To stimulate this development, toys should include a wide variety of textures, shapes, sounds, colours and weights. A visually appealing and pleasant-sounding mobile, mounted on the crib or above a change table, within eye range but safely out of reach, will attract an infant's attention and encourage eye focusing.
Infancy is also the time for developing the basic skills of reaching and grasping.
During babies' constant explorations of their world, anything grasped is invariably aimed toward and eventually reaches their mouths. Rattles should be of a suitable size and weight to allow easy grasping and to avoid injury when as yet unco-ordinated hands miss their aim or drop the toy. Clutch balls should be easy to hold, small, light enough to be handled or swatted by a young baby and made of very soft materials. After a baby's first six months, increasing mobility and greater co-ordination demand different types of toys to stimulate healthy development. As a child gains the ability to move around, especially to walk, toys for pushing and pulling that produce pleasant sounds are motivating and highly enjoyable.