Can you recommend me some toys for a 4 month old please?

[NinkyNonker]

Hi there!

DD is 3 months and as such is only just starting to get into looking at/'playing with' things. We haven't really got her many toys so far as it seemed a bit silly, we have a gym thing and a stuffed toy that she lies on her belly and looks at...but nothing more stimulating than that! With Christmas coming up (she'll be 4 months by then) we want to get her a few bits (rather we know family will want to) that she will enjoy playing with.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I've seen a mobile I'd like for her (music/light projection) for when she goes in to her room at 6 months ish but not sure where to start as there are soooo many choices!

Thanks in advance.

Start basic with some household objects. My DD loved a shower scrunchie, large spoons to chew on, plastic colander, etc and bit by bit my kitchen objects spread themselves around the house. Dryer balls would make great texture balls and when she's bored with them, they'll make your towels nice and fluffy!

I don't suppose your family really want to buy her those for Christmas though! Smallish soft toys with crinkly bits, linking rings were DD's fav for ages, activity mat with hanging things, musical things with flashing lights, small plastic toys for the bath. Basically anything that's good for chewing/sucking/bashing! DD also loved hand puppets!

You could also plan ahead a little bit - she'll come on in leaps and bounds before her 1st birthday. I think DD's best present ever was a set of stacking cups. The ones she got were plastic and had holes in - they've now become bath toys and she likes working out which one empties fastest and why (size of cup, size of hole, number of holes).

Pull along toys are good, as are shape sorting things (DD had a bigger version of this kind of thing that kept her occupied for hours. She also had a shape sorter with doors that opened with keys - that one was still in favour at 3 yrs old)

We've also got a softspot for the "That's not my..." books - very tactile. They still got chosen for bed time stories sometimes, and DD reads them to her toys as well. Or any books, really.

TBH, though, up to about 2 DD was far more interested in trying to bury herself in the wrapping paper than she was in what came out of it...

I found it so difficult choosing toys at this age - but DS's favourites round about 6 months were one of those cube things (think they're now triangular in cross-section) from early learning centre, with twiddly mirror in the middle, little birly bits and cog-wheels, rattly beads in the frame, and a light up ball that played tunes (mercifully a fairly large play list, and all fairly short, so actually quite bearable as noisy toys go) from Mothercare.

I think on the whole babies are actually more interested in plastic stuff with different textures, specially if it lights up or makes a noise, than they are in the traditional cuddly toy end of things (that's more for toddlers who're getting to grips with their emotions - something that would never have dawned on me before I became a parent).

My 13 week old loves the Lamaze toys, I've hung them on her play gym and she plays for ages (she's chatting to the peacock now :-) ) they have lots of different textures, patterns, bits that can be grabbed, a smiley face, crinkles, rattley bits - everything that they love! all babies that visit us make a beeline for them. John Lewis stock them and you can order online.

I'm thinking about getting her a jumperoo for Christmas. Have seen other people recommend a walker and stacking cups also seem to be a big favourite.

DD was given a LeapFrog Baby Counting Pal for Christmas when she was 3 months and she absolutely loved it. Have since bought it for a number of friends' babies and it always seems to go down well.

She also adored the play glove from the German company Jako-o. Here:

www.jako-o.com/shop/Babies-Baby-toys-Fabric-toys-Play-glove/group/109618/product/116914/Produktdetail.productdetail.0.html

We've just bought DD 4 months the jumperoo for christmas but she'll be getting it early.
She currently loves her doorframe hanging bouncer, her crinkly cloth book and her rattle/teething toy.

I think anything with different textures and colours will hold their attention at this age especially if they cna hold it and put it in their mouth.

These have been a huge hit with DS for the last three months or so. He's 6.5mo now and just getting bored of them.

I'd also second the "that's not my..." books recommendation. The teddy and dinosaur editions are particularly well loved in our household

Thanks all, will take a look!