All You Need to Know About Baby Sensory Toys
Coming up with ways to engage your baby can be a challenge, especially considering their short attention spans! However, sensory play is enjoyable for all ages and can be done easily and affordably from the comfort of your home. But where do you start? Keep reading for our top tips, baby sensory ideas, and favorite baby sensory toys for your little explorers!
A Guide to Baby Sensory Toys
Sensory toys for babies provide excellent early learning activities. In this brief guide, we'll share examples of sensory toys and delve into the seven sensory experiences, the importance of sensory toys, and when to start using them.
What Are Sensory Toys?
Examples of sensory toys include touch-and-feel puzzles, squishy stress balls, tactile fidget toys, percussion instruments, textured books, light-up toys, kaleidoscopes, mirrors, rainmakers, playdough, water toys, and more. Essentially, anything that stimulates a child's senses can be considered a sensory toy.
The Seven Sensory Experiences
The seven sensory experiences include sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste, balance/movement, and body awareness. While we often focus on the core five senses, it's equally important to choose sensory toys that encourage exploration of the lesser-known senses.
Why Are Sensory Toys Important?
Sensory toys play a crucial role in early childhood development as they help children better understand the world around them. Some benefits include enhanced brain development, cognitive growth, recognition of different senses, improved social and language skills, and opportunities for parent-baby bonding.
Taking a closer look…
- Brain development: Sensory toys are designed to engage the senses and activate various regions of an infant’s brain, promoting positive cognitive development.
- Alertness and recognition: As babies and toddlers explore diverse textures, sights, sounds, and smells, they learn to react appropriately to stimuli such as high temperatures or loud noises as they develop.
- Boosts social interaction: Engaging in sensory play alongside other young children can assist in fostering the initial phases of a baby’s social development.
- Language skills: Studies indicate that engaging in sensory play during the early stages of a baby’s life can have beneficial impacts on their language development as they transition into toddlerhood.
- Bonding activity: Sharing mindful sensory experiences is an excellent opportunity for you to bond and spend quality time with your baby.
When to Introduce Sensory Toys?
You can start introducing sensory toys to babies as young as 0 months, as long as the toys are suitable for newborns. Black and white toys, flashcards, and cloth books featuring contrasting patterns and shapes are ideal for tiny ones. As your baby grows, you can gradually introduce more colorful sensory toys to encourage exploration of diverse textures, visuals, and sounds.
How to Start Sensory Play?
For babies, keep it simple! Sing songs, tickle their tummy, try baby massage, skin-to-skin contact, explore new objects and fabrics, blow bubbles, play with reflections in a mirror, and get messy! Baby sensory play doesn't need to be complicated. Start with one sensory toy, such as black and white flashcards or baby maracas, and demonstrate how they work.
Best Sensory Toys for Babies
Here are some of our favorite sensory baby toys categorized by age to help you choose the right ones for your curious little ones:
Wooden Animal Rattle
Crafted from sustainable FSC® Certified wood, our charming Wooden Fox Rattle showcases a lovable expression, pointed ears, two beads in its belly, and a convenient handle for little hands. Additionally, we offer a Wooden Rabbit Rattle. Suitable from birth.
Rainmaker Toy
Delight your little one with a rainmaker gift! Our Garden Rainmaker mimics the gentle, calming sound of rainfall and includes rainbow-coloured tabs for extra sensory enjoyment, adorned with charming illustrations at each end. Suitable from birth.
Busy Board
Busy boards serve as excellent sensory tools, enhancing children's dexterity, coordination, and body awareness, as they master maneuvering and directing their actions toward a specific objective. Our Marine Activity Centre has endless engaging features, such as sun and wind dials, a bead frame, a follow-the-path puzzle, and spinning dials. Additionally, it includes buckled straps that can be attached to your baby’s crib. Offered in marine or flower themes. Suitable for ages 6 months and up.
Sensory Blocks
Discover an array of sensory surprises within this compact bag of wonders! Enclosed in a drawstring tote are our wooden Sensory Blocks offering a medley of sensory encounters, from a jingly bell, mirror, viewfinder, optical prism, scratchy felt, cylinder squeaker, and rattles. Recommended for ages 12 months and up.
Touch & Feel Puzzle
Raise the adorable farm animals to explore the different textures, ranging from soft fleece to sleek felt. Combining sensory exploration with interactive play, this Touch & Feel Farm toy also serves as a wooden puzzle, featuring four animal pieces that can be fitted into corresponding spaces on the board. Recommended for ages 12 months and up.
Baby sensory toys are great tools for stimulating your little one's senses, promoting development, and fostering parent-baby bonding. Start exploring sensory play with your baby today and watch them thrive!
Create a Baby Sensory Box
Combine these baby sensory supplies to create your own homemade sensory box for babies. Check out our guide on How To Make A Sensory Box for step-by-step instructions and helpful tips.
Baby sensory toys are great tools for stimulating your little one's senses, promoting development, and fostering parent-baby bonding. Start exploring sensory play with your baby today and watch them thrive!