Toys for babies | Our advice
Is your baby, toddler or preschooler almost birthday, and you don’t know what kind of toys to give? We have looked at which toys at the nursery are a success, which are also good for the development of your little one and last a long time! #sustainable 😊
1. Open ended toys
Opt for open-ended toys. This is a toy where the outcome is not fixed. The advantage of this is that this toy has a different purpose for every child and at every stage. That not only makes it last longer, but it also provokes imagination and creativity. Every child does something different with it.
One of the best-known open-ended toy materials is wooden blocks. Babies suck on it and put the blocks in and out of the box, toddlers stack them on top of each other and toddlers turn them into buildings or a race track. Your child sees much more than just a block and perhaps this block in your child’s environment will just as easily change into a telephone or hamster.
2. Demolition proof
Also a good idea for the wish list: toys that are ‘demolition-proof’, in other words that can take a beating and last a long time. This is also an important criteria in terms of sustainability. It doesn’t necessarily have to be made of wood, there are also toys made of plastic that have a long life. It is important that the play material has a natural weight. For example, children learn about heavy and light and are challenged to grip the toy in different ways.
What is nice about wooden toys is that the wood takes over the heat from the body. That is a great experience for children. In addition, wood is easy to clean and wood is a fine, durable material.
3. Craft materials
Craft materials are very suitable for toddlers. This is good for the development of fine motor skills and they can express their creativity in this. Think of activities such as claying, painting, pasting, cutting and drawing. Glitter always works well and as pinking shears give a nice effect when your little one is cutting. An additional advantage is that these are not so sharp and therefore cannot easily cut your valuables 😉
4. Fantasy
Imaginative toys, such as a kitchen, shop or a doll, always do well. Toddlers like to copy everything and imitate mom and dad. For example, for cooking, shopping or giving a bottle. You will see that your little one can really pamper and care for a doll. And maybe you will hear yourself again in their fantasy game….
5. Games
Playing a game is good for cognitive development. Think of memory or quartet. In this way children learn to collect information in a playful way, to apply it and to make connections and relationships. And when you play a board game with your child, it makes the bond between you closer.
The final golden tip: Do not offer too many toys to your baby at once
This goes at the expense of the game, because it makes it difficult for children to make choices. Therefore, choose a maximum of three play materials and put the rest of your child’s toys out of sight for a while. Switch the toys every now and then so that your child is challenged again and again. You can also divide the toys for your kids in 2 and store them in a large box and exchange them twice a year, so that new toys come back every time.
