One of the best things about childhood are the toys! When choosing toys for your baby, you should remember that they should be both fun and educational. There is a wide range of toys to choose from that can make your baby squeal with joy and we will discuss many of them here in this article. Even though toys really start to get interesting once your baby reaches one year and begins to have an interest in the widely marketed "toddler"� toy market, there are till all sorts of toys that your one to 12 month old will enjoy playing with, as well as give her help with their motor skills and hand/eye coordination.

For the first year, there are basically four different stages you should consider when it comes to choosing toys that will benefit, as well as capture the interest of your baby. Here is a short list of these phases as well at each individually:

Newborns - During the first few months, before she learns to grasp objects or sit up on her own, your baby will enjoy things to look at and to listen to. Her vision will still be fuzzy at first and she'll focus on objects that are eight to 14 inches from her eyes. She will be attracted to faces - and can recognize mom and dad's faces at about one month. Soft books with high-contrast, easy to see patterns can be quite nice for your baby.

She will enjoy looking at high contrast patterns, and bright colors will be particularly easy to see. She will already have learned to appreciate sounds and music. Objects that move around slowly and make quiet music is much more interesting to your one month old than objects that are stationary and silent.

• Mobile - A mobile can be a fascinating source of visual stimuli, especially if it has high contrast in colors, moves and plays soft music. When you hang one over her crib, to get the most value out of it, hang it on the right side as that is the side they look to the most. For safety reasons, of course, make sure it is out of her reach.
• Music Box - All babies love music. A music box or a wind up musical toy would be greatly appreciated.
• Unbreakable mirror - Babies love to look at faces and while she would not realize for awhile that she was looking at her own image, she will be fascinated by it. Try to hang one where she can see it, like maybe by her changing area.
• Sound making plush toys - Plush toys that make noises when squeezed delight young children and actually help to develop her motor skills as she becomes aware that the noise occurs when she squeezes it.

3 to 6 months - Between three and six months your baby will discover how to use her hands and will be grasping and gripping everything she can get her hands on. Keep in mind that at this age anything in her hands is going to find its way into her mouth. Make sure anything you let her hold is something safe to go into her mouth and is okay to chew on. Small pieces can be a choking hazard, so be careful. Also, never attach a toy to a string or rope that could end up strangling or entrapping your baby.

Here are some recommended toys:

• Plush toys - This is the age when children begin to develop attachments to these little stuffed friends. Be careful however, when choosing a stuffed animal that there are no small parts that could come off and choke your baby or poke her in the eye. As a rule, avoid any toy that has any part that your baby could yank off and stuff into her mouth. Read labels that pertain to recommended ages.
• Rattles - Baby rattles have always been, and always will be a favorite toy as babies love to make noise. Maybe try to sing to you baby and keep time with the rattle. Your baby will love it.
• Play Gym - For a baby who is still in the horizontal position most of the day, this is a rack that comes with dangling toys or from which you can hang your own. These "activity center"� type toys have objects that baby can spin, grasp, push, pull, and otherwise manipulate, yet remain attached to a central console.
• Colorful teething rings - These are great for gnawing on when her gums are sore. Some of these contain fluid that cools when your store them in the fridge and can provide cooling relief when your baby really needs it.
• Squeaky rubber toys - Baby's love anything they can grip and squeak. These are perfect bath toys.
• Baby books - It's never too soon to start to read to your baby. You can actually start before your baby is born. "Board books"� and the puffy air type are popular.

6 to 9 Months -At this point your baby is starting to become more and more active and will play more intensely and for longer periods of time than before. You could call this the "banging stage."� She will pick everything up and bang it. She will love making a ruckus as she will pick up objects and bang them together just to see what kind of sound it will make. While she is being rather rambunctious, she is also developing fine motor skills. The toys your child has should reflect this stage of development.
Your baby is beginning to understand that even if she can't see an object that it is still there somewhere. If you hide something in front of her, she will realize that it is hidden and will look for it. This is a good time to introduce the game of "hide and seek."�

• Activity board - These are similar to the "Play Gyms"� mentioned earlier. Many babies love these toys that can be tied to the side of the crib. They are made up of parts that spin and twirl and twist, giving your baby an opportunity to practice her "eye-hand"� coordination. She also is becoming aware that she can make things happen to objects - so poking, twisting, shaking, squeezing, dropping and opening things will all fascinate her.
• Plush toys - Soft, cuddly toys are particularly interesting to your baby at this point. You will want to avoid toys that have parts that can come off, or wire portions that could poke your baby. Again, as a rule, avoid any toy that has any part that baby could yank off and stuff into her mouth. Follow labels that pertain to recommended ages.
• Balls - Babies love to play with balls of all sizes. One fun game is to sit and roll a ball back and forth to each other.
• Wood or soft plastic blocks - Show your baby how to stack a few blocks and then knock them down. Pile blocks in to containers, and then dump them out. She will be delighted with both games and will catch on quickly. She will especially enjoy the destructive part about knocking down and dumping out. She could do this all day!
• Books - At this stage, reading becomes more interactive and fun for both of you. Cloth or board books work well now. You can read the book to your baby and then she can play with it when you are done. She will mimic your motions and "Read"� the book to you just like you did for her.

9 to 12 months - When babies reach nine to twelve months, they are usually pretty mobile and can make their way around the room one way or another. Some will be crawling, some cruising, and other are already taking their first steps as they enter the toddler stage.

Objects in your baby's life are no longer simply objects, but a baby will be able to distinguish what different objects are and how they are used for play. She also is more interested in interactive play and problem solving can be a fun thing for baby to do. Here are some toys for this age bracket.

• Push toys - These are toys that your toddler can push around the room. She is not quite ready for "pull toys"� which require more coordination of looking back and to walk backwards.
• Shape sorters - These are toys that require your baby to sort through shapes and solve problems. These will occupy your baby for hours on end and will help to teach important skills for differentiating shapes and colors and hone problem-solving skills.
• Balls - While introduced earlier, these will continue to be loved for a long time and will be a staple item in your toy box.
• Sandbox items - Sandbox type toys like buckets and shovels and anything that involves filling up and dumping out of various shapes and sizes are perfect for a baby this age.
• Toy telephone or computer - Babies are the greatest at mimicking what they see and they surely see you talking on the phone and surfing the computer. Try a play cell phone that rings and a toy laptop that makes beeping computer noises.
• Books - Pop-up books and books that encourage interactivity will be interesting to your baby at this age.
• Blocks - Blocks will be a popular toy for your child for a long time to come. There are many choices - wooden, Lincoln logs, big style Lego's and bristle blocks just to name a few. Make sure they are big enough not to be a choking hazard.