Alright mamas, let’s talk toys. I’ve spend so much money on so many toys. But which ones were really good and truly worth the money? I have selected 5 toys that are under $30 that James adores and actually are good for his social, language and motor development.
- Bubbles ($1- 10) The number one winner are bubbles. All babies love bubbles. Working as a speech therapist in a preschool, bubbles were my go to therapy tool. They are awesome for language, social and sensory development. Because they are very motivating, they are great to work on signing “more” or practicing saying “more” or “bubbles”, maintaining eye contact and reaching for bubbles. And the “pops” on the skin are a great sensory experience. The dollar tree has both scented and non scented ones. One of my mommy friends just suggested these awesome bubbles! Little-Kids-Fubbles They won’t spill, so that’s amazing!
- Balloon ($1)
The second most popular toy for us is just a simple balloon. We get them also from the dollar tree. Ever since James was 3 months old he was obsessed with playing with the ballon. We tied it to his foot or arm and he would move the balloon up and down. It’s a great activity to teach cause and effect. He was tracking the ball and now he is able to catch and throw it. So much fun!!! - Wind-Up Toys ($1-$18)
My third favorite toy and also one of my best speech therapy trick toys are wind up toys. Boy, kids looooooove them. It’s another great one to work on communication skills and eye contact. It’s great for requesting “more” and “go”. I found this great box with a variety of wind up toys. We’ve been opening one every few days. James loves them. Wind-Up Toys. - Zoom and Crawl Monster ($22.49)
The fourth toy that James is obsessed about it the Zoom and Crawl Monster. He laughs so much and is really engaged watching the balls spin. He loved putting the balls in and taking them out. It definitely keeps him busy for a bit. Once he starts crawling, this toy can be awesome. It has 2 levels. On the second level it moves around and babies can crawl after it to put the balls in. Awesome workout! Fisher Price Zoom-n-Crawl-Monster - Whats Inside Box ($29.99)
Now this one is more pricey but it’s sooo worth the money. It’s great for working on object permanence, communication and sensory skills. That is definitely one of James’ favorite toys. He can play for such a long time with it. He keeps pulling items out, chewing on them and then tossing them. We then put the items back in the box, and we repeat that many many times. Surprise-What’s Inside Box
A budget friendly suggestion is to make your own “mystery” box. I used an empty tissue box and put in it washcloths and other small toys that I could find. It works almost the same.
Hope this was helpful! Have fun trying these out. Let me know what your favorite baby toys are for 4-8 month olds.