Encourage baby to pull up and stand by pointing out features near the top: “I wonder what will happen if we push this button up here?”

Clear a path on all sides of the toy so your baby can pull up and cruise all around it. Babies who are learning to stand and balance appreciate sturdy support.

Reinforce language concepts by using descriptive words as you and your child play with the toy: “Look! His nose lights up!”

Basic learning. Educational toys like these expose your child to basic building blocks of early learning … simple concepts like letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Talk about these when you play with your child, extending them to other parts of baby's world to help them make more sense. "That's the number five. Here are five crackers."

Now for a game. Add interest by playing letter or number games. Pick a letter and find something in the room that begins with that letter. Say the name of the letter and the name of the item out loud for baby: "That's a D. D is for Daddy." You're extending his learning, but don’t worry about teaching actual letters or numbers at this age.

Surprise! Sit with your child on the floor and point out different surprises, colors and shapes on the toy.

Build baby's excitement and anticipation by calling attention to what might happen: "I wonder where the ball is?" That gets baby to think, even at this young age, about estimation.

Use words and descriptive terms as much as possible in "conversations" with your baby; children of this age enjoy listening and vocalizing.

Measuring up. When baby plays with his toy, let him see you using its “real-world” counterpart. Measure something with a ruler and watch your child make the connection between his toy and your tool.

Sing along with baby's musical toys. Once she hears you, she'll want to join in!

Shaping the day. As you go about your day, reinforce baby's understanding of shapes. “Look at your plate—it's a circle, too!”

Give baby a “taste” of real kitchen equipment. Set out plastic cups and bowls and let him stack and sort to his heart's delight. Add a spoon into the mix and he’ll make music for you, too!