I always try to be mindful before acquiring new toys for baby J. For the most part I will think it through before making a purchase for a number of reasons:
- I don’t want my house to be filled with clutter.
- I want to choose something that will help his development – ideally something that can grow with him. I also pay attention to what captures his interest when choosing new toys.
- I rather choose quality over quantity. I think it’s overwhelming to have too many choices (think: Paradox of Choice).
- I prefer natural and organic materials with preference to toys made in Canada, USA and in Europe.
- I have to like how it looks. It’s for him but I also have to look at it.
Today I have Wee Gallery’s organic puzzle ball (aka clutch ball/Montessori ball). You can introduce this ball as early as 3 months if you hang it above them. At around 5 months of age they can begin to grasp the ball. It’s designed to be easy to grasp, move, while helping to build dexterity and coordination.
I naturally gravitate towards monochrome items, so this toy caught my eye. I like how there are many sections that make the toy easy to hold, while the ridges make it so that if he throws or drops the ball, it won’t roll away too far. I decided to make the purchase when I noticed baby J’s interest in balls – not to mention I had a promo code for Indigo.
The first time I introduced the ball he was immediately entertained by it. As time goes by, I’ll provide an update to see if that is still the case. In my experience, I noticed if he’s immediately interested in a toy they tend to stay as his favorites. Other toys I’ll put away and try again another time to see if that changes and if it’s more developmentally appropriate for him.
I was quite pleasantly surprised how big the actual ball was. It’s well made and I like the subtle difference in texture. In terms of care, the ball is easy to clean. I just popped it in the washer and dryer using low heat – and as a precaution I threw it in one of my old stockings.
More about this ball:
- Measures 7″ in diameter.
- Made of organic cotton fabric / Oeko-Tex polyester fill
- Manufactured in India
For scale:
For the price, I would prefer if this was made in USA. But overall I’m pleased with the quality and materials used.
Other toy balls for baby:
- Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Ball Trio – $20
- Oball – $6
- Grimm’s Rainbow Ball – $20
- Hevea Natural Rubber Star Ball – $22
- Under the Nile Organic Rattle Tag Ball – $22
- Wee Gallery Organic Puzzle Ball – $40
I personally really like the Skip Hop Trio since you can remove the plastic handle and you can separate the balls for different play areas. They also make nice chiming noises that is not too obnoxious. The Oball is also one of his favorites – from the start it was easy for him to grasp. It’s also cheap and easy to clean.
What other toy balls did your baby like?
Update: Now that J is 10 months old, he almost has no interest in this ball. He was interested in it when he first got it and it slowly started to fade. I tried to put it away to re-introduce it, but I yielded the same results.
Update: Now that J is 22 months, I’ve noticed he started to play more with the ball in the recent months. He’ll throw it, kick it – usually soccer.
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