Shopping for a newborn can be tricky, especially if you’re a new mother or don’t have much experience with babies. Exactly how much of their surroundings do they absorb? How much entertainment can they truly get out of their toys?
Actually, quite a bit! Sensory toys for babies can be useful in developing their understanding of the world and using their senses. Whether you’re shopping for your own baby or for someone else’s child, a high-quality sensory toy can make an excellent gift.
We’ve gathered up everything you need to know about sensory toys for babies, as well as five of our favorites, right here.
What Is a Sensory Toy?
Sensory toys are meant to stimulate — you guessed it — your baby’s sensory systems, whether that occurs through sound, sight, or touch. Such toys might do so through their texture, color, or weight; perhaps they light up or spin or incorporate music or auditory elements. There are a wide variety of types of sensory toys, and therefore a lot to choose from when shopping for one.
A good sensory toy will engage one sensory system (auditory, visual, or tactile) at a time; engaging too many at once may be overstimulating for a baby or young child.
The best sensory toys can have a lot of benefits for a growing baby, including:
- Calming them down
- Engaging and distracting a distraught baby
- Encouraging hand-eye coordination
- Teaching fine motor skills
- Teaching them about their senses
- Teaching them about the various textures, shapes, colors, and sounds of the world
- Creating the building blocks for language and social skills
Slowly introducing your baby to new stimulation is key for their development and socialization, and high-quality sensory toys can be a great way to do this. In fact, research has shown that exposure to sensory toys and games can promote cognitive development, motor skills, and emotional and social growth in children and babies. These are all factors in raising happy children.
So if you’re wondering whether it’s worth investing in a toy that your little one most likely won’t even remember, the answer is a resounding yes!
Without further ado, here are five of our favorite sensory toys for babies:
- Baby Fidget Toys
Some of our favorite sensory toys for babies and toddlers are fidget toys or toys that keep the fingers occupied. Good fidget toys for babies may include several moving parts that babies can grasp, twist, or poke to trigger various noises and tactile experiences.
Unlike fidget spinners for adults, baby fidget toys might dangle from a play mat or attach to a stroller. Toys like this can transform tummy time into playtime!
Good fidget toys are small enough that a baby can hang onto them but big enough that they pose no choking hazard. Look for toys that are BPA-free plastic; this plastic is considered safer by childhood health experts.
Fidget toys can help slowly increase your baby’s attention span by helping them learn how to focus on one object for more than a few seconds. These activity toys can boost creativity and build new neural pathways by exposing your baby to new sensations. They can also help develop fine motor skills.
Finally — and perhaps most important for your sanity — these toys can keep your baby distracted and occupied. After all, fiddling around with a toy can be highly entertaining if it’s the first time you’ve ever seen the color purple or felt the texture of rubber!
- Sensory Balls
Picture a series of soft rubber balls in various textures and bright colors, large enough that there’s no risk a baby or toddler would be able to choke on them. These are sensory balls, and they can be a wonderful way to entertain a baby.
Sensory balls come in all sorts of colors, textures, and sizes. These toys expose your baby to a variety of sensory experiences. An amazing bumpy ball may help provide the stimulation that allows you to get a few extra moments of yoga in during the morning.
Unlike many types of sensory toys, sensory balls can be less annoying, especially in public spaces, making them a pivotal weapon to have in your baby-entertaining arsenal.
- Teething Toys/Teethers
Starting around four to eight months, your baby will go through a teething phase. Teething can last all the way through three years of age. It can cause irritability, inability to sleep, and the near-constant desire to chew on things.
As much as you might be tired of your little one chewing on everything they can get their little hands on, trust us, the experience is much more annoying for them! Nothing will be better for their happiness (and your peace of mind) during this time than a teething toy.
Think of teething toys as fidget toys for your baby’s mouth: often colorful, with different textures or materials, yet certified safe for your baby to chew on with no choking risk.
When choosing a teething toy, we again recommend BPA-free rubber, specifically rubber that’s soft enough for your baby to gnaw on without damage. You’ll also want to select a toy that’s easy to clean; if your baby really does rely on this when teething, you’ll find yourself cleaning it often!
If you’re unsure or nervous about choosing the right teething toy for your baby, talk to your doctor. They might have some recommendations for baby-safe teething toys that will help occupy your newborn without posing any risks.
- Books for Babies
The benefits of reading to babies and young toddlers are well-documented and can engage your little ones while simultaneously exposing them to the world.
Even if they can’t read the words themselves or even understand what you’re saying, reading can create the building blocks of speech and language and help develop critical socialization skills. The benefits can be two-fold with a sensory book, such as one made out of felt or that incorporates various pop-up elements or different materials.
Head to the bookstore and pick out the soft books you loved as a child. Or better yet, ask all of your guests to bring a book to your baby shower or baby’s first birthday party.
Books are one of the best ways to entertain and distract your baby while also teaching them about the world and building crucial cognitive skills. It’s time to cuddle up in your coziest pajamas and dive into your favorite stories. That’s a win all around.
- Sensory Bin
For young toddlers and slightly older babies (we’re thinking one to three years of age), a sensory bin can be an excellent tool for developing fine motor skills and teaching little ones about the world.
While older children may enjoy kinetic sandboxes, babies love to put everything and anything in their mouths. With this in mind, anything that can be swallowed is a no.
The benefit of sensory boxes is that the novelty is virtually unending for a baby. Add little baby toys to the box, along with shovels to scoop them out. For older toddlers, you can make the sensory bin themed — picture how excited your child might be about a dinosaur-themed bin or mermaid lagoon.
One important thing to note about sensory bins is that you should only let your child use them while under direct supervision. These types of toys are more likely to pose a choking threat than other toys. Only use them when it’s safe to do so — AKA when you or another caregiver is around to supervise.
Happy Baby, Happy Mama
Sensory play can be a great way to teach your baby about using their senses and exploring the world, as well as keeping them entertained and occupied when necessary. And you know what they say: Happy baby = happy mama. (Well, maybe they don’t say that, but we do.)
If you’re shopping for a new mama — or you’re the new mama yourself — you can’t go wrong with a sensory gift for a baby. There’s a whole world of baby sensory toys out there, and at the end of the day, the best one is whichever one makes you and your little one the happiest.
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