The first two years move so fast it’s a little rude 😤.
The toy your baby stared at for twenty minutes at 3 months gets ignored by 7 months, and by their first birthday they want to push, climb, and dump everything you own out of every bin you own.
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That’s why this page isn’t one giant list. It’s broken into stages, with my top 3 picks for each one and a link to the full guide for each age group if you need more ideas.
Every pick lines up with what babies are working on at that stage (I pulled the milestones from the CDC), and they’re spread across the 11 play categories I use at home. Because if there’s one thing I learned from two boys and a mountain of gifted toys, it’s that more toys isn’t the answer. Better variety is.
Best Toys for 0 to 3 Months
Newborns aren’t really “playing” yet. They’re looking, listening, and figuring out that those arms and legs belong to them 😂
By 2 months, the CDC says most babies look at your face, watch a toy for a few seconds, and hold their head up briefly during tummy time. Toys at this stage are mostly about sensory input and a little gross motor work on their tummy.
Bright Starts 5-in-1 Your Way Ball Play Mat
Both of my kids loved this play gym, and it lasted way longer than I expected. First it’s for lying on their back and watching the toys dangle. Then it’s the tummy time mat. Then they’re propped up on the pillow. And once they can sit, it turns into a ball pit. That’s a lot of stages out of one purchase.
Bright Starts 5-in-1 Your Way Ball Play – Jumbo Play Mat
Both of my kids loved this play gym as infants. From laying on their back watching the singing elephant, to tummy time on the silky mat, to propped up with the included pillow, and when they are ready to sit and play, it converts to a ball pit!
- Includes 40 balls with carrying case for easy storage
- Cheerful elephant toy lights up and plays 20 minutes of music (and detaches for on-the-go fun)
- Includes 7 tropically cool take-along toys: elephant musical toy, crinkle toy, mirror, flash cards, hanging leaf toy and bead rattle
- Grow with me from infant to toddler, ages newborn and up
- Machine washable mat and easy-to-clean wipeable toys
Play Silks
Silk scarves are the most open-ended thing we own. For a newborn, it’s just the feeling of silk sliding through their fingers or floating over their face during a game of peekaboo. Fast forward a couple of years and those same silks are capes, ropes, and fort roofs. You will get your money’s worth.
Newcotte 5 Set Magic Color Silk Scarf
One minute you're running these silks through your newborn's fingers for sensory play, the next your toddlers are wearing them as capes, tying them into ropes, building forts, and more.
- More Fun Than You Realize: can use it as a game prop, play hide and seek with their friends, throw the handkerchief and more, offering a diverse range of open ended play experiences
- Versatile: we can use this play scarves as carriers, scarves, capes, grass for rocking horses dance props and even to build forts with play clips, and also can be a sling for a doll or stuffed animal, a decorative backdrop for a make faith scene, there is more fun waiting for you to discover
- Durable: our large square scarves are made of durable reusable satin chiffon fabric ideal for playing dress up, doll blankets, dancing and twirling, capes, activities and songs, Halloween costumes, picnics, traveling, movement, juggling, and more
- Promotes Motor Coordination: the flowing scarves are ideal for dance and movement activities helping to improve balance coordination and rhythm they can also for tossing catching waving and storytelling promoting physical development and boosting confidence
DK Baby Touch and Feel Books
We must own two dozen of these. I keep buying them because the textures are actually different from book to book (some brands reuse the same three textures in every book). Books aren’t part of our toy rotation. They’re always out. But for tiny babies, these are basically a sensory toy with a story attached. And if you’re looking for something to sing while you read, we have a list of lullabies with lyrics too.
DK Books Baby Touch and Feel Animals
We must have 2 dozen touch-and-feel books from DK. They are great quality and have a lot of different textures (where some brands have the same textures in every book).
- Touch and feel books help children who are not interested in books engage in books
- The sensory experience of seeing a picture, hearing you read the words, and feeling the texture is perfect for early development
Best Toys for 4 to 5 Months
This is when the hands show up. By 4 months, most babies hold a toy you put in their hand, swing at toys, bring their hands to their mouth, and push up onto their forearms during tummy time. So, grabby, chewable, and something to look at while they’re on their belly. Fine motor is officially on the board!
Oball Easy Grasp Ball
This is the ball for little hands. Babies can hook their fingers into any of the holes (without getting stuck), so it’s one of the first toys they can grab and hold on their own. Mine shook it like a rattle, rolled it, and of course chewed on it constantly.
