Best Toys for Newborns
The first colors your newborn sees are red, black and white. Newborns can see from birth, just not as clearly as an older child or adult. Until your child is about six months of age, he will respond best to bold, contrasting colors and graphics. That’s why it’s important, in the beginning, to provide your baby with toys that feature the visual extremes of black, white and red. These high-contract colors will captivate and hold baby’s attention, encouraging visual development as well as physical activity, like wiggling, kicking and arm waving. As your baby grows, other contrasting colors will fascinate your baby as well.
Genius Baby Reversible Infant Stim-Crib Bumper Panel & Book in One
I love this versatile toy because it can be used for both newborns and babies 3 to 6 months old. One side is for babies’ birth to 3 months, with high-contrast black, white and red illustrations for early visual stimulation. The other side for babies 3 to 6 months with brightly colored more complex raised 3-D figures and activities, to entice tummy-time play. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 6 months.
Tiny Love Double Sided First Book
This soft yet sturdy double-sided book is perfect for your baby’s first developmental stages. This book is designed to encourage visual stimulation, tummy time play and head lifting. One side is for birth to three months. It features high contrast black, white and red illustrations for early visual stimulation. The other side, designed for three to six months. features brightly colored, more complex raised 3-D figures and activities. Features crisp and clear shapes and colors, a variety of textures, baby safe mirror and a peek-a-boo activity. Easily folds and can be taken anywhere with baby. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 6 months.
Genius Babies Piper the Panda – Black, White & Red, Baby Travel Toy
Stay at home rattle or on the go toy, Piper the Panda comes complete with multiple textures and sounds to keep baby entertained. He crinkles, jingles and squeaks and includes a baby safe teether for baby to chew on. The panda toy comes complete with a link, making it easy to take along with you anywhere you go. This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
Cloud B Sleep Sheep by Cloud B
This loveable little sleep sheep calms fussy babies and lulls them to sleep with 4 natural, soothing sounds including mothers heartbeat, ocean waves, spring showers and whale songs. Winner of several industry awards, including the National Parenting Council’s Seal of Approval and the iParenting Media Award, the Sleep Sheep is plush and very cuddly, so it immediately gives a restless baby something pleasing and calming to hold on to. The Sleep Sheep has pushbutton sound selection with volume control and 2 sleep timer options. Velcro strap allows for fast and simple attachment to a crib, car seat or stroller. This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
Tiny Love Sweet Island Dreams Mobile
Tranquil music and magical movement provide a calming, soothing effect for your baby. The Sweet Island Dreams Mobile features multidimensional movement, 2 classical tunes and two special nature tunes that will play for 20 minutes of continuous music and a calming night light. Your baby will marvel at the choreography of the three adorable characters moving independently to the sound of soothing and engaging music. The marionette-like movement of each character attracts baby’s attention. As each one passes over baby it appears as if they are actually leaning towards your baby. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 6 months.
Tiny Love Classic Mobile
The Tiny Love Classic Mobile will enrich baby’s cognitive and emotional development. Your baby will follow the intricate movements of sweet characters while listening to classical music. The Classic Mobile’s swivel arm can be moved from side to side and the detachable push button music box is great for take-along tunes. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 5 months.
Fisher Price Precious Planets 2-in-1 Projection Mobile
Precious Planets Two-in-One Projection Mobile is unique among mobiles, because it combines music, plush animal figurines, and movement with a soft projection light show that dances up above. The Projection Mobile features four plush animal toys with spinning antics to delight and calm your baby. A teal whale, white polar bear, green alligator, and yellow lion keep your baby interested with their detailed design and friendly faces. As your baby watches the animal antics, you can choose up to 20 minutes of music including classical lullabies from Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. There are also nature and ocean sounds, or heartbeat and white noise womb sounds for baby to hear. When your baby grows you can remove the mobile and project the show directly on the ceiling, with music or sounds playing along to add to the fun. Remote control allows you to control mobile without disturbing your baby. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 5 months.
Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Deep Blue Sea Mobile
Friends from the deep blue sea join soft starfish floating overhead. Your baby can relax to the music of Bach and Mozart, as well as peaceful ocean sounds. As your baby grows, it’s easy to remove the mobile portion, keeping the soothing music box and night light attached to the crib. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 6 months.
Tiny Love Kick & Discover Gemini
The Gemini Music Kick & Discover play mat pumps up the music and kicks up the fun. The feature rich environment encourages baby to discover new experiences. It has 21 developmental activities, tummy time pillow promotes head lifting and strengthens the neck and shoulders, other activities stimulate gross motor development. It also contains a multi-use kick pad with lights and music as well as animal sounds and 4 adorable characters that baby can play with. This toy is recommended for ages newborn to 1 year.
