Stimulating Your Baby with Toys

At five months of age, your baby is likely to enjoy anything that he can push with his feet. He is also getting very good at reaching for objects and grabbing them. He is interested in exploring his body. He likes toys he can touch, suck on, look at and chew.

He likes to explore toys on his own, but he loves to explore them with you.


Your baby learns from playing. He likes to explore each toy just to get the feel of it. He likes to take a toy and twist it, shake it and suck on it. He likes to bang it against other objects.

Here are a few things that will help him explore himself and the world around him:

• Give your baby a roly-poly toy that comes back up when it is knocked over.
• Put pictures in his crib or carriage. Make sure the pictures are out of his reach. Hang something bright on the wall of his bedroom.
• Give him teething rings and plastic toys that are clean. Make sure his toys cannot be broken. Make sure they have no pieces that can come off.
• The toys should all be made of safe materials, because your baby will put them into his mouth. Make sure they are too large for your baby to swallow or choke on them.
• Give him a toy that is brightly colored like red or green.
• Give him toys that make a noise like a squeaky stuffed animal, or give him a ball with bells inside.
• Let him play with toys that make music. Make sure the toys are safe for him to play with or put in his mouth.

Sometimes babies are very happy playing with safe things that are not toys, like pots and pans.