Ultimate Guide on Choosing Toys for Toddlers

Do you still remember your childhood experience? What were the activities that caught your attention the most? Were you busy working? I don’t think so. Perhaps, your main activity was playing with toys! And it was the duty of your parents to provide them for you.

It took them time, and the right knowledge to sort for toys that were right for you and believe me; it wasn’t as easy as you think.

Now it’s your duty to do the same for your child. The big question creeps in; how do you intend to go about it?How can you choose the right toys for your child? How can you tell if the toys fit your toddler’s innate ability?

The truth is, there are so many toys out there, and getting the right one that stimulates your child’s imagination might be a herculean task. There are a few key factors you may want to consider that can help you make your choice easier.

Below, are some personalized tips for choosing toys that will grow with your child, nurture her thinking, social-emotional skills, and language?

Discover Your Child’s Innate Ability

The best way to choose the right toys for your toddler is to watch her carefully to ascertain her desired activities, preferred band, skill level and movies. It is through these observations that you can get a clear picture of the type of baby toys fit in your child innate ability.

For example, if he loves the cartoon “Lion King,” I bet he will also love Lion King Toys.

One common mistake my parents made was buying me fancy toys they thought would be appealing to me. Unfortunately, they later discovered that I would consider it too boring, or I’m not just interested. Most of the time, the toy would stay forgotten in my closet.

So, take your time to know your child better before heading into a toy shop to buy what you think will appeal most to her. It doesn’t work that way; you need to pay more attention to your child’s motor skills and values.

Ok, apart from observations, there are quite a good number of other factors you’d need to keep in mind. Adding them to your equation list will ensure that your kid has the right toys that will be of great benefit to her.

Choose the Right Toys that Fits Your Child’s Age Group

Since you now understand that the child’s interest and intrinsic value is an important factor in choosing the right toys that suit her abilities, also make sure that these toys fall within their developmental stage.

If you pick toys that are far beyond the toddler’s age, you’d be disappointed to find out that she might not keep up with that toy. The same goes for buying toys made for kids under her age; she might find it too annoying.

According to Wikipedia, a toddler is an infant child between the age group of one and three. This stage is a time of great emotional, cognitive and social development.

Consequently, you should promote toys that encourage the child to be lively and active. Look out for toys that she can easily manipulate with less coordination.

The following qualities are what you should watch for when buying toys that fall within your child’s age group

• Buy toys that support imagined play since little children like copying what they see.
• Since toddlers have the habit of placing things into their mouth, don’t purchase toys with small pieces that represent a choking risk.
• Toddlers enjoy sensory toys.Select toys they can smell, touch and can easily manipulate.
• Go for toys that help them solve problems; objects to sort (shape, size, color, smell).
• Toys that include things they can create with—markers, washable crayons, large paintbrushes, large paper for painting and drawing.
• Buy books that include pictures involving toddlers.

Choose Safe Toys for Your Child

This is something I cannot stress enough! You should always choose toys that are safe for your child.  Unfortunately, most parents tend to overlook this part.

Each time I hear news of toy recall, it usually breaks my heart! How do these dangerous toys get to the rack in the first place?  Did the makers of the toys realize that they were conceivably harmful? Are there control measures to prevent this from happening? I hope so.

Toys should be fun, also an essential part of the toddler’s development.  However, each year, scores of children are treated in the emergency departments of most hospitals for toy-related accidents.

I know of a lady who is a mother of three beautiful girls. When I was chatting with her one day, I saw a picture of a little boy on the wall. I was curious to find out who was the cute boy (I have always known her to be a mother of three girls).

She later told me it was her first child who had kicked the bucket at age three when he accidentally swallowed a toy in his throat. Both parents made desperate attempt to remove the toy. Unfortunately, it was too late for them. The young child died. I was shocked and could only envisage the amount of pain they both suffered from this pathetic experience.

Yes, I know it is hard to watch our kids each moment, but at least endeavor to discard any toy that could cause harm to them; especially from those toys they play with consistently. Don’t forget that your children may often receive toys as gifts from family and friends as birthday presents. How can you ascertain if those toys are safe for your baby?

The simple step is to check if these toys fall within their age, and are safe for them to play with any time of the day. Please, don’t forget to check all these toys you have in your house.

Another key note is to be aware of some Consumer Product Safety Commission Agencies. The function of these organizations is to help you know if a particular toy has been tagged dangerous. You can likewise subscribe to their RSS feed so as to have the opportunity to see the most recent toy recalls.

So, it’s nice to have an ample knowledge of safety toys before buying them for your little one.

Look At for Toys that Promote Educational Skills

Another factor you should consider when purchasing toys for your kid is to ensure that each toy has educational benefit attached to it.

Educational toys were manufactured and designed to promote basic science, math, and innovative ideas. Ellen Wild, director of the Early Childhood program at Dutchess Community College, said “The best toys are essential, simple and open-ended,” .

Wild recommends giving kids colored pencils, plain paper, markers alongside stickers and envelopes to promote writing skills. She also indicates pieces, Legos, and manipulative toys that develop hands and finger muscles.

“Toys ought to be regarded as formative learning tools.” says Vicki Panaccione, Ph.D., Children Psychologist, and director of the Better Parenting Institute.

Educational toys have been designed by the manufacturer to cater for the toddler’s skills at the various level of development.  Schools and Daycare Centers are only a couple of places where you can see educational toys.

Some of these toys encourage dual development when other learning skills are also combined. For instance, playing dress-up gives room for social skills and abilities and help kids build up their exceptional intrinsic skills when they figure out how to button their clothes. Picking toys that offer a variety of learning is of great benefit to all kids who play with them.

There you have it, an ultimate guide for choosing the right toys for toddlers. Just take a deep breath and let it all sink in. And remember to stick to the above guide for choosing the right toys for your child.