As soon as my son turned from basic blob o’ baby to engaging playful pal, I was anxious to stock his toy box with his very first toys. Like any new parent, I had some pre-conceived notions on what my child would and wouldn’t play with. Some I stuck to, some I didn’t. Here are the ones that have been tried, tested, and approved by my research assistant, Ames (eight months).
The Classics.
Before my son was born, I pictured the perfect nursery— minimally decorated with select wooden toys. In this camp, we love Haba’s stuff. They specialize in (beech) wooden and cloth toys.
The groooowl pram decoration is one I use on the stroller. My son loves to grab at the darling little bears when the stroll scenery gets dull. I can also move it easily from the umbrella to the jogging stroller.
A few other on-the-go toys are the Rally clutching toy, which is made up of three wooden cars, one with a bell inside, another with a mirror, and the third, a little face—all strung on an elastic string.
The other is The Rattling Caterpillar and the one we keep near the high chair is the Bonita clutch toy with four flowers (one with a bell, another a mirror and bead.)
A sweet cloth bear sets sail in the Bear Ahoy pull toy in its boat with leaf sail, pulled on wooded wheels. The cloth sail has an inviting nubby end that my son likes to pull off and gum till it’s nice and soggy.
Playful Books.
I’m a big believer in books and some are toy-like. When my son was with a nanny, I wanted her to read to him in Spanish. Baby Einstein Farm Discover & Play Teether Book (in English, Spanish, and French) teaches baby about La Granja (The Farm) in his nanny’s native tongue. And speaking of tongue, the book’s soft plastic and cloth sides make for great teething when your baby’s had enough of el mooing and la clucking!
Two other great books are Tiny Love’s Play books, A Stroll in the Park and A Day at the Sea Shore. Both have three-dimensional pop-up scenes with textured surfaces and peek-a-boo hidden images that lead baby on a stimulating journey. Plus, each one comes with a handy little clasp to hook on a stroller.
