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Original poster

Baby toys- what has your baby's best toy been?

64 replies

whizzyrocket · 12/09/2011 15:33

Hey there,

I'm due my first baby (a boy) in 8 weeks time but have yet to buy him a single toy. I've had a bit of a look at mothercare's website just now and have come away feeling rather uninspired. I know he'll probably be given plenty but if you were going to recommend a particular type of baby toy what would you choose? What does your baby enjoy?

Thanks

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Beaurevage · 12/09/2011 20:53

Agree with the links as they're easy for a baby just learning how to grab. Also the Manhatten Toys skwish! There is always a part of it that my DS can grab onto and also put in his mouth to explore. But really up until about three months he didn't need / want very much at all. Just something to stare at - hence the activity gyms are a good long lasting purchase

notcitrus · 12/09/2011 20:53

Cloth book for hanging on the pushchair - great for tactile and chewy entertainment when older but also means you can recognise your buggy!

Baby gym for somewhere to put baby when not in bouncy chair or on me - £10 off Ebay.

Stacking cups and shape sorter are classics for after 6 months.

SoftSheen · 12/09/2011 21:00

Lamaze Freddie the Firefly

JellyCat Tiny Hoopy Loopy Monkey

festivalwidow · 13/09/2011 10:24

Cloth books - DD loved hers so much she had one as a comforter when starting nursery.
Another vote for the baby gym and bouncy chair.
A door bouncer was a life saver at 6 months when my arms were getting sore.

boognish · 16/09/2011 23:34

The best value thing I ever got my DS (and you'll find everyone else has them too and says how great they are) is Lamaze Freddie the firefly. I bought him just thinking he'd be a good pram toy when DS was about 8 weeks, but when you flap his wings he's absolutely fascinating to babies - well, DS still loves him, cuddles him and spends ages feeling him and looking at him now at over 6ms. At about £8, that's excellent value.

HipHopOpotomus · 17/09/2011 00:25

Dd loves the Manhattan ball thing made out of wood and elastic. The sliding balls make a lovely sound, and she can grab it very easily (4 months)

BrawToken · 17/09/2011 00:28

Agree with Jareth - Sophie the giraffe is ace after about 3 months when they can get a good hold of it.

Jergens · 17/09/2011 07:42

Lamaze's Freddie the Firefly.
She's now 10 months. Her favourite toys are empty water bottle with dried lentils, pack of baby wipes, my ID badge for work and an empty bottle of contact lens solution!

Kiwiinkits · 18/09/2011 00:10

My DD absolutely LOVED her mirror from 1 - 7 months. Would play with it for hours. It was a bendy-plastic mirror that was easy for her to lift.

Also, connected colourful rings that she could shake.

Both v. cheap.

moomsy · 18/09/2011 19:24

Mine is a week old. I had a few teddies myself (!!) which are now in my daughter's nursery room and she loves staring at them for ages ... as long as they are placed close enough.

Right by the changer, there is a raindear which she loves staring the whole time we change / clean etc.

I also didn't buy any toys but now I can see what she is like, I ordered a play gym and a mobile for the cot which I am sure will keep her entertained.

I was given those chair rocker with music and vibrations but she doesn't seem to like it too much :(

To save money you can always get those on ebay as there are loads of people selling play gyms there.

Yama · 18/09/2011 19:28

For the older baby:

www.amazon.co.uk/LeapFrog-Learn-Groove-Musical-Table/dp/B000EIV1RO

Both my dd and ds loved this for a very long time.

Christobel51 · 18/09/2011 19:43

My baby ( 16 weeks) is fascinated by two large feathers, one bright red one bright yellow.
And the links are great... just starting to hold onto and chew.
Also, the Manhattan toys Winkel. Just the right size for her hands to hold, light weight and soft and squidgy.

www.manhattantoy.com/product/0/200930/_/Winkel.

Also, the ELC, Mr Caterpillar..... squeaks, rustles, has a bell and has lots of colours.

moosemama · 18/09/2011 19:44

Without a doubt, dd's favourite toy way the Tiny Love Spin Ball. It was given to her as a gift when she was born and she used to love lying on her playmat and kicking it between her heels while I rolled it back to her if she kicked it out of her reach - she love the clicking noise it made.

When she was a bit older, she was fascinated by the mirrored inside and moving segments and spent hours happily flapping it around and evenutally passing it from hand to hand. She's two and a half now and still plays with it with her big brothers, by rolling it from person to person across the living room floor.

