Best Toys for Babies 9 months - 2 years

First time parents often wonder just what toys they should buy for their baby once they get to the stage where they are mobile and can really interact with toys.  This should be a helpful guideline to get you started, or help weed out some toys you don't need if you already have too many.  Remember that in the case of toys for babies, less is more, you don't want to overwhelm or overstimulate them; you want to focus on increasing their attention span with one toy as opposed to decreasing their attention span with many toys.  If you have a lot of toys, they don't all need to be out at the same time or in the same place.  Choose quality over quantity.  And most importantly, choose age appropriate toys that support developmental skills.  To help with this, for each toy or category of toy that I list I will also add a quick highlight of some of the areas of development that are addressed by that toy.

A note before we get started:  I have focused on an age range of 9 months to 2 years, which actually covers a broad range of skills, but during this time a baby can play with the same toy in different ways, always working on some type of skill (as long as it is a developmentally appropriate toy). A 9 month old baby needs more assistance and supervision with toys than a 2 year old, but that doesn't mean that they can't play with many of the same toys.  Although, when choosing a toy use your own discretion based on your child's skills and safety level.  Remember that children put things in their mouth and this is age appropriate, so please never give a young child an object that could be a choking hazard!
 
TOYS
 
Blocks - big blocks (3"-4"), little blocks (1"-2"), blocks of different shapes, colors, textures. Blocks are great for working on grasp, fine motor control and coordination, motor planning to stack blocks, etc.
 
Stacking and nesting toys - cups, cubes, cones, rings, nesting dolls (just remove the small choking hazard size pieces).  Stack and nesting works on fine motor control and planning, as well as visual perceptual skills, and early cognitive concepts and problem solving.  Examples: Rainbow Stacker, Cone Sorting, Nesting Dolls, Nesting Blocks, Nesting Cups
 
Shape sorter - Shape sorting buckets and blocks help toddlers with shapes, colors, matching and other cognitive concepts as well as problem solving.  These are toys that children typically need a lot of assistance with and modeling for a while before they become independent with it, but they are great toys that bring up a lot of teaching opportunities! Melissa and Doug Shape Sorter, Bucket Sorter, Barn Sorter, Animal Sorter

Musical instruments - Musical instruments offer opportunities for learning cause and effect, to practice and improve motor skills, and sensory experiences. Instruments that involve blowing to make noise, like harmonicas, kazoos, or whistles, work on oral motor skills. Plus, babies love things they can shake and bang on! Examples: Beginner Band Set, Bells, Instrument Set, Drum, Piano, Tambourine, etc.   
 
Water table and sand box - I have to say that I'm more of a fan of sand boxes than tables because in the box kids sit, kneel, and get on their hands and knees to play, which works on more foundations of developmental skills (strength and postural control) than when standing to play.  Water play can be done in a water table, in the bathtub or sink, or in a baby pool. Step 2 Water table, Sand Box, Sand Table  I like sand boxes over sand tables because it gets kids sitting in the sand which is a really great sensory experience!

Puzzles - Basic puzzles for babies have large knobs and only 3-4 chunky puzzle pieces and then progress in challenge and skill level to small knobs on puzzle pieces with matching pictures on the pieces and on the board, to puzzles with interlocking pieces; then increasing the challenge to puzzles without matching pictures, increased number of pieces, and then jigsaw style from 12 pieces and up.  Other types of puzzles involve sound, magnetic poles to pick up puzzle pieces, magnetic sticks to move pieces within the puzzle, dressing puzzles, locks and latches, and parquetry puzzles (I like the magnetic versions the best to hold the designs in place).  Check out Melissa and Doug for a wide selection of quality puzzles.

Cause and Effect toys - Cause and effect toys teach children just that: when I do an action, I get a result and different actions have different results. It's an important concept to work on because it is so essential for a lot of other cognitive, social, and communication skills. Some basic cause and effect toys are:
Pop up toys (see a list on amazon)
Banging/pounding toys like the Plan Toys Drop and Punch and a Melissa and Doug version
For 18 month to 2 year olds, look for toys that involve sounds and movement when a button is pressed or something else is done.  For example, check out the iplay fun tractor.

