When do babies start to play with toys? – is critical question parents have to ask themselves to economically plan for their kids’ budget and also draft a route for their kids’ social and physical development.
When babies want fun with the world they will express it through twisting fingers, reaching out for objects, making sounds, and even throwing their legs.
However, for parents to know exactly when kids can begin playing with there are several key factors that should be considered.
In today’s article, we delve into these factors citing specific ages, averages for the majority of babies, and age limits for specific baby toys.
Table of Contents
How to know when can babies start playing with toys – Ultimate Guide
1. Baby Sit Up
When the baby begins sitting up it is the best time to introduce toys to them. This age range varies from 6-7 months when a kid needs assistance from the parent to sit but from 7-10 months the baby can sit upright independently.
At this age and development stage, the baby can move around with the toys instead of only enjoying stationery toys or handheld spinners.
Upon situp, they can swivel at a wider angle and the majority of baby toys even those that have many pieces become more relevant to her space because she can reach out to the pieces or try to organize or disorganize them as they like.
Between 6 to 10 months is a period that cannot be ignored because past this stage as research has shown with 21st-century babies, they tend to prefer the remote or smartphone.
2. When do babies start liking toys? – Color Preference
Brightly colored toys have a great appeal to babies. If you are planning to buy brightly colored toys, especially those that blend with other items in the baby’s bedding or clothes, then it is highly likely the kid will welcome the toys and show a clear preference and interest in the toy.
The best time to introduce such brightly colored toys then is limitless starting at 0 weeks when the child can recognize the environment around and feel enticed by shaking fingers, moving feet, or widely opening the eyes.
3. Available Parents’ effort and time
If you can spare the effort and time with your baby to adequately play with the toys as the baby watches you then do it.
This way, the kids develop great interest from seeing you execute all potential capabilities of the toy and have the interest to replicate the performance, and this shortens the time that you can introduce the toys to them to play on their own.
From 0 months to 6 months is an ideal time to execute this strategy and find out how the kid responds to your move and which kind of toy they prefer.
Also, this quickens the time they get to start with toys instead of letting them explore the baby toys on their own.
If the babies were left to explore the toys solely on their own they fail to recognize and identify even the most obvious surprises and that is why aiding them to explore the toys is such a key role of the parent or babysitter.
Even when you think in your assessment that it could be early to introduce the baby toys to your child, finding the time to play with the toys as the kid watches goes a long way in creating natural curiosity and interest.
4. When Do Babies Start to Play with Sound Toys?
Your baby’s hearing system is fully developed at birth. You can introduce sound toys as early as 0 weeks to one month.
However, at this age, babies recognize the majority of objects within a distance of 20cm to 30 cm.
Therefore sounding toys should be placed or held at an arm’s length distance from the baby for them to fully recognize and interact with the toys.
5. When can my baby grab a toy?
kids often achieve excellent grabbing skills from between 2 ½ months to 3 months, usually 3 months. Additionally from the sense of hearing, is the grab instinct that kids are born with.
Although this instinct exists right off the bat at birth, it requires exercise and experience to perfect and put it to daily use.
At this stage in the life of the baby, you will see the baby trying to reach out for dangling objects and toys and getting a gentle but firm hold of those they capture in her toy field.
At 3 months therefore when your kid is probably lying on their back or tummy is the best time to introduce hanging, suspended, and dangling toys for them to grab and reach out to perfectly aid in the growth of neck, shoulder, and chest muscles.
6. Baby Toy Safety
As your kid grows past 3 months they are feeling encouraged to explore their surroundings even more. At 5 to 6 months the kid is in control of their lips, mouth, nose, and many senses.
It is at this time that you should introduce safe and non-toxic toys without sharp corners.
While safety is critical across the board in baby toys, it is even more cubical when dealing with 5-month-olds due to the rapid growth in interest and curiosity.
When can my baby start playing with soft rattles? When do babies start playing with rattles?
Soft rattles usually placed at the feet or hands of babies can be introduced around 10 weeks of age. Before this time, the soft rattles are ignored and pushed away without gaining the bay’s attention.
7. The playmat – Best toy to introduce early to babies
The playmat is loved by many babies from 0 weeks to 3 months. The key advantage here is the interest it brings to your child at this time before she can start to understand and appreciate more complex objects.
Also read: How to Clean Toys for Infants
Frequently Asked Questions on When Do Babies Start to Play with Toys
When should my baby start playing with toys? When will my baby start playing with toys?
According to us, kids are different, dynamic and we do not have a specific rule on when you SHOULD let your kid start playing with toys.
Depending on the factors we described earlier including types of toys, available parenting time, color preference, and more, there are many factors to consider which do not point to a specific recommendation.
When will my baby start playing with toys in the house?
If the baby is not physically disabled and is passing developmental milestones successfully then the baby will start playing with toys at 0 weeks to 2 Weeks.
When do babies start using play gyms?
A baby can use a play gym at zero weeks even on their very first day of life.
However, it is until they are between 3 and 6 months old that they like and appreciate it by showing preference over the play mat and spending more time in the play gym.
At this age, they can reach out to suspended objects to aid in neck and shoulder muscle formation.
When do babies start playing with bath toys?
Between 6 to 8 months is the best time for babies to start to play with bath toys because at this stage they can sit up independently and have grown their natural curiosity to both interact and prefer some baby toys over others.
Also, the feet, hand, and head coordination at this stage is ideal at this stage to fully explore the bath toy.
Also read: Best Toys for Nine Month Olds
Conclusion
Whether you want to know when will my baby start playing, interacting, or playing with toys, it is essential to first consider if the baby has reached sit upstage, the type of toy you want to introduce, and if you are available as a parent to guide and explore the toys with your baby.
All the best introducing toys to your baby!