10 Items That Make Great Toys For Infants

All the expensive developmentally friendly infant toys offered today can make a visit to the nearby toy store a very frustrating experience. Parents often feel they are doing something wrong if they don’t leave the store with every book, video and interactive game they see.

If you are a parent, please do not let the prices of today’s toys discourage you. If you cannot afford to buy every single toy you see your baby is not going to grow up malfunctioned.

In fact, you can find plenty of ways to occupy your baby right at home without spending a dime. Here is in fact, 10 simple ways to keep your infant from becoming bored throughout the day:

1. Give your infant a piece of paper. You would be surprised at how long a baby can stay amused with just this one simple object. Just give your infant of paper and watch your precious one wave it around in the air. You are likely to see plenty of laughing and smiling, all because of the funny flapping sound this waving action produces. Be prepared for the infant to enjoy equally as much tearing that piece of papery it into a hundred tiny pieces.
2. Get your newborn started on the piano. Okay so the noise you might hear now may not be so joyful. However, when you stimulate the senses of your new baby with musical sounds it really helps exercise his or her brain. Later in life when your child grows up he/she may not even understand why he or she loves the piano so much, but she just does.
3. Let your child play with dishes that make noise. A good example is the use of a metal dish or some pots and pans. He or she may in fact later in life become a percussionist just from this experience!
4. Let your little one play ball. It is almost never too early to allow your newborn or infant play with a ball. You can try all kinds of ball that is not large enough to be swallowed. Inflatable balls, rubber balls, or even ping pong balls (though a little bit less safe for babies) that will not fit in the mouth are fine. Sponge balls are also fun to use and safe.
5. Make an old remote or cell phone into a toy. It especially is entertaining if it still makes sounds or lights up. It sure beats paying $20 for a toy one and it serves the same or similar function.
6. Give your baby a watch. You would be surprised at how occupied your infant will become just feeling the texture of their bands and looking into the shiny silver or gold buckles. Watches in fact have often become a fascination for infants.
7. Toilet roll tubes can make a good toy. Your infant can look into it, let it roll around on the floor (especially when your baby is able to sit up), and your baby can use it to bang against other objects. This is a very safe home “toy” and it works well-much better than other objects.
8. Entertain your baby yourself. No expensive or inexpensive toy can ever replace the love of a pant. You can pick your baby up, twirl him/her around (as long as he/she has not eaten yet), and sing to him/her. Making funny faces will also make your infant laugh for sure!
9. An empty plastic bottle may do your baby good. This, like the pots and pans, can become a percussion instrument. When your baby bangs on it a noise resonates. The round plastic bottles can also be rolled back and forth on the floor.
10. What about an old computer keyboard? Your baby may spend endless hours with this one! It is the perfect toy for the technological age. One step you can take to ensure your baby’s safety during this process is to secure the loose cable to the back of the keyboard with duct tape. Either that or you can cut the end of the chord off and put duct tape around that so your baby will not get injured or choke him or herself. You would be surprised at how much an old keyboard will come in handy!