Posting & sorting
Chunky pieces and obvious openings create a clear action-and-result loop.
Babies and toddlers: choose repeatable discoveries.
The strongest toys make simple actions interesting enough to repeat: grasp, drop, post, stack, push, pull, hide and find.
Stacking & nesting
Cups, rings and blocks can be built, knocked down, filled and carried.
Push, pull & move
Movement toys become more useful as sitting turns into crawling and walking.
First pretend play
Simple everyday objects let toddlers rehearse familiar routines.
Try before you buy
Three five-minute play tests.
If the activity itself holds attention, the toy category is more likely to earn its space.