She also has a Manhattan Toys skwish - which has actually been passed down through all three of my dcs and the oldest is now 9 - was loved by all three and still in perfect condition.

A plastic mirror is always a popular one as well. Mine all loved the baby books with lots of baby faces in and a mirror in the back.

Other than that, I second Ikea for great basics, dd loved their stacking cups, which only cost £1.00 and still has them in the bath now.

Oh - and she had a Sophie the Giraffe as well, but it didn't hold her attention for long and wasn't a favourite.

Janoschi · 18/09/2011 23:16

I got a baby gym for £4.50 from my local charity shop last month and my DD now enjoys it a lot. Hated lying on playmats though until she got to 3 months. Also bought her a little wooden tiger on wheels which has lots of multicoloured beads threaded on to plastic-coated loopy wires... sounds weird but her face lit up when she saw it. Cost £2. And a little wooden mouse made of coloured beads and bells threaded on elastic. That cost £1 from a charity shop. She doesn't have any new toys at all but she's happy so you don't need to spend a fortune. Oh, and she loves anything with a swinging action - ie a hammock.

Flowerista · 18/09/2011 23:20

Stacking cups for Christmas.

Try a mother & baby group sale for playmats, you'll pick up great bargains and they can all be washed.

mmmerangue · 19/09/2011 12:01

I got a fairly simple gym for half price making it only £20 it was a BARGAIN. Especially good in the first few weeks before they lift their head although DS is a roller and therefore got bored with the edges stopping him, pretty quickly!

His favourite things are textures he loves cellophane inside toys, anything crackly, shiny, or soft. Big fan of crisp packets & mummy's dressing gown...
The favourite thing we've bought him is probably his Loopy Loops from ELC (teething/rattle toy combined), a cheap plastic noisemaker from the garden centre that sort of 'whoops' when you shake it hard enough, and a hungry caterpillar cot toy. A friend had another ELC starter toy, just bright plastic chain links, that DS was dying to take away from his wee friend at the end of the playdate!

SaffronCake · 20/09/2011 01:08

I expect this one has come up, so I wont bang on about it, I'll just say...

Freddy The Firefly by Lamaze.

I don't think you'll regret it.

sleepywombat · 20/09/2011 01:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Athrawes · 21/09/2011 10:47

Lamaze Firefly
Stacking cups
Peg basket
Pebbles
Mud
Leaves
Poo
Tiny wee bits of gravel in the gutter

Started so well...

Iamjustthemilkmachine · 21/09/2011 23:06

Water bottles
Cardboard
Cat bowls
oh, and plastic bags, but we do try and keep them out of reach.

saintcatling · 23/09/2011 11:36

Another vote for Lamaze Firefly and also Sophie the Giraffe now that baby has teeth coming. But her most favourite toy is my iPhone which has been licked and shoved in her mouth, she did manage to phone my local beautician too. Think that was a hint...

TeddyBare · 23/09/2011 11:55

Dig out the Christmas lights and set them on that annoying twinkly settling. It kept both my dc amused for ages. I also made mobiles out of baubles and bells and stuff which they both enjoyed. I don't think I had any baby toys for them until they were about 6 months. I know this probably makes me a terrible mother, but actually I think it's a good idea to save the money and get something which they will get more enjoyment from later.

TeddyBare · 23/09/2011 12:03

I've thought of another thing mine loved. We have a very large unbreakable mirror which I put next to them. They love looking at themselves. At about 3 months dd also became obsessed with a cat toy which was a ball with a bell in it. She loved having it rolled around near her.

thesurgeonsmate · 23/09/2011 12:09

Links, yes, are essential. They can make other toys work for a tiny baby - "Can't reach the dangling bits of your baby gym? Here let me add some links." "Swingin bouncy chair bits a bit big for your tiny hands? Here, linky link." "You're finding it tricky to keep your toys in your pram, you say? Since you mention it, I've got some links right here." They also make the most satisfactory first rattle - grabbable and with a good noise - just link a couple in a bunch and rattle away. I still carry mine in my handbag for sorting and stashing games when we're out, and I'm sure the fun only increases when the baby actually learns to link them!

minicooper1982 · 20/10/2011 14:05

Did you manage to find any toys for your new baby? You could visit the nursery and baby products section of my site, there are loads of great, ethical products for newborns.
www.amoruk.co.uk

Best Wishes with your new baby x