Toys - Only About 3.4 Million to Choose From

Nobody says that being a parent is easy. The sleepless nights, the heartbreaking crying of your baby with little explanation as to why, perpetual responsibility with little to no respite. Still, above all these, the single toughest aspect of being a parent is selecting toys.
How can something created and designed with the single purpose of bringing happiness to children be such a stress-inducer for parents? The answer to this is the sheer volume of toys that flood our already saturated material goods market. Back in the day (centuries or even millenia ago), wisdom passed from the elders probably dictated the few perfect activities and toys for the babies in the clan. As a parent of a 6 month old, you knew what the best toy for them is. As a parent of a one year old, you knew what activities to involve them in. These days, dozens of experts voice their opinions with such assurance that it is hard to know which to believe or trust.
What toy is best for a one year old? Do a Google search and find hundreds of choices. So, you're left with the choice of: buying it all to ensure that your child has access to all the best development-enhancing toys available to him or buy just a few knowing that the risk you face is giving your child an uncertain future, the result of not doing all you could to develop that young, powerful mind of her's.
Oh, the pressure! The stress! Alright, yes, I'm exaggerating. That's what I do best (or so Ashe tells me). Still, we do seek out and take some words of advice. There seems to be consensus on the benefit of sorting and counting type toys at your age, Rai, so those are the latest toys we've given you. As you play with them, we can almost hear those synapses firing and neurons connecting even if you do think that this is just another toy that's meant to be eaten.