Choosing the Best Developmental Toys for Your Child’s Growth

Play is everything! The way babies and children learn about themselves, have fun and understand the world. SO how do you choose what toys to buy to support your baby and toddler's development?

Toys facilitate play and if you’re like us you LOVE watching how your baby or toddler explores and learns from new experiences, especially when guided by expert therapy services like those offered here at Walky Talky Hub in Perth.

However we all have some limit to our storage and play space and concern about the growing global waste problem we can’t have ALL the toys no matter how much our kids (yeah sure it’s us) would like them! So read on to find out how to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to buying and choosing toys for playtime, especially when considering quality developmental toys recommended by Perth therapy professionals.

10 Expert Tips for Picking Developmental Toys for Your Baby and Toddler

1. Why Quality Matters in Developmental Toys for Toddlers

If they break easily you aren’t going to be able to relax and allow your baby and toddler to really investigate. Trust us, your baby is WAY better at play than you so it is important you are confident they can play safely with the toy alone — something we often emphasize in our Perth-based therapy services.  

2. Select Developmental Toys That Support Skill Building

This is a biggie, think about the skills your baby is developing and which skills will enrich their play experience rather than just the first thing that catches their attention in the toy aisle. Not sure? Don’t worry this is where we come in! We’ve got heaps of advice in our membership on which development toys to choose and how to use them to support your baby’s development — based on our experience as a therapy service provider in Perth.

3. Invest in Long-Term Developmental Toys for Toddlers

Look for toys that will support your baby’s development over many months or years rather than just being interesting right now, that way you will buy less overall and sibling play is much easier to set up.

4. Battery-Free Developmental Toys Encourage Imagination

As well as the fact that the sound from many of these toys will literally blow your mind if listened to on repeat, we suggest ditching the batteries as most electronic toys have a finite amount of ways they can be played with. Freedom to play in lots of different ways means the toys can evolve with your child. How they play will change but the same toy remains interesting for longer.  

5. Safe and Age-Appropriate Developmental Toys for Babies and Toddlers

Luckily for us this is easy in Australia. Toys are rated for different ages and have to meet safety standards. Remember to consider the size of the toy and whether it is a choking risk for your young baby. 

6. Variety in Developmental Toys Enhances Toddler Learning

Are you making sure your baby has opportunities for all kinds of play? Or do you have lurking thoughts of “that’s a girls’ toy” or “only boys like things like that”. We are all influenced by the family we were raised in and the advertising around us so take a moment to reflect on the choices you are making for your baby and where they are coming from.  For more on this topic, check out this blog on why ALL children should be offered doll play — a concept we also explore in our therapy services at Walky Talky Hub in Perth.

7. Developmental Toys That Encourage Communication in Toddlers

Not because we want to rush your baby’s development but because having a couple of slightly too tricky to operate independently toys in the mix creates an excellent opportunity to ask for help. This is a BIG incentive for communication and one of Chiara's top tips as a paediatric speech pathologist working in our Perth therapy clinic.     

8. Try Local Toy Libraries for Developmental Toys in Perth

Good, open ended toys are often a big investment. The last thing you want is to buy something expensive for your child and then they show no interest in it. Think about joining your local toy library and/or borrowing from friends if you have a particular toy in mind that you’re keen to buy. 

9. Follow Your Toddler’s Interests When Choosing Developmental Toys

Think about what currently interests your child and which toys can reflect this interest. Baby love posting things ‘in’? Think nesting cups, post boxes or ball runs. Are they loving pretend play? Set up invitations to play with dolls, food items and more. For more on the development of pretend play, check out this blog! These play interests are often explored in our therapy sessions at Walky Talky hub, Perth.

10. Simple Developmental Toys Are Often the Most Engaging

Our number one philosophy here at Walky Talky Baby. Babies and toddlers don’t need a lot of toys and sometimes the simplest toys are their favourites. Or not even toys at all! They might get as much fun out of a beautiful wooden toy as they do out of watching their shadow which is something we’ve observed often through our therapy services with Perth families.

Perth Therapy Services That Help Match Developmental Toys to Milestones

Want to know more about matching toys to your baby’s developmental level? Check out our blog series called 5 ways to play with some of our favourite common toys showing you exactly how to choose toys that go the distance with your baby and toddler. 

You can also download our FREE Gift Guide, it features some of our favourite Australian small businesses and the toys they sell, why we recommend them and why they support baby development.