Your newborn’s first few months are not just about feeding bottles, diapers, and nappies. Toys play a major role in the overall development of a baby. The best toys for babies are those that stimulate the visual, auditory, and tactile senses.
The market is flooded with baby toys of different types, budgets, and purposes. While some toys only attract the baby’s attention, there are others that help in the overall development of a child.
So, when looking for the best toys for a baby playing on the floor mat, look for toys that are safe, get the child moving, and promote the development of milestones.
We are here to help you pick the best toys that are ideal for playing on a mat. Here is a list of toys bifurcated as per the developmental milestones of an infant.
Best Toys For Children Between Ages 0 To 3 Months
In the first three months of their lives, babies get attracted by faces, bright lights, striped patterns, dots, and colours, but they do not understand what they see. Giving them soft toys to play with or hold helps them understand the use of their hands. They also begin to understand that the eyes, nose, and mouth make a face. Here are some best sensory toys for babies of this age group.
1. Kids Concept Baby Gym Edvin
This soft baby gym will give your baby hours of fun with cuddly toys. The baby gym has cute soft toys hanging from the top that help activate your baby’s senses and development. Your baby can lie on the soft mat below and play.
Features:
- It is made using a cushioned floor mat.
- Four animals - Bo the Moose, Edvin the Fox, Tora the Mouse, and Stella the Hedgehog are attached to the frame along with a mirror and a rattle.
- You can place the animals in any way you desire.
- The mat has padded edges and backing.
- It is suitable for infants aged 0 months and up.
- The product is CE-marked.
2. Alimrose - Bobby Bunny Stick Rattle
Bunny linen baby stick rattle is perfect for 0-3 months old babies. Tiny hands can hold this toy easily. The soft material does not hurt the child, and it helps in the development of motor skills of the baby.
Let your baby enjoy playing on play mats for infants in Australia holding this rattle.
Features:
- It is made from cotton fabric with poly cotton outer.
- It is great for little hands.
- The linen fabric handle is easy to hold.
- It makes a gentle rattling sound when shaken.
Best Toys for Children Between Ages of 3 Months to 6 Months
At this age, your baby begins to understand the world around them. They learn to follow you with their eyes, look from one place to another, and focus on tiny objects. They will try to grab everything that comes in their grip and try to put their mouth on every object possible. Here are some of the best toys for this age group. You can leave your baby on a floor mat with these toys.
3. Fat Brain Toys - PipSquigz Ringlets
This teething toy set comes with six silicone rings, have vivid textures and suction cup connectors that will fascinate your rapidly growing infant. This toy encourages fine motor skills and tactile learning in a kid and inspires hours of exploration. Infants will learn to loop them together or pull them apart. You can hook these to a stroller, car, bouncer chair, or anywhere else.
Features:
- They pull apart with a POP sound.
- These toys are perfect for teething babies.
- Each ringlet is of a different colour.
- These ringlets are made from 100% food-grade silicone and are BPA-free.
4. Manhattan - Atom Teether
This Teether Toy features an attractive structure of twelve bendy arms that are perfect for teething babies. This toy has a colourful plastic ball in the centre, and each arm has bright plastic clacking rings that rattle when shaken. It is a fun and interactive toy for babies of this age.
This toy is the winner of Hot Diggity Award and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2017
Features:
- The tiny rings are fastened to the teether arm securely.
- The teething arms are made from EVA and do not contain BPA or PVC.
Best Toys for Children Between Ages of 6 Months to 9 Months
Children at this age begin to roll over and crawl. They can also begin to sit by themselves without falling over and even manage to do push-ups when left on their tummies. Here is a list of the best toys for infants of this age group to enable their freedom.
5. Grimm's - Bead Grasper
This unique wooden toy is made with tactile beads that will entice babies and toddlers as they learn how to manoeuvre their little hands. The beads are connected with a heavy-duty elastic, which ensures these don’t break easily. Let your baby explore these wooden beads on the best foam playmat for babies, that ensure their complete safety.
Features:
- This wooden toy is made from maple wood
- It uses non-toxic water-based colour and plant-based oil finish.
- It features 12 colourful connected balls.
6. Mader - Roly Poly Rainbow Pear
The Mader Roly Poly Rainbow Pear is a superb wooden toy for your little one. It is a roly-poly toy shaped like a pear, painted in vibrant rainbow colours. Your baby will have fun knocking this top again and again and watch it stand upright again. It is a perfect toy to hold, spin, and shake. Leave your baby with this toy on a floor mat to play.
Features:
- It is available in rainbow colours starting from red at the top and purple at the bottom.
- It is made from maple wood and is painted with non-toxic colours.
Best Toys for Children Between Ages of 9 Months to 12 Months
Children of this age group learn to pull themselves using their arms, roll around and also crawl on all fours. They begin to stand while holding on to something like furniture or to you. Some even begin to walk while still holding on and some begin to walk independently. Here is a list of the best toys for this age group. Leave them on a soft foam floor mat to play with these toys.
7. Let Them Play - Stacking Rings Set
The stacking rings set toy is great for this age group as babies develop better abilities. This stacking set comes with a softly sanded natural log base and Tasmanian Oak stem with six beechwood rings.
Features:
- This large base is handcrafted from natural camphor.
8. Papoose - Rainbow Bowls & Balls - LARGE Individual Sets
These Rainbow Bowls and Balls are perfect for colour sorting and matching - a skill that 9 to 12 month olds can begin to learn. The balls are large in size and soft to touch.
Features:
- Each piece is made from 100% natural wool and non-toxic biodegradable dyes.
Best Toys for Children Above 1-Year (Up to 2 or 3 Years)
Children of this age group reach milestones in how they behave, speak, move, learn, and play. They start saying a few words, show hand gestures, and follow commands. Here are the best toys for this age group.
9. JaBaDaBaDo Activity Wagon Walker
This is a fun activity toy that helps your child to walk and move on his own. It is fun to play with as it has many activities and music buttons on the front. The wagon is combined with activity toys for the child to enhance their motor skills and senses.
Features:
- The toy has a small ball frame that can be spun. The child can pull the balls forward and back.
- It also comes with a square block of different animal motifs on all sides.
- There are three cogwheels to spin the wagon on.
- It is made from wood, rubber, and metal.
10. Baby's First Wooden Block Set
This beautifully crafted wooden building block set comes with a set of 30 colourful, wooden alphabets along with a cotton storage bag. The letter, numbers and patterns on the block help develop new words, patterns and identifying shapes skills.
Features:
- This toy helps in the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- It is made from 100% beechwood
Conclusion
As a parent, look for educational baby toys that won’t overstimulate your little ones. Although you might feel protective about your newborn and hesitate to leave them on a floor mat, the best development of a child begins on a floor mat, where they can move freely and practice their tummy time. The toys mentioned above can all be used on a linen floor play mat or a foam play mat from Ludere.
A baby goes through rapid development from 0 to 5 years. If the baby is engaged in skilful toys and activities during this tender age, they grasp better in the future.
All the best educational toys mentioned above are chosen carefully, keeping in mind the development milestones of that particular age. It is recommended that parental guidance be given while the child is playing with the toys on a floor mat. We hope this article helps you find the best toys for an infant's development years.