Tiny Love Lights & Music Gymini Super Deluxe Gym
The award-winning Gymini Super Deluxe Lights & Music is a classic sure to provide hours of amusement for your baby. This play mat offers a truly multi-sensory play experience. It stimulates sight with flashing lights and colorful images. Touch is stimulated by the different fabrics, textures and shapes. Baby’s hearing is stimulated by four music selections. The hanging toys invite baby to reach out and strike or grasp, first by chance and later quite intentionally as control over his arm and hands improve. Many babies don’t particularly enjoy their necessary daily tummy time, but the Gemini encourages baby to lift and turn his head to see the mirror and find the flashing lights. The mat and arches fold up flat, and the entire gym snaps together for easy travel. This toy is recommended for ages 3 months to 1 year.
Fisher Price Rain Forest Waterfall Peek-a-Boo Soother
Calm even the crankiest baby at bedtime with the Rain Forest Waterfall Peek-a-Boo Soother. The Soother features a glowing blue waterfall with a mesmerizing motion to lull baby to sleep. This waterfall cascades gently into a pool where a playful, bobbing fish and plenty of bubbles charm your baby into quiet enjoyment. Colorful lights slowly turn on and off while two rainforest friends, a swinging monkey and a frog playing peek-a-boo, move about in the leaves. Moms can choose 18 minutes of either classical music, lullabies or rainforest sounds for her baby, and choose between 3 modes of activation. Both mom and baby are able to activate the soother by pressing the cute toucan button on the front of the unit. Volume is adjustable between high, medium and low. This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Soother
Bring soothing sights and sounds to your baby. The Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Lullaby Soother features a scrolling, illuminated ocean scene with fun-loving fish, colorful characters and 25 minutes of continuous playing melodies from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven or beautiful nature sounds. Features include 4 play modes: Melodies and lights, melodies only, nature sounds and lights and lights and nature sounds only. Lights and melodies gradually soften to help your baby gently fall asleep. Neptune Soother comes with a remote control so mom can activate the soother. This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
Fisher Price Precious Planet Melodies & Motion Soother
Adorable animals from around the world join together to wish baby sweet dreams, with the help of peaceful music, soothing light effects and gentle motion. Polar bears play hide and seek, a lion pops up to take a peek, and the dolphin and fish ride the waves. Set it to play for up to 18 minutes of classical music, lullabies and nature sounds, or let baby activate the soothing. This toy is recommended for ages newborns on up.
Lamaze My First Mirror – By Lamaze
Babies love to look at themselves in the mirror. The First Mirror features brightly colored-fabric and a high-quality unbreakable, baby-safe mirror. It’s portable, light weight, and easy to clean. This is a two-in-one mirror. It can attach to the crib or you can keep it fastened to the wedge. The soft wedge supports baby during tummy time. Flexible adapter straps attach to a crib or stroller. This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
Sassy Crib and Floor Mirror
Mirrors are an important part of baby’s self-recognition. The Sassy Crib and Floor Mirror inspires baby’s vision, touch, exploration and communication and manipulation skills with high contrast colors, characters faces and simple patterns and realistic forms. Mirror includes a high contrast tracker ball for visual stimulation and perception. Textures and fun characters of a lady bug and butterfly keep baby’s attention. Textured leaves offer peek-a-boo play. Easel back allows mirror to be used on the floor or you can attach it to the crib with elastic. This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
Best Books for Newborns
Parents, especially new parents, are eager to begin reading to their child, but aren’t sure what books are appropriate to share with a new baby. Studies show very young babies are most captivated by black and white images. Many child-experts believe babies are better able to see and recognize shapes when they are presented in black and white. Babies love looking at stark black and white designs. This is a very educational activity for a newborn, stimulating some good brain development.
Black on White by Tana Hoban
This picture book compels parents to talk to their babies as they share the wordless pages with their little ones. Black illustrations on a white background provide high contrast for infants’ underdeveloped eyes. Soothingly familiar, silhouetted shapes, a leaf, a key ring, a bib, an elephant, will be recognized by the very young, and through these simple pictures, aspiring readers will begin to identify the link between the objects they see and the words they hear. This book is recommended for ages newborn to preschool.
White on Black by Tana Hoban
Available at Amazon.com
White on Black is an ideal first book for your newborn baby. Simple, solid white illustrations of every day objects, a banana, a duck, a horse, baby bottle and sailboat, against a black background provide high contrast for developing eyes. This wordless picture book encourages caregivers to engage the baby as they read together. This book is recommended for ages newborn to preschool.
Who Are They by Tana Hoban
Share these animals and their babies with your baby. Babies will begin to stare at the animals and their babies and in time, with the assistance of a caregiver, begin to identify them. It is never too early to look and talk together. This book is recommended for ages newborn to preschool.
Look, Look! by Peter Linenthal
Available at Amazon.comI love this sturdy little board book, full of high-contrast black and white cut-paper art perfect for staring at, just the thing for the eyes of the youngest babies. A few words in curving red type on each spread describes the scenes. Baby will love looking at children playing, fish swimming, stars shining, a car racing, a cat scratching, flowers blooming. Look Look! is the ideal first board book for babies just beginning to look and learn. This is a great book to place in front of your baby at tummy time. This book is recommended for ages newborn to preschool.