Although infants don’t have fully developed senses and motor skills yet, they are still learning quickly about the new world around them. There are a few must have toys for your baby that will help to promote their senses, motor skills, and cognition.
It’s important to offer different fine motor and sensory activities for them to explore, discover, and start their journey toward developing so many new skills. There are a variety of must have baby toys and activities that your infant can use to stimulate all of their sensory systems.
Most of these toys will target their visual, auditory, and tactile (touch) senses.
The important features to look for in a toy is if it is easy to grasp for a baby, brightly colored and stimulating, and multi-sensory (having a lot of sounds, textures, and colors). Your baby’s skills are emerging at this point and you want them to be successful at grabbing and reaching for things while also challenging them to
When organizing your home for your new baby, It helps to have multiple sets of toys throughout your house and belongings. I like to keep a small storage box of toys in my living room, bedroom, car, diaper bag, kitchen, or any area you’ll be entertaining your baby.
This way you’re never without some sort of stimulation/distraction for your little one and don’t have to run around your home to find one.
By the way, I LOVE these storage bins with lids to contain all my baby items throughout the house. They blend in so well and I love that I’m able to cover them when company comes over.
This post may contain affiliate links for which I would receive a small commission on your purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Must Have Baby Toys for Your 0-6 Month Old
Here are some of the must have baby toys for your newborn to 6 month old. Your 4 or 5 month old will love to be entertained by these and it will have a positive impact on their development, as well.
Lovevery Toys
First and foremost, I have to recognize Lovevery for helping parents take the guess work out of buying toys for their little ones.
Lovevery toys are not only adorable, but they’re designed to support baby’s development. These toys are inspired by the Montessori approach, which emphasizes allowing children to learn and explore through their senses.
I love that the toys are multi-sensory and can be used for a variety of age ranges, ensuring that they’ll grow with your little one. Plus, they’re made with sustainable materials, so you can feel good about your purchase.
Lovevery offers Play Kits which is a box filled with age-appropriate toys, available as a subscription or one-time purchase. Each box is curated by experts and is designed to foster your child’s development in multiple areas, such as gross and fine motor skills, sensory awareness, and cognitive abilities.
The kits are available for different age groups, from newborns to 3-year-olds, and each box contains 5 to 8 toys that encourage different types of play.
Overall, I highly recommend Lovevery Playkits for any new parent looking for engaging and developmental toys for their little ones.
Play Gym
The Lovevery Play Gym is a beautifully designed play mat that comes with different toys and accessories that attach to it. The play gym is designed to promote tummy time, improve gross and fine motor skills, and encourage sensory exploration.
Teething and Grasper Toy
At this age your baby will start putting EVERYTHING in his mouth (and that doesn’t end at 6 months either!) This teething and grasper toy is one of my son’s favorites. It easily allows your infant to grasp and chew at the same time.
He loves reaching for this toy whenever he sees it and chewing on the wooden beads. They’re the perfect size to get right in his mouth.
The teething and grasper toy will help develop your baby’s fine motor skills (grasping), hand eye coordination (bringing it to his mouth), and satisfy his oral sensory (teething) needs.
It’s easy for the baby to hold on to the skinny bars and wires that hold the beads together, as they slide back and forth and make a rattling sound. Definitely my favorite must have baby toy.
Other similar options:
Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teething toy
Manhattan Rattle and Teether Grasping toy
Related Post: Symptoms and Relief for your Teething Baby and Top 10 Teething Toys
Crinkle Books
These little books could keep my daughter occupied all day long. When they start to grasp around 3 months, they’ll love the sensory (auditory and tactile) feedback it provides and also love turning the pages.
It will start them learning about books, but it’s mostly just fun to hear the crinkle sound.
Other similar options:
Peek a Boo Forest Crinkle Book
O-Ball Shaker
The holes in the O-Balls are perfect for little hands to grab and shake. This one is a great toy because it has a rattle which allows baby to start learning cause and effect (that he can grab and shake a toy and it will make noise).
