First Year Toys for Babies

A well-respected and establish product line based in the UK, Galt has recently become available in the US, ideal for parents looking for the latest in educational and developmental toys and gifts. The Galt line of educational and developmental toys began in 1961. Galt produces and sells quality toys which meet the needs of all stages of child development from 0-10 years. Galt products are designed to be fun and to encourage learning through play. Traditionally the company is associated with art, craft and activity products. The collection of First Year Toys for babies is perfect for parents looking for the perfect age-appropriate toys. Post contains affiliate links. It just means I make a small commission if you make a purchase through any of my links. There is no additional cost for you. 

Galt just launched The Galt Toys Dr. Miriam collection, a collaboration with parenting guru Dr. Miriam Stoppard. This collection of First Year toys for babies and toddlers consists of 21 wooden, plastic, and soft toys designed to encourage learning through play with each toy offering a host of engaging features for little hands and minds to explore. The collection includes traditional favorites such as the stacking rings, pull along puppy, and activity kitten.

I was delighted to review the line by Dr. Miriam Stoppard and some of the other Galt products. I’m always looking for fun yet educational products for both of my kids. My daughter is at the age where she can absorb everything. She is mimicking and repeating everything she hears. My son started Kindergarten this year and is learning essential math skills as well as reading.

Collection of First Year Toys for Babies

Pull Along Puppy by Dr. Miriam

The Pull Along Puppy was the perfect toy for my daughter. She had a ton of fun wheeling him around and playing with his springy tail. Dr. Miriam includes a guide on how to play with this toy. She suggests, “keeping up a running commentary on what you’re doing”. For example, “This is your Puppy, a baby dog. Dogs go WOOF, WOOF”. Can you believe my daughter started says, “WOOF, WOOF” right away.

Miriam also includes a section on what the toy is teaching your baby.

• Conceptual thinking
• Memory
• Naming
• Balance and muscle coordination
• Independence
• Feelings and emotions
• Speech

I asked Ciara to give her puppy a kiss and I caught her just as she was puckering up her lips! I thought it was the perfect picture! She adores her little dog.

Baby Puzzles – Farm and Jungle

The baby puzzles by Galt are perfect for introducing matching and pairing. My daughter wasn’t sure what to do with the puzzles but I kept showing her the pieces that went together. I think with daily puzzle activities she’ll start to familiarize herself with the different pieces and what goes together. She was however able to identify some of the animals by saying, “Moo” or “oink, oink”.

The puzzles are nice and sturdy – perfect for little hands. To help her learn more I told her what each of the animals are, where they lived, and what sound they made. She tried repeating all the names and the sound. I know with more practice she will increase her vocabulary quickly. Big brother was nice enough to help her figure out the different puzzle pieces. ♥

Jungle Pals Skittles by Galt

The cute toddler-friendly bowling pin set was a hit with my daughter. The set includes 6 pins numbered 1 through 6 and one soft ball with a jingle bell inside. Every time the ball rolls the jingle bell rings. I love that they were colorful and had cute little animal heads. One of the great things about the Jungle Pals Skittles is that it is machine washable! My daughter had them all over the floor – she dragged them and rolled them all over the floor. I was happy to see that I could toss them in the washer if they got dirty.

Whatever Next by Galt

The Whatever Next board game was so much fun to play with my son! The board game is great at encouraging kids imaginations. “The acting, singing, laughing, hopping, crawling, jumping game for the whole family!”

The game can be played with 2-6 players. Depending on which color you land on once the dice is rolled will determine what color card you pick up. If you land on blue you pick up one of the blue cards, if you land on red you pick up one of the red cards or if you land on the pink spot you pick up a pick card. The blue cards are the “Pretend to…” which will ask things like “Pretend to take a photograph” or “Pretend to be a robot”. The red cards are the “Can you…” which will ask things like, “Can you clap your hands behind your back 5 times?” or “Can you crawl on your hands and knees around the room?” We laughed a lot and it was great to see my son do things he thought he wasn’t capable of. The game helps children to use their imaginations and encourages co-operative play.

Farmyard Frenzy by Galt

The perfect board game for my little Kindergarten. “Round up the farm animals in this fun addition and subtraction game.” My son so far has only learned addition but it was a great introduction to subtraction. He needed help every time he landed on a subtraction box but by the end he started to get the hang of it. The game makes it fun to learn. A different approach than just sitting down and looking at numbers. It is a great way to reinforce those math skills he is learning in school. It made him so happy to see that he was able to add with no help from mommy or daddy.

Who’s ready for a giveaway? GIVEAWAY ENDED.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. All opinions stated here are my own.