When you pick out toys for an infant, keep in mind what he will be doing with them. From the third month on, your baby will take any toy, or anything he can reach and explore it. How does your baby explore an object? He grasps it, feels it, looks at it, perhaps bangs it against the floor, and invariably brings it to his mouth and sucks on it.

Until he can move on his own, you are the filter through which your baby explores the world. He cannot explore anything unless you bring it to him. To encourage your baby’s exploration, give him toys and other objects that have varying textures, shapes, weights, colors, sounds, and even smell, such as plush toy animals.

Because everything is new to him, your baby will have fun with almost anything you give him. Just make sure that what you give your baby is safe. This means no sharp edges, no glass objects, and nothing toxic. Introduce new objects for your baby to play with one at a time. Your baby can only focus attention on one thing at a time anyway. If you spread out a wide selection of stuffed toy animals, your baby won’t know which to choose.

Different babies have different personalities, so a rattle that appeals to one baby might not interest another at all. Indeed, your own baby’s mood may change from day to day-or even hour to hour. So just because your baby enjoyed playing with a fuzzy rattle stuffed toys online yesterday doesn’t mean it will capture his attention today. Even if your baby usually likes bouncing up and down on your knees, the game will lose its appeal whenever he’s tired or hungry. You may therefore need to adjust your play to your baby’s changing moods.

Whenever you introduce a new toy or game, carefully watch the way your baby responds to it. Let him help you get to know him better and recognize and appreciate his likes and dislikes. By tuning in to his reactions, you will know whether your baby enjoys a particular toy, game, or kind of play.