Baby's toys by the book

Smart Toys for Babies from Birth to Two, by Kent Garland Burtt and Karen Kalkstein. New York: Harper Colophon. $8.95. ''Smart Toys'' offers a strongly academic approach to promoting a child's first two years of mental development.

Many of the 77 suggested toys are easy to make. Some learning toys are more complicated, such as making books and puzzles.

While there are many excellent toys to enrich a baby's playtime, and helpful tips on his increasing abilities, the authors present a month-by-month schedule which may not fit all babies. Parents should decide for themselves if they want their baby to stick with such a staged program.