Toy and Gift Ideas from a Pediatric PT
Toys with no batteries are beneficial for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they are often cheaper and require less upkeep. As language skills develop, they give your child more opportunities to use noises and words. They also allow more creativity with brain development, as the child learns to use the toys in new ways. Simple classic toys allowing open-ended play (ex: good ol’ fashioned building blocks) are still the best to promote general development, from physical to cognitive skills.
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All items listed should be used with proper caregiver supervision while following manufacturer guidelines.
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A great resource for any new parent is the book Retro Baby, by Anne Zachry, which is filled with ideas for toy play to promote brain and body development based on your child’s age, while using simple toys or items around your house. It was written by a pediatric OT and is a fantastic resource for ideas and information!
For the “why” behind the “what,” read Why Motor Skills Matter, by board certified pediatric PT Tara Liddle.
If we are working on infant massage together, The Little Book of Baby Massage by Jo Kellett is a great resource.
If we are addressing a high-risk situation or a neurological diagnosis, one of my favorite parent/caregiver books has recently been updated: Teaching Motor Skills to Children with Cerebral Palsy and Similar Movement Disorders.
Families with a child with Down syndrome may find this book by Steve Friedman, parent to a now-adult with DS, very informative: Essential Guide for Families with Down Syndrome: Plans and Actions for Independence at Every Stage
More coming soon!
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You can’t go wrong with simple rattles and teether toys! Lighter weight toys are easier for younger babies to grab and lift.
Tactile toys: crinkly books and soft toys, scarves, blankets of different textures (for play, not sleeping!)
Linking rings:
Booties or bracelets that make noise (to encourage arm and leg movements)
High contrast toys are very interesting for babies to look at! Wimmer Ferguson toys are great (or any toys or books using a lot of black and white)
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All you really need is the floor, but a grippy padded mat helps when baby is learning to move!
Pricier wipe-clean foam (like thick yoga mat)
Fabric-topped padded floor mat for a lower price point
Baby play gyms are not required but can be fun and useful (designated safe/hygienic play space) in the early months:
Tummy time mirror—this one by Sassy is great
For tracking, turning head right/left, and “entertainment” while on tummy (these are all also toys that will grow with your child for the next several years, through sitting, crawling, walking and running):
Pull-back vehicles like these Melissa & Doug sets: cars or construction vehicles
Other rolling toys like all. the. balls. Balls of all kinds will be useful for years to come!
Stacking rings, blocks or cups are fun for grownup to build and baby to knock down!
Various soft stacking blocks
The most genius ring stacker ever, the Fat Brain Toys Spinagain
Mary Meyer stacking items in silicone or wood
Green Toys stackers
Baby board books are fun to look at and can do double-duty as another stacking toy! Here are some classics:
To encourage reaching, swiping, and weightshifting as baby is learning to move arms during tummy time:
Fat Brain Toys Rock N Roll xylophone
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If you need baby contained, INSTEAD of getting something unadvisable like a walker, exersaucer, or jumper, consider getting a play yard. There are large pack-N-play options or mobile “fences.” Some examples:
Various styles by Regalo
Beautiful wooden options from Comfy Cubs
Music toys: baby-safe maracas, clackers, shakers, tambourines, drums.
Here are several by Melissa & Doug
Hape Pound & Tap toy or tambourine
Toys with pieces and parts that can be placed to encourage standing up, squatting down, and cruising along furniture:
Shape sorters:
Hape Shake & Match set
Green Toys shape sorter
Fisher Price shape sorter/stacker set
Fisher Price Little People sets
Ring stackers like the SpinAgain
Chunky puzzles, or puzzles with large knobs, like these from Melissa & Doug or this Montessori shapes set
To encourage crawling, rolling toys are helpful (as listed above plus a few more below):
Edushape sensory balls
Fat Brain Toys Rolio
Melissa & Doug rolling shape sorter
B Toys roly poly mirror
Montessori rolling cylinder
Fisher Price poppity turtle and dump truck
Household objects-pots/pans, food storage containers—no links, just go dig through the kitchen and recycling!
Collapsible ball pit or ball tent
Wooden indoor climbers—these are investment toys (also what I like to call “grandparent gifts!”) but can be used from once babies are learning to pull to kneeling/standing, all the way through early elementary years. They encourage pulling up, then climbing, then risk taking, all the while supporting open-ended and imaginative play!
