Saturday, June 19, 2010

Things To Keep In Mind When Purchasing Top Toys For Children

The first few years of a boy's life are important. These usually are years of development and learning. She or he needs to develop many skills and concepts at an early age. The reason why it is very important for them to learn these skills and concepts the first few years is because this is the time when their brains are developing neuron connections and processes.

It is not surprising that these past few decades educational toys, videos, and books have slowly gotten preferred among the parenting population. Little kid's minds need some form of stimulation which these toys for babies claim to give. Also, toys are children’s initial lessons on sharing and imagination.

However, it is also important to remember that not all toys are created equal. Every toy has its own advantages, disadvantages, and purpose. Even if the toy is consistently included in a list of toys, it does not necessarily mean that it will be suitable for your kid.

Below are a few of the common things you must keep in mind when choosing from the many top toys available in the market today:

* Age-appropriateness. One of the first things you ought to consider when buying toys is the age-appropriateness of the toy. Consistently being at the top toys list of the store does not necessarily mean that it will be appropriate for your youngster. Most toys include a note or a label indicating the suggested age for the toy which can be used as an excellent guide in choosing toys that are age-appropriate for your kid.

* Safety. Not all toys are safe for kids. Sad to say, there are several toy suppliers that don’t necessarily consider what will be safe or not when creating and producing these top toys. Safety is often factored in with the age-appropriateness of the toy. Toys that are made to be used by toddlers should pose no choking hazards such as removable small parts, strings, etc. For children below three years of age, you should also check if the toy has very small parts and any cable or string on the toy should not be longer than seven inches to avoid risks of strangulation. Also, regardless of the age of the kid, it's important that the toy is lead-free.

* Batteries. A lot of toys included in most top toys list use batteries. For children under three, make sure the compartment for the batteries is secured by a screw.

* Interest. It doesn't matter how age-appropriate a toy is for your child or how safe it is, your child might not benefit from it if it does not appeal to his or her interest. Even toys that are consistently on top toys lists address a particular skill or interest of a child. For children less than a year old, toys that encourage exploration using their eyes and ears, colorful, and textured, are excellent. For toddlers, the top toys to give them are toys that target to develop gross motor skills and fine motor skills are preferred.

* Variety. Even though it is important to provide toys that appeal to your child’s interests, skills, and abilities, it is essential to provide a variety of toys so that your child will also encourage different skills.

* Fun. There are some toys that target the development of the child but tend to be too tedious for the child, reducing the fun factor for the kids. Encourage toys that are fun to play with alone and also toys that are fun to play with someone else.

* Research. Keep yourself updated with new toys and more importantly, with product recalls. Some manufacturers recall products once in a while for a variety of reasons. It is important to learn about these toys so that you don’t make the mistake anymore of buying them or you can return them if your child already has them.

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