From Comfort to Language Skills: The Many Benefits of Toys for Infants

Ever wonder why we shower infants, toddlers, and children with toys? What makes them so essential to childhood?

Play is essential to children's learning, and toys are the tools of learning. They benefit infants and young children by providing a safe way to explore the senses, develop cognitive skills, and exercise fine motor skills. Without toys, children would learn by handling the things they can reach.

Toys are for more than just fun and playtime. From comfort to language skills, babies and young children actually need toys to learn and grow safely. Let's take a closer look!

Young kids are always looking for something to learn and do. Growing at such a rapid pace makes them sponges that effectively soak up everything around them. Toys give your little insatiable genius a safe way to explore by stimulating senses, developing motor skills, promoting creativity, and improving cognitive abilities. 

By giving your baby age- and skill-appropriate toys for each stage of his development, you are laying part of the foundation for him to become a healthy, happy adult.

From the moment little ones are born, they start developing their motor skills. Toys play a crucial role in this development by giving them something safe to reach for, grasp, and later crawl toward.

Toys like soft blocks, balls, and rattles can help infants practice grasping, which eventually improves hand-eye coordination. Babies work on their fine motor skills when trying to pick up small things, stack toys, or move the parts of a busy board.

For more on toys like these and how they work, read Building Fine Motor Skills: What to Expect the First Year.

Toys that encourage crawling and later walking, such as push toys and riding toys, help babies develop their gross motor skills, build leg strength, and practice balancing. It won't be long before your little one scares you with their strength and nimbleness at the playground!

Toys can also help children develop their own unique creativity and imagination. Think back to when you were a kid: do you remember how your imagination colored your world? Even broken toys, rocks, and dead flies had a role to play in your games.

Toys that encourage open-ended play, like playdough, building blocks, and art supplies, allow children to use their vibrant imaginations to create whatever they want. With or without siblings or friends to play with, open-ended play leads to the use of problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as time to think outside the box (source).

Toys that challenge young minds can help improve their cognitive abilities. Think of puzzles, memory games, and educational toys here.

Such toys are brilliant for developing your child's memory, attention span, and problem-solving abilities (source). These types of toys can also help kids learn to level up to new concepts and skills, such as counting, colors, and patterns.

Knowing your child's developmental path helps you choose age-appropriate toys. Learn about the early stages of development and common questions about them in The Ultimate Parent FAQ for the Early Stages of Child Development: 75+ Questions and Answers.

In the first year, your baby primarily learns through her senses. So, baby sensory toys that stimulate her senses of touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste are integral for her development.

Baby sensory toys made with various textures, shapes, and colors are especially helpful for exploration, even though she will explore most of these with her mouth! Sensory toys help show your little one cause-and-effect relationships. For example, how shaking a rattle makes a sound or how chewing a silicone teether relieves gum irritation.

But sensory toys do not stop being developmentally helpful after the first year; they are actually an essential way for children to learn for years. Here is a list of sensory toys for each stage of early development: From Teething to Tummy Time: The Top Sensory Toys for Every Stage of Babyhood.

Toys can also help children learn to interact with others, even from infancy! In the beginning, infants are handed toys, played with, and giggle as they watch someone play with their toys. As they grow, babies become toddlers, learning to share, give, and play with other kids.

Before long, toddlers become young children with enough of an attention span to play board games and playsets that require taking turns, sharing, and working together. These sorts of toys can also help children expand their communication skills and build relationships with their peers.

Believe it or not, toys can provide babies and young children with a sense of comfort and security. Soft toys, such as stuffed animals and blankets, can help babies feel secure and provide comfort when they are upset or in a new place.

These types of toys can also help babies develop a sense of attachment to objects, which can benefit their emotional development. Once speaking, toddlers often talk to their favorite stuffed animals and carry them around.

That may seem unsettling to some parents, but comfort objects are a normal way for toddlers to learn how to regulate their emotions. Read more in Comfort Objects: Are They Okay for Toddlers?

Linguistically, toys are a massive help for speech development. Books, puppets, dolls, stuffed animals, and any other toy you talk about while playing with your little one can help kids learn new words, practice their communication skills, and develop their ability to express themselves.

Such toys can also help young children develop storytelling, imagination, and pre-reading comprehension skills. For example, after your toddler looks at some pictures in a book, ask him about what he saw and what he thinks happened in the story.

After reading a story, take a couple of minutes to ask your little audience member what happened and whether he liked the story. Simply making a habit of asking your little one about his thoughts on stories, pictures, and playtime will build his confidence and language skills.

Learn more about language development through play in From Babbling to Words: A Comprehensive Guide to Baby Language Development.

Once your little one has grown into a kid, you will need to shift gears a bit to keep up with her. Educational toys, such as science kits, math games, and language-learning toys, can help your child learn new concepts and skills in an engaging way.

