How to Select Toys for Crawling Infants

Toys are an important part of infant development, and using care to select the right toys for your crawling infant can help foster her growth. Toys that inspire crawling are important for infants, as are toys that can fit in their hands and stimulate their senses. Safety is always an issue when choosing toys for infants, so make sure any toys you choose are free from choking hazards and other dangers for crawling infants.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Select Toys for Crawling Infants

1. Choose toys that inspire babies to give chase, like balls and toy cars. When infants are on their hands and knees in crawling position, roll a ball in front of them or drive a car around them to encourage their movement and participation.
2. Get brightly colored toys. Select a toy with contrasting colors to spark a crawling infant's interest in it from across the room. Interest in a bright toy can lead to a productive crawling session.
3. Buy toys that make noise. A toy that plays a song and is placed out of reach is a motivator for crawling movement.
4. Purchase soft toys that crawling infants can crawl to and cuddle with. Soft toys can be thrown and pummeled by crawling infants, making them a popular choice for this rough-and-tumble time of exploration.
5. Stock the house with toys that roll or can be easily pushed by the crawling infant. Infants can push toy trains or use cylinders to push across the floor as they exercise.
6. Select toys that can be strapped on to the infant's wrist or ankle to make a sound when he is crawling. There are many infant bells and rattles that come with Velcro straps to affix the toy to the infant.
7. Acquire pull toys for your crawling infant. Toys that have wheels and feature animals like dogs and horses are popular choices. The baby can pull the string as she crawls around with her exploration companion.
8. Plan ahead and choose a walking toy to help ease the transition between crawling and walking. Select toys that can easily be played with on the ground or while standing up. Encourage children to pull themselves up with musical or light features.

Tips & Warnings

• Know that crawling infants often put things in their mouths to explore and to sooth the discomfort of teething. Keep all small toys that are potential choking hazards out of infant reach, and supervise infants closely.