Babies are interested in everything. As long as it is within reach, your baby will be using their newly developed gripping strength to see what they feel like, what they taste like, and how hard they can throw them! For this reason, I prefer soft blocks… and in this post, I will look at the best soft block options for your baby.
Baby blocks are fantastic, and one of the classic baby toys! They are educational, excellent for sensory engagement, and for developing fine motor skills too. The soft blocks also do not hurt when they are thrown at you, which is a huge bonus for parents!
Right from the baby stages, you can help your child learn by repeating what they see on each block. As they progress, they will use the blocks to practice building a large tower! Eventually, you will end up as a target, but as I said above, these are all soft blocks, so that injuries will be limited!
Best Baby Blocks
- Bright Starts Grab and Stack Blocks
- Baby Einstein Explore and Discover Soft Block Toys
- Galt Toys Inc Soft Blocks
Baby Blocks – When Should I Start Using Them?
The simple answer is – as soon as possible!
My son was less than 2 weeks old when I started to teach him some basic math skills!
It was a routine for us, kids love routine, I would change him, give him some milk, and then as he drifted back off to sleep, I would count using my fingers. As he stared at my fingers, my monotonous tone would send him to sleep.
I was hoping this would somehow stick in his brain, and I am pretty sure it did. When he was a little bit older, he picked up counting very easily! Now I wish I would have taught him to make coffee, and then he would be much more useful!
Baby blocks are an excellent educational toy, and you should start them off as soon as you can.
Baby Blocks – How Do They Help Your Baby Learn?
Studies have shown that Babies who play with blocks have an increased spatial vocabulary, and awareness. It also improves troubleshooting skills!
At first, they are just another soft toy for them to play with, but Baby blocks are much more than that when you think about it.
When introduced to baby blocks, they use them (especially the baby blocks on this page) as a sensory toy. Some baby blocks have different materials like velcro or wool, some have mirrors, and some have bells that ring when you shake them. All of this is new to your baby, and it is getting them used to the differences.
You need to use this time to repeat everything they see on the baby blocks as they examine their new toys. ‘That is number 1, that is a Lion’. This repetition will help your baby recognize certain objects and embed the knowledge deep inside their sponge-like brain.
As they get older, they will throw them at you, which is excellent for developing hand-eye coordination. As each of the choices on this page is soft baby blocks, you will not get hurt too much either!
The next stage is to put the blocks on top of each other. Again, this is excellent for developing hand-eye coordination and balancing.
All of that from a simple baby block!
The Best Baby Blocks
As I mentioned above, all baby blocks toys on this page are soft blocks and are excellent for learning and sensory play!
The baby blocks are in order of my recommendation.
1: Bright Starts Grab and Stack Blocks
Pros
- Sewn-in loops to connect to car seat
- 3D features for sensory play
- Early start with numbers and letters
Cons
- Only 4 soft blocks
These are great to keep your baby entertained! When they are just a baby, they will absolutely love the feel and noise of the Bright Starts Grab and Stack Blocks.
You have to remember, everything is pretty new to them.
To you, they will seem like soft blocks that you can use to throw at people, but to them, they are different and something they will use to kick-start their learning process.
There is a letter, a number, a pattern, and an animal on each block. Take some time to point at each one and tell them what it is. Seriously, their brains take in so much more than you think at this stage, and simply repeating what they can see will improve their knowledge and attention.
2: Baby Einstein Explore and Discover Soft Block Toys
Pros
- Sounds for sensory play
- Self-discovery with a peek-a-boo mirror
- Early start with other languages
Cons
- Only 4 soft blocks
- I prefer more numbers/letters
The Baby Einstein Explore and Discover are a sensory explosion for your baby!
The blocks come in a packet of 4, and each block has a combination of the Sun, numbers, animals, and even a mirror so they can play peek-a-boo with themselves!
The animal block has some chime sounds to keep them entertained.
An excellent addition is the color block has each color in English, Spanish and French, so you can start learning a different language….even before they have mastered their own!
3: Galt Toys Inc Soft Blocks
Pros
- 6 foam-filled blocks
- Perfect for stacking
- Do not hurt when thrown at you
- Combine them to do a puzzle
Cons
- Lack of letter/numbers
Here is another set of soft building blocks, the Galt Toys Baby Soft Blocks.
You get 6 blocks in this pack, and the blocks have animals and vehicles on them. Again, great for repetitively explaining what is on each side. It may seem fruitless…..but they really do pay attention!
On one of the sides is a puzzle of a beanstalk. When they get a little older, they will really enjoy putting the puzzle together. They will also enjoy throwing them at you, which is why all picks on this page are soft blocks!
I am thinking of your safety here!
Age: Suitable for 6+ months.
Best Baby Blocks – The Conclusion
So there you go, there are 3 of the soft blocks for you and your baby to have tremendous fun with!
Whether it is baby blocks or another learning tool for babies, you should be encouraging them to learn, even at a very young age.
The first 3 years of a person’s life is when the brain is most receptive to what you need to teach them. Think about it. They need to learn to walk, talk, eat, and many many more things during this time. Nature basically opens their brains up for some super quick learning.
Take advantage!
Good luck!
