Choosing Toys to Support Your Child's Development

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.

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. 

10 tips for choosing toys that will support your baby and toddler's development:

1. Choose quality over quantity

   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. 

2. Choose toys that support development

   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 toys to choose and how to use them to support your baby’s development. 

3. Choose toys that last

   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. Choose toys with no batteries

   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. Choose toys that are safe

   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. Ensure variety and challenge your biases

   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. 

7. Choose toys that challenge

   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. 

8. Try before you buy

   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 child’s lead

   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!

10. Keep it simple

    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!

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.