Essential Toy Box Guide for Babies
We believe these toys are essential members of your family's toy box. Our extensive toy experience (over a decade!) plus years of customer feedback inform this no fluff guide to the very best. Explore consistent favourites that build essential life skills like creativity, emotional intelligence, problem solving and grit.
Browse the collection below for our customers' favourites or keep scrolling for a deeper dive into which toys are best at this age and why.
What Do Babies Need Out of Their Toys?
Babies use their senses to explore the world around them. Sensory experiences build neural connections in their brains. But it’s very easy to overwhelm babies with too loud noises and too much sensory stimulation. We think lights and loud noises are best suited to older children, so you’ll find our baby collection is full of gently stimulating toys that will build brains without the overwhelm.
Top considerations for toys for this age:
Look for toys that stimulate your baby’s senses like sight (patterns and contrasting colours), sound (gentle sounds like rattles and crinkle paper) and touch (toys with a variety of textures).
You don’t need all the things!! The most important toy for your baby is YOU. Interacting with your baby will do more for them than any toy you can buy. Choose toys you’ll enjoy exploring with your baby, and remember you don’t need tonnes of options at any one time.
Rattles & Teethers
A good rattle or teether will serve two functions. First, it should provide some sensory experiences. A gentle sound, an interesting texture and/or contrasting colours. Second, it should be great for teething, because your baby is going to do a whole bunch of that!
Our best selling Grimms Beads Grasper is our most popular teether and sensory toy and it’s one of our very favourite toys in the store. But we have a tonne of beautiful, thoughtful options to explore.
Activity Toys
Another fantastic set of toys for babies to explore their senses. Look for multiple textures or sounds and bright or contrasting colours. These kinds of toys are perfect for the stroller to keep your baby entertained as you go about your day.
Stuffed Animals
Stuffies are an adorable way for your baby to explore new grasping and motor skills as they cuddle their oh-so-soft companion for years to come. A lovely stuffed animal will be a major part of your child’s toy box for a looooong time, and will help your child develop imagination and emotional intelligence as they get older. Make sure you choose one safety rated for babies.
Books
Not only do they serve to stimulate little eyes, reading with your child is an incredibly bonding experience. One of our favourite “toys” when our son was little was books. Children who are read to a lot tend to love books for life! Look for sturdy board books that can tolerate rough handling.
Toys on Wheels
Rolling toys can be super fun for you to play with your older baby although they’re generally not for use independently until age 1. We loved to place the toy on wheels (we had the heirloom elephant at our house) and watch our son reach for it and push it along. Or he’d giggle as we drove the elephant along his legs. Toys on wheels are a great investment now as they tend to be in use for several years to come.
Musical Instruments for Babies
Playing music, even from a young age, will encourage muscle control, abstract thinking, and confidence.
Blankets for Babies
A good baby blanket ends up serving a million uses, from swaddler, to shade cover, burp-cleaner-upper, to teether.
Favourite Brands for Babies
These top toymakers excel at creating engaging, skill building toys that babies love to play with. These toymakers are committed to toys that encourage healthy childhood development.
