Choose age-appropriate toys for safety and entertainment. Babies under one year old enjoy rattles, teething toys, and soft toys. Toddlers like knobs, dials, shapes, and colors. Preschoolers prefer toys that represent their interests. Avoid buying toys for younger children as they pose a risk of injury.
The toys are recommended for certain ages for safety reasons. Toys with small parts pose a choking hazard to young children. Buying a toy intended for a younger age group will bore an older child. Toys meant for older children will frustrate a younger child. When buying a gift for children, choose age-appropriate toys.
Age-appropriate toys for babies under one year old are rattles, teething toys, and soft toys. Babies this age are stimulated by toys they can explore with their mouths. That means toys shouldn’t have any parts that can break off and cause them to choke. Check that the soft toys do not have any embellishments, such as bows or googly eyes.
Babies 12 to 18 months are stimulated by age-appropriate toys with knobs and dials they can turn. If your child is walking, pushing toys that make noise are a barrel of fun. He looks for toys that open and close and twist and turn and push and pull. Children of this age are entertained by toys that they can manipulate. Again, choking is a risk at this age, so make sure all moving parts are securely attached.
The little ones, aged 18 to 24 months, are fascinated by shapes and colours. Age-appropriate toys for toddlers include foam blocks, shapes and letters, and push-and-pull vehicles that make noise or have large, detachable people. Look for age-appropriate toys that will improve your child’s hand-eye coordination.
Children aged two to three are stimulated by imitation. Toys that resemble adult items in the home are particularly appealing. Age-appropriate toys include kitchen sets, toy tool sets, and fake cell phones. Babies this age are developing their fine motor skills, so look for toys with little buttons to push and knobs to turn.
For preschoolers, age-appropriate toys are those that represent their interests. Children interested in building can enjoy Lego or large blocks. Boys or girls who are fascinated by fiction may enjoy dollhouses with furniture or stables with animals. Preschoolers who love art can enjoy using crayons, markers, paint, or colored pencils.
Most toys are labeled with the age group they are intended for. It may be tempting to buy toys for children younger than the recommended age range, but it is not recommended, as there is a risk that the child will be injured while playing with these toys. It also becomes frustrating for the child’s parents, as they will most likely end up having to constantly help the child as they play with toys. Toys for older children usually require fine motor skills that young children have not yet developed.
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