Free Baby Toys You Already Have Around The House

After having a baby for 8 months now, I have learned many things. One of which is that you don’t need to buy toys for your baby.

Baby toys are a 2.8 million dollar market, with all of them claiming to make your baby into the next genius. The problem is, there is not yet a toy on the market that has been scientifically proven to make children smarter. Even the belief that listening to Mozart increases IQ has not been able to be replicated in further studies.

I have not purchased any toys for my baby, and while he has some that have been gifted from friends and family, if he didn’t, I am convinced he would be okay. There are so many objects that you probably have around your house that make excellent baby toys.

Straws

It was recommended by a friend to buy some fancy silicone straws for my baby to chew while teething. Instead I went to my kitchen and grabbed a regular silicone straw from the drawer, and my baby loved it! It is one of his favorite things to chew on.

Whisk 

I say whisk because it is my son’s favorite, but any kitchen utensil will do as long as it is not sharp. You can even provide your baby with a variety of textures by giving them a wooden spoon and silicone spatula as well.

My baby loves to play with the whisk while I am cooking. I think it makes him feel like he is helping.

Pots And Pans

Do you know what babies love? Making noise. Do you know what makes a good noise? Dropping the metal lid to a pot, over and over again. Pots also make top notch drums to hit with hands or anything else that is nearby.

Bucket Of Things

Almost every baby goes through a phase when they want to take everything out of a bucket and then put it back. My son likes to go through the clothes pin bucket and take them all out, chewing each as he goes. I understand not everyone has a bucket of clothes pins, but you probably have some sort of container you can put some safe items in and let them have a blast. 

Some potential items for your bucket:

• Rag
• Marker with a firmly attached cap
• Easter Eggs (without any fancy shiny coating that can be slobbered off.)
• Plastic lids
• Baby spoon
• Metal spoon
• Clothespins

Roll of Tape

I left a roll of packing tape on the floor one time and my baby has a blast chewing on it. Rolling it across the floor and then chasing after it. 

Cloth

One of my sons favorite things to play with is cloth. Especially if it is dampened. He will be content for a good 10-15 minutes.

Water

When in doubt, add water. Put the baby in the bath. You can put some water in a shallow container to let them splash around in. 

While we have upgraded to an official kiddie pool, before we did, I filled a plastic bucket we had with water. It worked great. Plastic food containers make great boats and cups to pour the water with.

Exploration 

Onece your baby starts moving, creating a safe environment for them to explore is the best entertainment for them. Baby’s want to see the interesting spot on the floor and climb in the cabinets. Put them in the grass and let them eat some clover. It’s good for you.

I hope this list helped you to find some new things for your baby to play with and not feel like you need to spend a lot of money to keep them entertained. If you have any around the house items your baby likes to play with, I would love to hear them in a comment. I am always looking for new and exciting things to give him.

If you are interested in more ways to save money with a baby, I have a post on other things you don’t need to buy with a baby as well as general budgeting tips.