best toys for 5 month old?

[ilovegenehunt]

Hi
Suddenly aware I dont have many toys for my now 5 month old. Was given a lot of stuff for when she is a bit older and shes had some stuff now from newborn but aware that she should be playing with some other toys now. Any idea on what is best for this age group? a lot of the guidance on ages on toys is very broad and dont want to waste money on things that wont last 2 mins.
She is having to wear a brace on her hip at the moment which is restricting her from sitting on her own although she can hold her head up and sits fine in her bouncy chair etc.
Shes had a playmat from birth etc and she loves her lamaze emily doll its her favourite and has been for months but want to go and buy some new things but just wondering what goes down well with other parents kids. Bought a door bouncer but she cant use it due to her brace. What are the baby walkers like - any good reviews? was thinking of buying one in another months time when her brace comes off.

One of the best things I have had for mine has been one of the inflatable "Nest" like doughnuts, with an inflatable inner ring and a washable cover with things to chew/pull/look at, might be worth considering if her movement is a bit restricted at the mo. Ikea do really good, and very cheap, stacking cups which can be stacked, obviously, nested, filled with water or sand, chewed, filled with allsorts, invaluable at something like £1.89. And simple books - join your library, take her along to sing-a-along if they have one too.

OOh and musical instruments, maracas and drums, amything that she can begin to shake or bang and get a response from.

The ikea cups are probably the most played with toy DS has and have been since about that age. Apart from that he loved a rattle, some shoe inserts, dads sock and a toblerone paper wrapper.

He has grown into a lot of his toys now too. He couldn't use them for their full potential at 5 months but he could bat them about and grab them.

Walkers aren't great if they spend too much time in them so we avoided them. DS had a load of boxes and low tables to pull himself up on and push about, which he loved.

thanks lovecheese my hubby already improvised with the drums with an empty can of SMA and chopsticks! seemed to go down well so will carry on with the musical theme i think! good idea about the nest will have a look thankyou

i think we were given some stacking cups actually so will dig them out if they are popular! just so much stuff out there isnt there you wonder if youve not got enough to entertain them, but like you say often they are interested in things that arent toys! she likes playing boo with her muslin cloth at the moment!

I have a five month old also. Only recently got out DS1's old baby toys (gave them a good wash first) and baby seems to like bright coloured rattle toys with diferent textures and also soft/fabric books. Wouldn't worry too much about what toys you give your DD, as long as they are bright and can be easily held/chewed/burped-up on . DS1 never had a walker as my mother always thought they hindered walking but my sister-in-law has used one for all 4 DCs and they don't seem to have had any problems. As your DD is wearing a brace if would probably be best to check with your health visitor/consultant whether or not they are suitable.

Hope this helps.

thanks all for the responses, i did query the walker with the consultant and he said it was just the doorbouncers they dont recommend as it encourages them to stand on their tiptoes or something.
has anybody any experience with the entertainment stations? they are pricey at around £70 but if it meant i could do some things around the house for 20 mins or so might be money well spent

Oh for 20 mins peace to get things done! Surely that's worth the money .

Lamaze Freddy the Firefly was what my boy liked best, and anything similar.

Also something like a whoozit, or plastic links, any kind of colourful thing they can grab and explore.

not sure it would be 20 mins peace as the one i looked at has got piano keys, drums and a disco ball on it! 20 mins of being entertained without me though i reckon £70 is probably a bargain!

We were given one of those station things. DS does love it but I only get 10 minutes if that before he wants out. He does now love cruising round the outside of it though playing with all the bits which entertains him for longer. I have to be a bit more alert as he can wander off from it but I can do other things.

Not sure they are worth £70. If I was spending that I would get one of those wire things with beads on and attach lots of toys to it for him to play with. Not contained but, as I said, DS always wants out before long.

hmm thanks skiing this is exactly why ive wondered about spending so much if they are bored with it easily. just so many things out there and like everyone else dont want to spend loads on stuff that lasts 5 mins when money is tight! might have a look on ebay..!

Might not be approved of by doctors but my DS adores his jumperoo and would spend hours in there if I let him (I don't!) Seriously pricey when new but we got ours pretty cheaply from ebay.

Other than that, he likes anything he can put in his mouth - soft comforters and muslins are favourites, but he is starting to be more interested in rattles, teethers etc. Anything he can grab and hold is popular too, like dangly toys.

we bought our DS a jumperoo at about 5 months old. BEST PURCHASE EVER. it was really expensive but worth every single penny (we paid £80 but i've seen them on ebay for about £40 now). My DS played in this for 20 min stints multiple times a day, and when he started to cruise he'd use the toys but from the outside of the play station.
it takes up quite a lot of space but can be dismantled easily. My DH used to take it into the kitchen and do the washing up while DS played in it (i know DH doing the washing up, how awesome).
The Jumperoo has several height settings so you can make sure your DC has their feet firmly on the floor so it doesn't encourage tiptoeing. (My DS learned to walk at 12 months and has never had problems with walking even though he spent about 6 months of his life in a jumperoo)
A couple of my other friends also bought jumperoos around the same time and all swore by them.

We finally dismantled the jumperoo when DS was about 11 months because he was getting too strong and was leaning on it to try and walk.

Mine is 5 and a half months. She adores her Lamaze Freddy The Firefly, she has a Fisher Price Rainforest Jumparoo too which she likes and will sit in nicely for ages while I do things.

What I have noticed with her though is that most toys have a short shelf life. She is interested in them for a while, but then if ou swap it with soething else is is all fresh with amazement again. She likes anything with strong patterns, bright colours and/or sounds. Especially if it also has lights or if it can be chewed. So that'd be most of what Lamaze make then! She mostly prefers soft toys at the moment. She has a Manhatten Winkel too which she likes but drops a lot, that is about the only liftable hard toy she takes an interest in.

thanks all will have a look at the jumperoo, ive looked into them before and wondered about the tiptoeing thing and her dodgy hip.. i might invest once she gets the (hopefully) all clear from the hospital in a few weeks.
I think the lamaze Emily doll is going to be a firm favourite for a good while yet its the one she keeps going back to, and also a lamaze flower that lights up and giggles or plays a tune when you hit it - annoys the hell out of DH

ooh yes - GPs bought the lamaze flower light for DD who is just 4 months and she thinks it's utterly wonderful - it's the first thing she's got a big reaction from grabbing. This after graduating from the lamaze wrist rattle with a bee on. Also very keen on book of baby giggles from M&S - one of the babies has a laugh a bit like a chicken which appears to have rubbed off!

Good thread: we are just thinking about new toys too.

Wrist rattles are another one. God I sound like the Lamaze company rep and I'm sorry but... my sister bought me this Lamaze discovering shapes crib gallery and DD (5.5 months) wont leave it alone, she loves it. It's what I'm going to buy for anyone who gets pregnant in my social circle any time soon. I would never have bought it in a million years but you should see DD play with it!

The Lamaze wrist rattles don't fit chunky 5 month olds like my DS.