Tiny Land 7pc Pikler climbing set
Dripex deformable Pikler set with angle-adjustable climber
This wall climber is amazing for small spaces
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Stable push toys like wooden carts, shopping carts, and ride-on combo toys with push handles. Many children enjoy pushing items already available around the home. These can include things such as a weighted laundry basket or an unopened box of diapers.
Radio Flyer makes the sturdiest wooden cart
Melissa & Doug shopping cart
Little Tikes ride and push toy
Lovevery baby doll stroller
Less supportive popper-style rolling push toys:
House and yard “helper” toys—vacuum, broom, rake, shovel:
Playground ball: challenges balance by encouraging lots of squatting/stopping/starting, takes two hands to pick up, obstructs view of feet, etc.
Outdoor options: classic playground ball to grow with baby or toddler sized soccer ball
Indoor options:
Toys to encourage standing or cruising on vertical surfaces:
Chunky toddler-safe magnets for fridge/dishwasher/file cabinet
Fat Brain Toys Squigz or Pip Squigz to stick to windows/doors/mirrors/furniture
Fat Brain Toys Suction Kupz
Static stickers or window decals…or even painter’s tape or sticky notes!
Pieces and parts toys to encourage stopping/starting and rising/lowering: shape sorter, chunky puzzle, piggy bank (see list in previous section, too!):
Learning Resources rainbow color cones
Learning Resources hedgehog
Wooden toddler activity cubes:
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A plastic Slinky is great motivation for learning to climb up and down stairs
Gymnic Rody bounce horse (much bouncier and grippier than the knockoffs)
Toddler riding toys like the Scuttlebug folding “trike” toy or the Y-bike that works well as a push toy too
Any sort of a rolling, pushing, or driving toy is great at this age to encourage stopping and starting practice with walking. Balls, cars, trains, etc—see links in sections above. And these Sassy stacking fruit vehicles are fantastic!
Pull back and go vehicles like these are great too, since they incorporate a little bit of cause-and-effect learning how to work them
Building toys are great! In addition to the developmental and cognitive benefits of using an open-ended toy for constructive play, these are great for strength and balance: lots of stooping and rising and balancing goes into creating impressive structures!
Basic wooden blocks
Large cardboard "bricks:"
Clean-up or yard work toys are great for modeling/imitation and development of balance during helper skills.
Toy vacuum
A mini Chicagoland snow shovel
Learning towers and stepstools also fuel toddler participation in household routines, from helping in the kitchen to washing hands:
Guidecraft wooden folding learning tower
Single step OXO stool that toddlers can carry/move
Create toddler play areas! Play kitchen, play toolbench, play tables and chairs. There are many options at a variety of price points.
Sturdy KidKraft kitchens have a variety of sizes and styles
Hape tool bench
For toddlers needing containment or support, cube chairs (and optional trays!) are a great option
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Three wheeled scooters are very functional for helping little legs keep up with grownups when walking around the neighborhood. It is helpful to get one that has a height adjustable handlebar.
The gold standard is the Micro Kickboard Mini Deluxe scooter
This scooter is a more affordable option
Make sure your child has a HELMET—the earlier you start this safe habit, the better! Reliable brands include Giro Scamp and Nutcase Baby/Little Nutty
Trampoline with handle—great for cold weather when kids need to burn off some energy. You can also mimic this without the $$$ of a trampoline by having a special cushion on the floor just for jumping.
Collapsible tunnels and tents are a lot of fun, and can be replicated with many household items. Have child crawl under chair legs, or between boxes/laundry baskets. Or save large shipping boxes to make houses, tunnels, cars, etc.
Easel/chalkboard—encourages playtime in standing, which can be great for kids who prefer lying down or W-sitting.
Other ideas: use chalkboard paint or whiteboard removable wallpaper to make an art area on the wall, a Post-it Easel pad to easily hang paper on the wall, or buy window markers to allow coloring on a mirror, window, or glass door.
Mr. Potato Head toys are great for working on fine motor skills, and the various pieces can also be used to encourage squatting/rising.
If chairs, blankets and cushions don’t make a fancy enough fort for your toddler, try this great fort-building kit
Scooterboard—great for crawling, pulling, pushing, riding to develop core strength, R/L coordination, and so on.