The entire O-Ball line has the same design with easy-to-grasp holes.
Other options:
Light and glow toys to push
This Light and Glow toy also teaches cause and effect, allowing your baby to push a button to light up and play sounds. Watch your baby start dancing to the music and see his excitement when he realizes he just made that happen.
Once your child can begin to press buttons (around 6 months), they will love that they can make it play. Up until then, you can press it for them and they will still be stimulated by the lights and music it provides.
Use it during tummy time to distract your baby from the hard work that they’re putting in!
Other great options:
Bright Beats Dance and Move BeatBo
Think Gizmos Interactive Amusement Park
Plush toy with lots of dangling parts
This is a soft plush toy that combines bright colors, textures, and music to stimulate the senses. It has the crinkle texture which babies love to feel and hear musical sounds, as well as dangling parts to chew on and manipulate.
Toys with clips on them are also super convenient so you can attach them to the car seat, bouncer, or stroller. This makes sure that your baby won’t lose their toy and also great for reaching and grabbing when it’s positioned far away.
It’s really an all-in-one must have baby toy!
Other options:
PlayGro Activity Friend ClipClop
Baby Sensory Crinkle and Teething Square
Related Post: 13 Ways to Stimulate and Play with your Newborn
Activity Center
We use this activity center all the time and my baby loves it! The Skip Hop Activity Center is a great spot for your baby to be entertained while being exposed to various toys and gadgets. You can start placing your baby in the activity center around 4 months old or once they have adequate neck and trunk control.
The raised floor surface gives your baby a chance to start strengthening his legs and maintaining an upright position to take a look at his surroundings. There are also several toys positioned around the table that encourage fine motor skills, visual stimulation, and cause and effect.
Research now shows that jumpers are not safe and developmentally appropriate for babies. Unlike the activity center, the baby is suspended and bouncing up and down leading to potential toe walking, poor posture, and injury.
That is why this Skip Hop Activity center is a better alternative. Read more about the developmental risks of regular jumpers here.
Hanging toys
A mobile is great for when your baby starts to visually track and follow objects around 2 months. The movement will grab their attention and they can watch as it spins in a circle. Attach it to the baby’s crib or bassinet, but you will want to remove it once your baby is sitting up and can reach it.
There are sometimes mobiles attached to baby swings and pack n plays which are great additions to look for.
Your baby will start reaching around 4 months. When they are seated in a bouncer or swing, make sure there are toys hanging from above them so they can reach and grab. It’s great if they are close enough for baby to actually touch while they are reaching.
Floor activity mats, swings, and bouncers with an activity bar are great for this. You can use one of the toys listed above that has a hook and attach it to a toy bar to add extra pieces for baby to grab.
Floor mats are also good for tummy time which is essential to an infants motor development, as well as sitting up on their own.
Related Post: The benefits of tummy time and how to get your baby to enjoy it
Sensory Balls
These sensory balls are great for once baby can start using his whole hand to grasp objects. They will love the different textures, sizes, and shapes of these balls. As they get a little older they can start learning how to throw and put these in containers.
Other options:
Related Post: Fine Motor Play 3-6 Month Olds
Teether
Once your baby discovers their hands and what they can do with them, they will constantly be in their mouth. This may be due to teething or just self-exploration and needed to chew or suck on something at all times.
Once they can really grasp and hold on to an object, they will start putting toys in their mouth too. Use easy to grab teethers that will also help to give them some relief once they start teething. This one in particular is my sons favorite because it is so easy for him to grasp and around 5 months he is now able to get it in his mouth independently.
Other options:
Related Post: Symptoms and relief for your teething baby plus the top 10 teething toys
Floor Mirror
A mirror allows your baby to see himself while sitting up or laying down. He will be so interested in his reflection and seeing his own face. He may even laugh and giggle when he’s looking in the mirror.
Related Post: Simple activities to get your baby to sit up on their own
I hope you enjoyed the Must Have Baby Toys for 3 to 6 month olds. Have you tried any of these items?
