As parents, we often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure our babies’ brains are developing as quickly as possible. But the irony is, for many years the best way our little ones can learn and grow is through play.
The best way to let baby play is to create a playroom that offers the maximum learning, allows movement and exploration as well as have baby-safe toys they can easily reach.
This is a guide I wished someone would have told me when my son was little. I didn’t know then what I know now and I had such a hard time understanding what were the right toys. I didn’t mind spending the money if I knew that’s what he needed to aid his development.
The problem was, that no one told me exactly what to buy. Everyone showed me beautiful playrooms but were they functional? where are they going to aid his development? How would I look through the clutter at the Target isles and understand what was good and was just plastic waste? no one told me and If I could go back, this is what I would get.
These are the toys I recommend my moms to get. Because through all my research about play and development, I finally understand what to look for in a toy.
Spend the money on the educational items and leave the plastic toys back in the Target aisle.
Baby Play Area for Newborns
My favorite playroom set up for newborns is a Montessori setup. This area although simple is exactly what a newborn needs. Newborns don’t need much, they need your cuddles and they need to start discovering the world around them. Their eye-sight is not fully developed so simple setups and high-contrast objects are what you want to include. The last thing you want to do is overstimulate the child and have more crying that needed.
This is a simple space is a combination of a firm but comfortable flooring, a contrast mobile (or a few mobiles that you can rotate), and a large baby-safe mirror so baby can start exploring his world.
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If you can’t hang the mobile by the ceiling you can use a baby play gym like this to hang it. This one is ideal when you have a small area.
Recommended reading:
Month 1: Top Activities To Play With Your 1 Month Old Baby
Month 2: Top Activities To Play With Your 2 Month Old Baby
Newborn: 5 ways to play with your newborn baby
Baby Play Area for 2 -4 Month-Old Babies
As your baby becomes more aware of his/her surroundings then you have to accommodate the playroom for this stage of development. They get bored easily so you have to have toys that will keep him/her entertained as they work on eye-Hand coordination and visual tracking. These two developmental areas one of the top areas you want to focus on developing.
You can keep your newborn setup and add a simple play gym. A simple setup with this multi-purpose equipment and some colorful scarfs is all you need.
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Recommended Reading: Month 3: Top Brain-Boosting Activities To Do With 3 Month Old Baby
Baby Play Area for babies 4-6 months
Now your baby is more mobile and can bring things to his/her mouth, so it is time to bring in more engaging toys. You want to opt for toys that are safe when putting in the mouth like this real wood Montessori teething toy or baby-safe silicone toys like the Stacking Tower that are both educational and safe for teething.
As your baby sits and works on eye-hand coordination, create a circle time routine in the morning where you sit and sing your favorite nursery rhymes. You can provide some baby blocks and Musical Instruments to use during this time.
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Every playroom needs developmental and educational toys. If you do toy rotation, you want to include some of these in the rotation. Each toy works on a specific skill.
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Recommended Reading: Month 6: Top Activities To Play With Your 6 Month Old Baby
Baby Play Area for Babies 7-12 months
Play starts to become more complex and your baby is able to do a lot more. It is time to bring some problem solving toys to your toy rotation to keep them engage and developing those skills.
Here are a few Montessori toys I suggest you add to your toy rotation, like the 
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BEST TOYS FOR 9 MONTH OLD TO HELP WITH LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LOW-PREP ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES
A thought on Toys
Some toys are more pricey than plastic toys you would find at Target or Walmart. I’m the first one to be frugal when it comes to spending money on toys that will only last a few months before they outgrow it and move on to the next thing. BUT… Most of the toys mentioned are open-ended toys which means they have many possibilities for play, which means they will use them for a while. So don’t be afraid to spend a little more on these, because believe me! you won’t regret it. I spent so much money on cheap toys that ended up donating after a month when I should’ve (and I ended buying after) some of these.
Play is how a child learns and is also the door to independent play. Set up your play area and enjoy some bonding time wit your baby while you are at it.
For more toy recommendations, you can check out my amazon list here.
Recommended reading: How To Encourage Creative Play: A Guide To Playroom Setup