The best toys for 6 to 12 month old babies
Babies from 6 to 12 months are in a wonderful phase of rapid development! They become much more mobile; sitting up unsupported, crawling and maybe even taking those first little steps. They are often much more aware of their environment, who their people are, and a whole lot more interactive. You can see their curiosity shine through as they push buttons on toys and respond to different textures and tastes, exploring their newly developed senses.
Here is a guide to choosing toys for your baby aged 6-12 months, and recommendations of ones that were huge hits in our home, keeping the baby entertained, engaged, and gained smiles and laughs over and over! They also make great additions to a baby registry!
Stacking rings
Stacking rings are great because they help your baby practice hand-eye coordination as they figure out how to get the rings back onto the stem. And of course the fun part – knocking it down so they can do it all over again.
It is so fun to watch the engagement with stacking rings go from watching you do it for a week or so, to trying to do it themselves, and the excitement when they finally can do it! Probably more exciting for you as the parent, cheering your baby on as they put it all together.
A popular option is this Fisher Price bundle from Amazon, which comes with the next item on this list. Stacking cups or any other shapes are also good options.
Simple shape sorters
6 to 12 months is a fun time to introduce some challenging problems to solve, and watch your baby try to figure them out. This is not about your little one being able to perfectly align the star shape with the star hole as that is still a ways out, but instead about practicing their coordination.
There will be a lot of putting things into the bucket and promptly dumping them out. Playing with this cause and effect gains us a few minutes of entertainment every day, and baby gets a huge sense of accomplishment whenever they fill or empty their bin! Huge hit!
Interactive light up toys
Toys that light up at the press of a button, sing or talk in response to baby’s action, are highly engaging at this age. Babies love to see the effects of their actions! (And this goes for parents’ reactions too haha).
Popular options include the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages doll, or the puppy, or other similar characters from that line. The DJ table is also a hit, as well as this simple “telephone”. We are often pretending to call cousins and grandmas on this phone, and pressing the buttons to get it to talk back.
You do not have to wait till your baby is 6 months to grab these gems for your baby. They will enjoy watching the colors and lights even when younger. The Baby Einstein aquarium has always been mesmerizing to our baby, watching the creatures move and the shadows shift. But when she figured out how to turn it on and off… game changer! So grab these toys whenever there is a deal!
The toys you choose for your baby will not only provide entertainment, but will also help them practice valuable skills, and maybe even buy you a few moments for a quick bathroom run! I hope these are as huge a hit for your family as they were for ours. 💛