Push toys - Heavy push toys, like the Radio Flyer push wagon ensures that a baby on the verge of walking won't go over backwards when they put all their weight on this, and thus allows them to work on balance, stability, and strengthening the core muscles and leg muscles needed to walk in an upright position.  For walkers who are more stable, lighter weight push toys such as Little Tikes Lawn mower, shopping carts, Melissa and Doug push toy, and others like these, are more fun and easier to use.

Books, books, and more books - Providing a child with a literature rich environment from infancy and making reading time together a daily occurrence has far reaching effects on brain development as well as a life long love of reading.  For more information read the post on Early Literacy.  Babies enjoy board books that are durable enough for them to turn pages and even chew on; they like simple, repetitive, and rhyming phrases as well as interesting and uncomplicated pictures.  As babies get older their attention span for books increases and their understanding of story lines increases so that they can enjoy longer books.  Sticking with books that are age appropriate and paying attention to your child's interests and attention span can make reading from an early age a fun experience.

Pretend play toys - Baby dolls, stuffed animals, dinosaurs, trucks, play food, dress up outfits, etc are all ways that toddlers can begin to practice being older.  They mimic their parents, stories, and other scenarios in their life through these toys as well as begin to come up with their own imaginative play using these toys too.  Giving your child real objects of yours, like cooking utensils, a baseball hat, an old purse, an old key chain, etc are also ways to encourage pretend play.  A baby sitting on the floor of the kitchen banging on pots and pans with a wooden spoon is the first example of this.

Active play toys - Tunnels, tents, tent/tunnel combo, short slide/climber combos (I like the Little Tikes models), basketball hoop, T-ball, ball pit, trampoline, swings, etc.  Active play toys get babies and toddlers moving, which in turn furthers the development of motor skills, balance, coordination, and strength.  Developing these skills appropriately and on a normal timeline set the foundations for developing more advanced skills later on, such as running, skipping, playing sports, handwriting, supporting good desk posture for writing tasks in school.......

Balls - A very simple toy, balls are a great (and inexpensive) developmentally appropriate toy for all ages.  A baby who can sit and crawl can begin to work on rolling a ball back and forth to a parent or push the ball through a tunnel, a walking baby can carry a ball and work on balance in a new way, a toddler can work on tossing and catching and putting a ball in a toddler-sized basketball hoop, a toddler can also kick a ball.  Sensory balls with different textures, lights, or noises can offer a fun sensory experience.

Objects Around the House - Babies and toddlers are active explorers and quite curious by nature.  They also like to mimic mom and day by doing things like, trying on dad's work shoes or mom's high heels, pretending to shave, playing with cooking utensils, etc.  Observe the types of objects around the house that interest your child and set aside a cupboard or basket filled with old home items that are safe and appropriate for your child to play with.  And when you see your child trying to experiment with objects or furniture around the house, if you feel it is safe, use that object or piece of furniture to play with your curious child in a way that you feel is appropriate.  Maybe it's a cardboard box turned boat, maybe it's pots and pans turned into a drum set, or maybe it's old plastic flower pots turned into a stacking or bowling game.  There is all kinds of fun to be had when you play along with your young child's curiosities.  And by modeling and teaching them proactively how to play with home objects safely, you decrease the risk of them playing with them unsafely when you're not looking.

Bottom Line: Babies and toddlers don't need toys that entertain them and they definitely do not need TV (at all)!  Babies and toddlers have an innate drive to explore their environment - this is what builds all those connections in the brain to make them smart.  So, the more they explore and play, the more they learn, and the greater their potential to be an intelligent individual.  When they watch TV or interact with toys that do all the entertaining for them their brains are not working to make those important connections and in fact all of that rapid visual and auditory stimulation can be detrimental to brain development.
- Keep it simple when buying toys for your baby and toddler and only bring out a couple of toys at a time so as not to overwhelm your young child; this also improves focus and attention when they are not distracted by too many other toys
- Choose toys that work on developmental skills, like the ones listed above
- Look for durable toys made out of quality materials
- Play with your child!!!!!  And then give them the opportunity to play independently (see my previous post on  independent play for more info on this)
- It's ok for babies and toddlers to play with the same toy or do the same active play activity over and over - they are practicing until they are successful, which is part of the learning process (learn more about why children do this)
- Have fun!