Toys for baby don't have to cost anything. In fact I find Jack gets so bored with the educational toys that were given to him. Here are some toys he's enjoyed that are from our home itself.

1. Plastic bottles of different shapes, labels, sizes

a. Fill bottles with several different water levels. Let baby see how water swishes inside.

b. Buy 2 different sized (500ml and 1l) bottles with the same label. Let baby compare them.

c. Drink some water from a bottle. Let baby drink water from a bottle.

d. Let baby chew lid if he likes to.

How Jack played with this: Jack spent a lot of time chewing the lid (soothing for teething babies), patting the bottle and examining it, and comparing it to another when I offered him two. When I let him, he happily drank water from the bottle.

2. Cotton towels

a. Use them to cover your face and play peekaboo.

b. Use them to cover a toy while baby is watching and ask baby, "where's the toy?"

How Jack played with this: Jack has enjoyed playing a. since he was a month old and b. since he was 6 months.

3. Boxes of all shapes and sizes

a. Ensure boxes have no sharp edges and colour that can be removed when sucked on.

b. Put a variety of objects in the box and change them regularly. Small toys can include plastic balls, a cardboard phone, plastic rings, and small cloth dolls.

How Jack played with this: Jack was delighted with his Treasure Box and looked forward to opening it and examining the different toys inside.

Technorati: cheap toys, baby toys, motherhood, parenting