Gift Guide for Babies

BEST GIFT LIST 

For babies 0-3 months

Finding age appropriate toys for your kids is a constant guessing game with the same important questions:

  1. Will they like it/play with it enough (aka will it keep them occupied long enough for me to have AT LEAST one cup of coffee)?
  2. Will it help them learn or grow socially, intellectually, and/or in maturation?
  3. How annoying will this toy be for me (because if I hear that sound one. more. time. I swear…)?
  4. Will it grow with them? Is this something they can play together with siblings?

Well, here are some tried and true toys that I’ve used with my 2 boys (now ages 4 years and 3 years) AND their baby sister (currently 4 months) that have positively answered all of these questions!

Ages 0-3 Months = Noise, Lights, Safety

At this age, there isn’t as much interaction because though they can see everything, their brain is still learning to process all that information (not to mention they’re working on coordinating even moving their eyes at the same time). According to this article, it’s hard for them to distinguish between similar tones, too, which is why for the first few months babies prefer “black-and-white or high-contrast patterns” and then slowly move into “a preference for bright primary colors and more detailed and complicated designs.”

Studies have shown that baby’s favorite things are faces, so the best thing for the first couple of months is just to be in your little ones face… literally, while talking, smiling, making faces, and more! In fact, a Boppy Newborn Lounger like this one is the perfect spot for your newborn to hang out and see your face. But, need to shower, unload the dishwasher or throw that load of laundry in? Or can’t think of ways to interact with them (because they can’t really DO much at this point)? There are some things to keep them occupied, and here are some toys or gadgets that I found useful during these first months and beyond:

  1. A swing is most likely going to be your best friend for a while. Babies aren’t used to being still (think about how much movement they experienced while being in your belly!) so those movements are soothing to them. That, plus some vibration and maybe even some white noise = bliss. We got one like this because it doubles as a bouncer seat so I could take the baby with me to the next room if I wanted:

  1. Tiny babes aren’t really able to grab too much yet, so things hanging above them will at least give them something to focus on, practice coordinating their eye movement, and maybe even develop some more depth perception! Here are some options that my kiddos liked and have different attaching and entertaining functions

  

  1. Something soft, easy to take with, and good for introducing books nice and early (which is important for their language and even emotional development) is a “crunchy book” (also good for when they start to grasp) and they have lots of fun options with Jellycat OR some high contrast options, too:

  1. Once they start moving their hands a little more and kicking those tiny feet (SO adorable), they might enjoy this activity center more so than the ones that only have the hanging toys overhead:

  1. Board books are always a good idea and you can start reading to them now! My first son LOVED this book really early on and it’s still a fav today. I think its because of the simple drawings and bright colors, but you be the judge. Either way, it’s a classic and great to have in your library:

Hope these are as successful of gifts for you as they have been for me! More ages, stages, and phases to come!