best baby and toddler toys

there are many, many variations on this theme, and it doesn't matter at all which one you get. you will be surprised though how early these gyms are entertaining for baby. we got ours when our daughter was 6 weeks old, which i really thought was a bit late! well before they can do anything sensible with the toys, babies still like to bat at them.

another favourite of my daughters - who knows why!

these stand-up activity centers are great - but they are only great for a pretty limited age range. make sure that you get one of these before your baby can sit up. they'll be ready for it sooner then you think. by the time they can crawl, this probably won't be their cup of tea anymore.

there are many variations on this theme - pick your favourite animal! the most important thing is that the toy should make a satisfying noise when its pulled. also, this is another toy that your baby will be able to master sooner than you think - get one of these as soon as they can sit up.

why buys the plastic fisher price version when you can get this instead? an original take on the traditional stacking toy.

there are many wire maze toys out there - the great thing about this particular model is that it has suction cups on the bottom, which means that you can stick on to your baby's highchair tray! my daughter was a terrible eater, and sticking this on to her tray to keep her busy while i snuck food into her mouth worked well for at least three months (approx 8 months to 11 months).

around 9 months of age, just about anything from Plan Toys is a great choice. my daughter never really got into the hammer, but she like pushing the balls through with the palm of her hand. also like rolling the balls around the house.

the other winning toy company for kids of this age is haba - and nearly everything they make qualifies as an "art toy" in my opinion. solid construction with a whimsical flair. this toy is a bit pricey, but its really fun. always a hit with other baby guests.

the string for these beads come with a wooden peg on the end - making it possible for very little hands to master this process. may daughter loves to wear the necklaces that she produces.

i have fond memories of watching my 12 month old daughter tackle this one with the help of a 15 month old friend. i cannot be sure that their behavior was not random, but may daughter placed the simple shapes that she could manage (circle, square, oval) while her old and wiser friend worked on the tougher items.

this book is for creative play with magnets. the book shows several farm scenes and the child places the magnetic animals wherever they please. my daughter particularly likes the night time scene, where she tells all the animals "night night". great for airplanes and restaurants.

i was surprised how much my 18 month old daughter treasured her playhouse. when her grandmother comes to visit, my daughter tries to keep grandma in there with her as much as possible. this little cottage assembles with poles like a tent, but the fabric is thicker, and is not slippery or shiny. its a nice size - room for one kid and one grownup, with a small amount of room to spare.

the exercise here is very basic - each page of the book has a different color theme and initially depicts the outline of objects (e.g. outline of a fish, etc.). the child picks a sticker, finds the appropriately colored page and then places the sticker in the right spot. finding the right color page is a little beyond my 21 month old daughter, but when i gave her the first sticker and flipped to the correct page i didn't have to tell her what to do next. great for airplanes.

note - i also tried the Sticker Activity Shape book, but that one was too hard for a 21 month old.