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Your children's play is now more purposeful, and they have the fine motor skills needed to complete a puzzle or build with blocks by themselves. They'll start to enjoy pretend play that imitates the actions of people around her. They'll like high-tech toys that make real-life sounds, such as telephones that ring or dolls that talk. No matter how politically correct you are, your child will probably play in a gender-stereotypical way -- at least some of the time. A boy may use his dump truck to scoop up sand, while a girl might pretend to feed her doll and put it...
Babies are fascinated by cause and effect and will enjoy any toy that responds to their actions and makes use of newly acquired motor skills. At this age, they'll love toys that allow them to hit a ball with a hammer as well as toys with buttons that cause characters to pop up or cogs to roll. Some high-tech toys for this age will name a letter, a shape, or a number when your baby presses a button. They're too young to actually learn their ABCs, but they'll still enjoy interacting with these toys and being exposed to language. Top Toys: Stacking rings Nesting...
For the first three months, your baby isn't able to do much more than observe her surroundings. Because her vision is still blurry, she sees bright, boldly patterned items best. As your baby grows, she'll enjoy toys that engage her other senses as well. That's why so many toys are designed to promote interaction in a variety of ways: They may make a squeaking or crinkling noise, have a nubby texture, and be soft and cuddly. Infants tend to mouth toys, and textured ones can help relieve teething pain. Top Toys: Brightly colored, multipatterned crib mobiles (Note: Remove from crib once...