Aaron Said:

What are the best baby toys?

We Answered:

I am a speech therapist and we always recommend toys that make noise. Ones that name colors or letters and such are really good b/c they also help them learn. Books that read or make noise are really good also. Toys that sing nursery rhymes are also great b/c with the repetition kids learn the songs.

Lillian Said:

what are the best learning toys?

We Answered:

I agree leapfrog is excellent. Most toys for children that age provide some sort of learning. You could also go with the tried and true...Fisher Price and Play Skool. Although, they are not always branded as learning...they do allow imaginative play that is lost with so many of the technical toys.

Nora Said:

What are some good toys to help a baby learn to talk?

We Answered:

I so agree.... reading to a child, routinely-not just every now and then, is the best way to get a child to speak more. I know your not his mom and probably aren't with him enough to do that.

My son was a late talker too (or so I thought), he only had like 10 words at 18/19 months. Once they get going though...they talk non-stop! He's 2 1/2 now, forming sentences, little phrases, asking questions...it's amazing how much his vocabulary grows. We read to him all the time. We also sing a lot of songs. For example, he loves the movie "cars" and has been obsessed by it for almost a year now. This movie has a GREAT soundtrack and we sing it all the time. Singing together is also a good way to build his speaking abilities.

I wouldn't worry too much yet.... I know lots of kids (mine included) who did talked much until after 23/24 months.

Kathy Said:

What are some good baby learning dvds/toys/music?

We Answered:

I actually Tried the baby einstein on my oldest daughter at about 4 months and she loved them. They play a lot of classical music and she payed attention to them. They use a lot of bright colors and figures. One of the best in my opinion. I also used some of the leap frog toys. They sing, do the alphabet and make froggy noises. You can find a lot of leap frog and baby einstein stuff at Target or Baby's R Us.

Dolores Said:

Baby learning videos...?

We Answered:

They're all junk. Don't fall for the marketing hype; television is NOT good for babies. If you want to encourage her intellectual development, talk to her, read to her, sing to her. Make faces at her. Stick your tongue out. Tell her what you're doing while you're making a sandwich. Anything that involves you interacting...

YOU are going to be her favourite, and most educational, toy for quite some time.

"TV watching "rewires" an infant’s brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school....

How much TV should I let my baby watch?

No child under age two should watch television at all, the Academy of American Pediatrics advised in 1998. Doctors blame TV for increasing aggression and obesity in children, now they add ADHD risk to early TV use."

http://www.whitedot.org/issue/iss_story.…

Vernon Said:

Do you often find yourself Humming one of your baby's toys tunes and you can't get rid of it?

We Answered:

YES.
Her little play mat. It has kind of keyboard keys that play little tunes.
They get stuck in my head for hours.
I'll be doing dishes and humming a song, and my hubby's like.."what song is that?"
And I just laugh..

And even though she's not old enough to understand tv and cartoons technically, I still have them on in the background while she's playing.
So now I find myself with Bob the Builder and stuff in my head.

Good times..

Andrew Said:

What are the best learning toys for babies?

We Answered:

A good playmat is a wonderful thing. There are a lot of them out there.

Books are always a good idea. You will love it when he gets a little older and starts to look at the pictures with you.

There are two things that my son has that he loves and they are great learning toys for him as well.

The first is penguin bowling. Each penguin has a number. Right now at 6 months old, we just call the penguin by the number and he uses them as stuffed animals.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d…

The second is the Vtech Explore and Learn Helicopter. The parenting magazine that I get had it on their list of best toys for the year as well. It has numbers, music, a mini piano, animal sounds. 2 months might be a little early for it unattended. It is recommended for a year and up, but it has a lot of great things there.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.d…