Age 7 to 12 Months

All Toys

Infants 7 to 9 months interested in longer and more extensive exploration of toys. Infants of this age like to:
- Bang
- Insert
- Poke
- Twist
- Squeeze
- Drop
- Shake
- Bite
- Throw
- Open and shut
- Empty and fill
Infants 10 to 12 months show beginning interest in object mastery and like many objects to explore. Infants of this age like:
- Stacking.
- Putting in and taking out.
- Fitting one object into another.
- Opening and closing.
- Pressing levers.
- Turning things (not unscrewing yet).
- Push balls and cars.
Generally, infants in this age range are interested in:
- operating simple mechanisms.
- containers and the container/contained relationship.
- appearing and disappearing objects.
As at earlier ages infants enjoy producing effects by their own actions:
- Safe for mouthing.
- Non-toxic materials.
- No sharp points or edges.
- Nonbreakable; no glass or brittle plastic.
- No small parts to be lodged in throat, ears, nose.
- No parts to entrap fingers, toes, hand.
- No long strings.

Push and Pull Toys
- Push toys without rods (simple cars, animals on wheels or rollers).
Ride-On Toys - not suited to age group
Outdoor and Gym Equipment
- Infant swings (with adult supervision).
- Soft low climbing platform for crawlers.
Sports Equipment
- Transparent balls
- Chime balls
- Flutter balls
- Action balls
All balls given to this age group should be at least 1 and 3/4 inches (44 millimeters) in diameter; however, if any object appears to fit easily in the child’s mouth, keep it away from the child).

Construction Toys
- Soft blocks.
- Rubber blocks.
- Rounded wood blocks.
Puzzles - from about 10 months:
- Brightly colored, lightweight crib and playpen puzzles (2 to 3) pieces
Pattern-Making Toys - not suited to age group
Manipulative Toys
- Teethers
- Light sturdy cloth toys
- Toys on suction cups
- Small, hand-held manipulables.
- Disks/keys on rings
- Squeeze/squeak toys
- Roly-poly toys
- Activity boxes and cubes
- Pop-up boxes (easy operation)
- Containers with object to empty and fill
- Large rubber or plastic pop beads
- Simple nesting cups
- Stacking ring cones (few rings and safe stick)
- Graspable (unbreakable) mirror toys which can be held and played with
Children lose interest in crib gyms and toys suspended above when he/she can sit up and move about (crib gyms can create a strangulation hazard; stop using when child can push up on hands and knees at about 5 months of age)
Dressing, Lacing, Stinging Toys - not suited to age group
Sand and Water Play Toys:
- Activity boxes for bath
- Simple floating toys

Musical Instruments
- Rubber or wood blocks that rattle or tinkle.
Art and Craft Materials - from about 12 months
- Large paper.
- Large crayons for scribbling.
Audio-Visual Equipment (Adult Operated)
- Records, tapes, or CDs (simple songs, lullabies, music with simple rhythms).
- Music boxes

Dolls
- Soft baby dolls, soft-bodied dolls, or rag dolls - all with molded (not loose) hair.
Stuffed Toys
- Small plush animals.
- Music box animals (operated and monitored for safety by adults).
- Grab-on soft toys.
- Big soft toys for hugging and roughhousing.
Puppets
- Soft hand puppets - child may handle but must be operated by adults.
Role-Play Materials
- Low mounted mirrors (large, unbreakable) to see self sit, creep, crawl, etc.
Play Scenes (Including Small Figures) - not suited to age group
Transportation Toys
- Simple push cars (one-piece).
Projectile Toys - not suited to age group

Note: Some Children enjoy "Lap Reading" (being read to) from this age onward. When adult-held, paper picture books are appropriate.