Image Source:  Momentsaday

When a baby is born there is a lot of excitement in the family. Everybody wants to play with the baby, buy him clothes, toys and what not. If they ask the moon, the parents might get them that also!! But yes, toys are an essential part of a child's all round development. They play different roles in different stages of a child's development.

Why are toys important?

Toys play a big role in developing the baby’s hand-eye coordination and also muscle strength and movement. When a child pushes or handles a toy he/she is using his/her muscles and also has to coordinate their actions with what they see. They also help baby’s understand the concepts of shape, color and size. As they grow up these toys act as their friends and they converse with these toys helping them in their social and cognitive skills.

Why age appropriate toys?

Different stages of development happen at different times. So if you give a remote controlled car to a 3 month old baby, he would just look at it because of the flashing lights but then look away. This is because they have short attention span at this time and they like toys which make soft noises or that rattle. This is why age appropriate toys are needed for kids.

Right toys for the right age:

0-3 months

At this age the baby loves to touch as well as listen to noises, they are amused by color and contrast.

• Rattles
• Musical Toys
• Hand Held Toys

3-6 months

Now the baby has grown up a little, they are smart enough to grasp things. Thus they end up trying to explore this skill and thereby grab anything and everything that they can get their hands on. They have a tendency to mouth toys at this age, so it is necessary that you buy toys which are safe to nibble on and those that don't contain hazardous chemicals.

• Rubber Toys
• Teething Toys
• Activity Bars

6-9 months

This is an important phase in the kids development as this is the time the baby slowly tries to sit up and also tries to crawl around. At this age they are hyperactive and are interested by moving toys and things that flash and make noise. This is also the perfect time to start training your kids. Thus use of educational toys are recommended.

• Blocks
• Books
• Balls
• Moving Toys

9-12 months

Now your baby starts to get up on two feet. They try walking and they crawl around like bullet trains. They start to imitate your words, actions and sounds.

• Books
• Blocks
• Push Pull Toys
• Shape Sorters

Under 3

They need toys that stimulate their imagination and creativity

• Remote Controlled Cars
• Bikes
• Toy Pianos

Now we know why kids of different age groups need different toys. It’s because they develop differently at different ages. Click here for more baby products.