Leo is now 8 months old, I’ve been meaning to post about the best toys for 6-month-old babies for a while but I’ve not gotten around to it.
Being a first-time parent, I had no idea what toys to buy Leo. Or what toys were good for each age. Leo was born in November, so for his first Christmas, he was 4 weeks old. It was the perfect opportunity to buy him toys that he could play with over the next few months. Some toys we bought were more used than others. So that’s why I wanted to take this chance to write about the best baby toys for 0 to 6-month-old babies.
Leo didn’t really pay attention to any toys until he was around 4 weeks. At this point, he couldn’t hold toys but would track them with is eyes. Also, if he was crying, toys that played noise made him stop. It wasn’t until about 8 weeks that he was able to focus more and show little smiles and happiness in response to toys.
I recommend the first toys you get your baby to be something that is bright and has sounds. A flashing light for them to focus on and a musical toy would be ideal!
Here are the best toys we got for Leo
Toy Boxes
First things first – we wanted to get somewhere to put Leo’s toys in the living room so I bought these folding fabric toy boxes. They’re great for putting all his toys away in the evening after a hard day of playing! We keep them in the living room just behind the door. There’s a larger one and a smaller boy and you can carry them from room to room if needed as they are only small!
Baby sensory box
From 4 weeks.
The baby sensory boxes are a lot of fun! From around 4 weeks we started to use a flashing toy in ours to wave in front of him and he would track it with his eyes. He also used his foil blanket for around 6 weeks and really enjoyed wigging around on it and making noise with the foil sheet. There are lots of different things you can do with each item to help them explore sound, sight, touch and sound.
He also really loved the rattles as Leo has always been very responsive to noise. When he was crying he would stop when we shook rattles near him. He also loves the rainbow ribbon too and will still watch it now if we shake it so he can watch all the colours!
I would say the sensory boxes contain items that are good for different ages. As he got older he didn’t like the foil blanket as much! Ours also had bubbles inside but he couldn’t see the bubbles for the first few months!
Bright Stars Prop Mat
From 6 weeks.
This mat is so simple but it’s been something we’ve used a lot! From when Leo was about 6 weeks old, he would lay on the floor on his own. We would have him on this mat while we played with him. He would also lay there waving his arms and wiggling his legs for a while which was great for us as for so long, he would only be held.
We take it with us when we go to other peoples houses too so we can lay him on the floor. It’s perfect if he is sick as it can just in the washing machine. We still use it at 8 months and will continue to use it until he can crawl!
I’m sure you can get lots of different types of mats and there isn’t anything particularly special about this one, but a mat is a must!
O Ball Gift Set
From 6 weeks
The O Ball is such a great toy! It was the first thing that Leo was able to hold as his fingers could get a good grip of it and still remains a firm favourite at 8 months. It’s a great toy to help them develop their holding skills and holding something with both hands. At first, he could hold it and shake it, now he can easily pass it between both hands, drop it and pick it up again.
Soft Rattles
From 8 weeks
These were good to show to Leo before 8 weeks, he tracked them and responded to the sound but after a couple of weeks of holding the O Ball, he was finally able to hold these too. As they are soft, I didn’t need to worry about him hitting himself in the face with them when he started to learn that if he shook them, they made a noise.
It was great to see him explore the fact that HE was making the noise when he shook them.
Jungle Gym.
From 12 weeks
Leo didn’t use this until he was about 3 months old (I think a lot of babies use them sooner, but he hated being laid on his back due to reflux!) but it was a firm favourite for months. He’s only just stopped using it daily at 8 months. He loved bashing the dangling toys! He would play on his own for ages. He’s starting to use it a bit less now as he prefers to sit independently.
This thing saved my sanity though as I could leave the room to make coffee and breakfast in the morning (I kept popping in and out) and sit and drink my coffee while he played on his own. Then he learned to roll so I had to stop leaving the room without him!
Cow Rattle
From 12 weeks
This is a toy we attached to the jungle gym, that I was recommended by a friend. I swear he would not have loved it as much without the cow! When we stop using the mat, we will keep the cow rattle for sure! It makes a noise similar to a cowbell and he loves it.
Fox Book.
From 12 weeks
This was another toy that he loved to hold! He’s spent hours holding this, squeezing it and inspecting it. I’m not sure what it is about the particular fox book, but he prefers it over any other crinkly books or toy. We do have a few others but he just isn’t interested in them!
Match Stick Monkey Elephant Teeth
From 20 weeks
This is a classic teether. It’s easy for babies to hold and put in their mouths. The head of the monkey has textured hair which feels nice on their gums.
Nuby Icy Bites Keys
From 20 weeks
This is another classic teether toy that you can put in the freezer to freeze the gel. This then helps your baby with any teething pain they have and it’s also good for them to hold and shake
Activity Rattle Toy
From 20 weeks
Leo has always been so curious about this. When I first got it for him, he wasn’t so good at holding it and exploring it on his own, so I would have to show him how to use it but he was fascinated with it. Over time, he’s earned how to hold it himself and explore the different things on the toy to keep him entertained. It’s really good for their fine motor skills!
Soft Building Blocks
From sitting
I love these blocks! We can spend hours building them and he knocks them back down. They are also great for teething and can even be used in the bath as they float. We keep 4 in the bathroom for bath time fun and the rest downstairs. We also put them in the paddling pool for him to place with.
Glow & Discover Light Bar
From sitting
Another toy that is great for when your baby is sitting. It has songs, colours, piano sounds and animal names in English, French and Spanish. It can also be used to encourage tummy time but Leo has never been a fan of that and prefers to bash it from sitting.
Highchair toy
From sitting
When you start getting your baby ready for their high chair, high chair toys can be great for getting them used to being sat in their chair. Leo would sit in his while I would wash the pots and clean the kitchen.
Leo has a lot of toys, but I’ve found most of them are too old for him to use properly and he tends to grow into them. Leo has never been partially fixated on one toy, teddy or comforter. Typically, he has a short attention span so will play with one toy for a bit then want something else. His most used toys are the fox book, soft rattles and OBall.
If you have kids, I’d love to hear about what toys your baby loves.
Some great points here! The fabric toy box is especially a great idea as they’re starting to toddle around. They’re far safer and will prevent injuries as he grows. Ps he’s an absolute cutie pie and an exceptionally well dressed toddler
Very interesting blog and the babbiesare so cuteeeee!
Ah this post gets me all excited to buy my nephew lots of toys!! x
This was such an interesting post that I will use for sure later on! He’s growing up so much! Love the idea of soft blocks as they are quite versatile in use and also love the idea of storing all the toys in fabric boxes, at least they’re much easier to move! x
I used to have those soft blocks when I was a baby. These toys are lovely. You just gave me some ideas on what to give my niece. Thank you for sharing.
His hair is just the BEST! So cute. This is a really helpful post for new Mums. I know if I had a kid right now, I’d be totally overwhelmed with the amount of toys available!
Aw, Leo is so cute! Bless him! There’s so many amazing ideas here, I’m sure this post will be really helpful to new parents x
My LG is 5 months old and the soft stacking cubes and soft books are a firm favourite along with anything from Lamaze!