Gift ideas for babies and toddlers that are safe for them

When buying a present for really young children, we need to take care of quite a few aspects. 

• The first and foremost being the safety of the toy. Babies tend to mouth everything they can lay their hands on. A present for them should be large enough to avoid getting into their mouth and cause a choking hazard. 

• Again, because they tend to mouth everything, care should be taken that the toy is of good quality material. Cheap plastics are a complete no-no. Be sure that the toy does not contain any harmful materials like lead etc. 

• The other aspect to look for is the utility of the toy in the baby’s learning process. As their brains are developing at a fast pace, a toy that aids their brain development is the best one. Toys that help with motor skills, pretend play, hand-eye coordination or language skills are great choices. 

Here is a list that you can refer to next time you need to buy a gift for your own child or for someone else:

1. Board Books: Tiny tots up to 3 years of age are picking up language very fast. Gift them a set of board books and they will love to look at it again and again and again. Board books are sturdy enough to withstand mouthing in a baby’s hands.  

2. Woollen Quilt: The best gift in the newborn and infant stage is a warm quilt. A hand-knitted one adds its own style statement. Or a custom printed one will make it a keepsake for the child. 

3. Building Blocks: Large-sized blocks like Duplo, are good for improving hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills and keep little ones occupied for many hours. 

4. Push and Pull Toys: Whether it is a cute puppy or a train trudging behind your baby, pull along toys are a wonderful companion to tiny ones. Same goes for colourful push cars and vehicles. They encourage gross motor skills in a child. 

5. Puzzles: A puzzle helps improve a child’s problem solving and logical reasoning abilities. They come in various themes and help introduce new topics to a child, thereby increasing their vocabulary too. For example, while solving a numbers puzzle, the child learns about numbers. Floor puzzles made of foam double up as a play mat too. Wooden puzzles with knobs are great for small hands to hold. Simple jigsaw puzzles are good too. 

6. Ride-On Cars: Gift a child a ride-on car and watch him zoom around the house for hours on end. There are manual and electrically operated ones available in the market. They are also very safe for kids and can be taken to the nearby park also for a ride. 

Hope you will find this list useful in your next gift shopping spree. 

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