to 1 year and costs about $14.
Check out the lights and sounds of the 1, 2, 3 Sing Along Puppy ($30), which also attaches to the crib. This item also converts to a walker and is for ages 4 months to 2 years.
See that the Slumbertime Soother has music and nature sounds and is designed to help baby sleep. It comes with a remote control so the parent can reactiviate it without going into baby's room. This is for ages 0 to 3 years and is well worth the $25 pricetag. It is the winner of an Oppenheim SNAP award.
Note that the Musical Lights 'n' Sounds Gym (ages 0 to 2, $30) and the Activity Links Gym (ages 0 to 2, $19) provide toys that hang above baby as he or she plays on the floor.
Consider another interesting floor toy - the Bright Expressions Kick 'n' Crawl Playhouse. This starts out as a play quilt for young babies and converts to a crawl-through play tunnel for crawlers (ages 0 to 12 months, $28).