These toys can also foster a lifelong love of learning and curiosity about the world around her. But don't be fooled! Your kiddo will still love hands-on learning materials. 

Books are a magnificent adventure for the mind, but they don't make tactile subjects stick in the memory like actually building a bridge or constructing a rocket. That's what makes science kits so engaging!

So, there are loads of benefits in giving toys to your infant throughout all stages of her development. But how do you know which toy to choose?

Toys are beneficial when they are suitable for your little one's age and skill level. Otherwise, you will frustrate him with toys that are too difficult or not engaging enough. Luckily, there are a few tips that can help you out.

The following list is far from comprehensive, but it will give you a bit of guidance to start with.

Ensuring your little one's safety comes first. Look for toys that are non-toxic, well-made, and durable. One familiar problem parents face is cheap toys that fall apart relatively quickly: your baby may swallow small pieces, or your child may step on broken pieces.

One way to avoid this is by avoiding cheap plastic toys for all ages. If it's cheap, it may be weak, toxic, or prone to breaking into sharp pieces. Besides, fixing broken plastic isn't always possible, so the toy's lifespan makes it not worth getting.

That's why we make all our baby toys with high-quality silicone at Moonkie. We believe that creating durable baby toys that are safe for your little one to chew on as an infant and play with as a toddler makes the cost worthwhile. With Moonkie toys, you are investing in playtime for every stage of early development, not just one or two.

If you are concerned about silicone (or just have no idea what it is!), read about it here: The Ultimate Silicone Baby Product Guide for Parents.

But you can't rely on safety as the main tip; otherwise, your little one will play with baby toys through to adulthood!

Babies and toddlers have different needs and abilities at different stages, so it's crucial to choose toys that are appropriate for where they are at.

For example, a newborn baby will have very different needs than a six-month-old just starting to sit up and explore their surroundings. A one-year-old beginning to walk and talk will have different needs than a two-year-old becoming more independent and imaginative in their play.

When choosing toys, consider which skills and abilities your child is currently working on, and select toys that can support their growth in those areas. So, for babies just starting to crawl, soft tunnels to crawl through or balls for them to crawl after may be a good choice.

We have created collections of toys and essentials for each stage:

• 0-6 Months: First Moments Newborn Set

• 6-18 Months: Playtime Gift Set

• 18-36 Months: On-The-Go Gift Set

• 24+ Months: Silicone Beach Toy Set

Young children learn and grow through exploration and play, so choosing toys that encourage these activities is paramount. Avoid buying electric toys, especially early on, because they encourage your little one to sit and watch rather than actively engage and play.

For toddlers and up, art supplies like crayons and paper can help your child develop fine motor skills while also enabling them to express themselves creatively. You can achieve the same skill development as your child grows by introducing more crafts she may be interested in.

Crafts like weaving potholders, making beaded jewelry, weaving bracelets, paint-by-numbers, cross-stitching, and hook crafts may be suitable for a four or five-year-old with your help.

It doesn't take long for your little one to show personality and preferences. As you choose toys for him, consider his interests and personality. Some littles are more drawn to physical activities, while others may prefer quieter, more imaginative play.

Some may have a particular interest in animals or vehicles, while others may enjoy playing with dolls or action figures. By choosing toys that align with your child's interests and personality, you can help encourage his engagement and enjoyment during playtime. And who knows your kiddo better than you?

Montessori toys are excellent options that encourage child-led learning through play. Check out a massive list of options to choose from in The Ultimate Montessori Toy Guide.

Screens are everywhere, and it is so easy to turn one on for a free babysitter while you try to get something done. But research has shown that excessive screen time can negatively affect a child's development (source). And the younger the child, the more significant the detriment.

From birth to age 3, your child's amazing little brain forms 1 million neural connections per second. Imagine what significant time spent in front of a screen does to a brain growing that fast. Needless to say, an hour or two a day to do the chores is not worth the long-term impact on your little one's brain health and development (source).

Choose toys that encourage your child to play actively, like push toys, balls, riding toys, activity tables, or floor games. The more he moves, the better off he will be.

You can even keep him moving with sensory activities. Get clever ideas for those here: The Ultimate Sensory Activity Guide for Ages 0 to 5.

Rotating your child's toys regularly is an excellent idea to keep playtime fun. This staves off boredom and keeps your child engaged and interested in their toys.

You can try keeping a few different toys out at a time and rotating them every few weeks. Doing so can help your kiddo feel like they have new toys to play with, even if they are just rediscovering old favorites.

Overall, toys can provide many benefits for infants, from comfort to language skills. As a busy parent, choosing the right toys for your little one at the right time can be overwhelming. However, by understanding the different types of toys and their benefits, you can make solid decisions about which toys are best for your baby's needs now and later.

Every baby is different, and what works for one baby may not work for another. With a bit of trial and error as you experiment and observe, you can discover the right toys for your little one that will help her grow into a happy, healthy child and successful adult.