Sports games:
Any kind of ball game!
Throwing practice: beanbag toss, Velcro toss/catch set, Velcro “darts,”ring toss
Balance bikes can be a good way to work on coordination and agility, but fair warning that they “click” with some children and not with others.
Strider balance bikes are the real deal
Radio Flyer makes one as well
The Banana Bike is a more affordable option
Make sure your child has a HELMET—the earlier you start this safe habit, the better! Reliable brands include Giro Scamp and Nutcase Baby/Little Nutty
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More coming soon!
Fine motor:
Learning Resources Noodle Knockout!
Special Supplies Fun Foam colorful modeling foam
Learn to cut with scissors kits by Alex Toys and Melissa & Doug
Backyard/neighborhood basics:
Ready for a bike with or without training wheels? Learn more about how to buy the right size.
Huge Little Tikes waffle blocks for building forts!
Not a toy, but gifted museum and zoo memberships give great opportunities to work on walking endurance and functional strength (take the stairs!) in stimulating environments.
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Manipulative toys:
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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Learning Resources Snap N Learn pull-apart toys
SmartMax My First magnetic sets are super fun for toddlers and there are many compatible sets
Pop beads by Lalaboom work a variety of fine motor skills
Velcro toys:
Movement scarves—store in a Velcro/zipper pouch, empty jar, or baby wipes container
Anything Play-Doh!!!! Begin with the starter set and some extra dough
Any other toys requiring pushing/pulling:
Magnatiles (my kids still play with these at 8yrs/10yrs and counting…)
Obstacle course components:
Special Supplies stepping stones in a variety of shapes, colors and themes
Over/under hurdles kit
Inflatable “hedgehog” balance pods
Plasma Car kid-powered wiggle rider
A classic tricycle with adjustable seat by Radio Flyer (for younger children, ~2-4yrs)
A bicycle with training wheels; specs depend on size and age
For older or heavier children who need more stability, these FatWheels training wheels make a big kid bike as stable as a tricycle!
Three wheeled scooters with lean-to-turn steering:
The gold standard is the Micro Kickboard Mini Deluxe scooter
This scooter is a more affordable option
Make sure your child has a HELMET—the earlier you start this safe habit, the better! Reliable brands include Giro Scamp and Nutcase Baby/Little Nutty
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Look for toys that keep muscles "turned on" and active. Ideas include:
Seated toys that bounce or rock.
Dynamic seating for use when seated at table or desk.
Hokki wobble stool
Inflatable wiggle disc
Inflatable CanDo wedge
Indoor and outdoor climbing equipment that matches your child's age and ability. Wooden indoor climbers can be an investment (also what I like to call “grandparent gifts!”) but can be used from once babies are learning to pull to kneeling/standing, all the way through early elementary years. They encourage pulling up, then climbing, then risk taking, all the while supporting open-ended and imaginative play!
Tiny Land 7pc Pikler climbing set
Dripex deformable Pikler set with angle-adjustable climber
This wall climber is amazing for small spaces
If allowing high climbing indoors, use 2in floor mats for fall safety
Swing for indoor or outdoor use
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Coming soon!
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To provide optimal support during mealtime and snacktime, babies should have a properly fitting high chair with back and foot supports. Many of these grow with your child into a big kid chair! Adjustable options like the high chairs listed below are some of my favorites:
Keekaroo Height Right chair
Boon Grub high chair
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More coming soon!
For children wearing inserts or ankle braces, there are a variety of adaptive, easy-on shoes to choose from. Back when I started as a PT, adaptive shoes were UG-LEE but are now adorable and come in various styles and colors!
Billy brand has a variety of zipper-entry shoes ranging from high tops to running shoes.
Friendly brand also has zipper entry running shoes.
See Kai Run developed the Dean Adapt shoe a few years ago, with a Velcro entry that is easy even for toddlers who want to put on their own shoes!
Boots can be challenging. I have a few favorites, though! Boots with a flip-down front are easier to get on. Here are options at several price points:
Target always has this affordable option that works well with SMOs and AFOs and often goes on sale for under $20!
Sorel has this boot for children and toddlers
Butler’s galosh-style boots can be worn right over shoes/braces
For new walkers who want to explore the snow, Stonz booties are a great option to wear over preferred shoes/braces
