Big adorable eyes, baby soft skin, tiny fingers and toes, gurgle, coo, and you're hooked.  Who can resist an infant's charms -- charms that reduce full-grown women and men to baby talk in a single giggle.  Adorable as they are, those charming qualities can make finding age-appropriate toys challenging.  As a lawyer, mother of twins, and owner of my own toy store, I have found there are some very fun toys for newborns, even some new and stylish ones, but finding them requires a little extra patience and attention to safety details.
 
Newborns are extremely nearsighted.  Objects over about a foot away appear blurry, and infants prefer to look at round, light objects with dark borders.  Traditional toys well-suited for newborns’ developing eyesight include bouncy seats with suspended toys, light colored rattles held close enough for them to see well, and the ever popular Mom or Dad's nose.  For an innovative approach, turn to light colored knit rattles, baby wrist rattles, and simply illustrated black and white children's books. 
 
Surfaces of toys for newborns should be smooth enough and rounded enough to not scrape or scratch baby's delicate skin.  Cuddly blanket dolls and soft towels and wash cloths sewn to look like fun animals protect baby's delicate skin and entertain at the same time and are available in luxuriously soft organic cotton in rich contrasting colors.  When selecting fabric toys, however, keep in mind that chemicals used in manufacturing and preparing them for shipment may irritate baby's tender skin.  Be sure to wash new toys, washcloths, and towels before exposing baby's skin to them. 
 
Innovative infant toys such as knit cotton vegetable and ice cream cone rattles provide visual stimulation, protection for baby's delicate skin, and interesting textures for tiny fingers and toes.  Newborns may grasp and hold toys if offered, albeit without much control.  Providing toys that allow grasping but not tangling is especially important.  Wooden grasping rings, right-sized for baby's tiny fingers, are wonderful starters for developing grasping skills.  Some higher quality wooden grasping rings even have small dolls attached and come in organic versions.
 
In selecting any toy, make quality a top priority.  Inspect toys thoroughly to make sure surfaces are smooth and there are no loose strings, stickers, or price tags attached.  Loose strings could become tangled around fingers or toes, and stickers and price tags could become choking hazards.
 
Be sure to remove damaged or broken toys from the play environment immediately.  Toy safety regulations focus heavily on the parts of toys to which children are exposed during normal play.  A broken toy, even one which appears to be safe, may present a much greater hazard than when it was whole.
 
Be sure to follow age recommendations and warning labels on products.  Products have warning labels rather than safety labels.  For example, a label stating, "Warning.  Choking Hazard -- Small parts.  Not for children under three years." means that the toy should not be played with by children under three.  It does not necessarily mean that it is safe for children over three. 
 
Beware of common problems.  Mobiles can cause injuries by entanglement if not hung out of reach or by falling if not properly secured.  Stuffed animals can pose a suffocation risk if left in a bassinet or crib and can pose a choking risk if they have sewn on button eyes or other small parts that may come loose.
 
Whatever toys are chosen, proper supervision is necessary to insure safety and is likely to be rewarded with smiles, gurgles, and coos.