Bright Starts Oball Easy Grasp Classic Ball
Sophie la Girafe
Sophie is a classic in my house. She’s soft, chewy, and squeaks, which covers just about everything a 4 month old wants in life. Bonus: she fits in the diaper bag.
Sophie la Girafe
She's a classic in my house. In fact, I almost always gift her as a baby shower gift. Babies love how soft she is, her chewy texture, and squeaker.
- Sophie la girafe Comes in a gift box with a storage pouch
- Sophie la girafe is the first baby toy that awakens all her senses; sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell
- Practical and hygienic, its storage pouch allows you to easily store and transport Sophie la Girafe while protecting it from dirt
- Sophie la girafe can now accompany your baby on the go
- Suitable from birth and surface washable
Baby Einstein Glow and Discover Light Bar
Every baby hates tummy time. Mine did. This light bar made it a lot more bearable because they could smack the buttons and get music and lights back. That’s their very first cause and effect lesson, and it buys you a few extra minutes on the belly.
Baby Einstein Glow & Discover Light Bar
This bar brings fun to tummy time (and they all hate tummy time!!). It's great for cause-and-effect as they hit the different buttons and watch and listen to the music and lights.
- The Baby Einstein Glow & Discover Light Bar Activity Station is a multisensory toy that engages baby with colorful lights, classical melodies, and animal sounds during floor play or tummy time.
- 3 ways to engage baby as they grow: Bar sits flat for tummy time and props up for seated play. Unisex design for baby boy or girl ages 3 months to 36 months.
Best Toys for 6 to 8 Months
Rolling, reaching, sitting with a little support, and putting absolutely everything in their mouth. By 6 months, the CDC lists rolling from tummy to back, reaching for a toy they want, laughing, and exploring things by mouth.
VTech Wiggle and Crawl Ball
My second was a late crawler. This ball wiggles and rolls just out of reach, and it was the thing that got him tilting, leaning, and finally scooting after it. If you have a baby who’s perfectly happy sitting in one spot, this is a gentle nudge.
VTech Wiggle and Crawl Ball
My second was a late crawler. This ball helped him learn to tilt, lean, and eventually scoot to keep playing with it.
- Move and crawl with the animal friends on the Wiggle and Crawl Ball by VTech
- Interactive ball wiggles and wobbles on its own encouraging your little one to chase after it; features 45+ playful songs, melodies, sounds and cheerful phrases
- Five flashing lights attract your baby's attention while spinning and twisting animals encourage interaction; play and crawl with the moving ball
The First Years Stacking Cups
Playtime, bathtime, snack time. My babies loved these everywhere. At this age it’s less about stacking and more about knocking over whatever you stacked (with great joy). They grow into nesting and building later, and it’s easy to keep a set in the tub.
The First Years Stacking Cups
Playtime, bathtime, you name it, my babies loved these! Stack them, build them, and knock them over!
- This set of stacking toys features 8 brightly colored cups that stack together with unique holes in the bottom for pouring and water play at bath time
- Montessori Stacking Toys
- Made without BPA for toddlers and kids ages 9 months and up
Baby Einstein and Hape Magic Touch Piano
No buttons to push hard, just a light tap on the wood. Babies can make their own music (open-ended), listen (sensory), and later follow along with songs (close-ended). It’s a great first musical toy because it grows with them.
Baby Einstein and Hape Magic Touch Piano
This piano leaves kids to create on their own (open-ended play), listen to music (sensory), or follow along with songs and patterns (close-ended).
Best Toys for 9 to 11 Months
Here come the movers. By 9 months, most babies sit on their own, pass toys hand to hand, bang two things together, look for things you drop out of sight, and laugh at peekaboo. By 1, they’re pulling up and cruising along the furniture. Your coffee table is now a gym.
Little Tikes Activity Garden Playhouse
We loved this so much that when we were done with it, we passed it to another family, and they used it for both of their kids too. It has a spot to climb, a slide, and dozens of things to sort, spin, and click. It’s also the perfect height for pulling up to stand, which is exactly what this stage is about.
Little Tikes Activity Garden Playhouse
We loved this playset and even gifted it to a family who has used it for their two kids! Climb and slide, or sort and click. This activity center has dozens of things for little ones to do.
- Convertible frame shape
- Shape sorter, ball drop, mini-piano, bells, a slide, shutters, a front door, mailbox, and so much more
Skip Hop Baby Walker
My biggest complaint about push walkers is that most of them are covered in lights and buttons, so babies sit and play instead of walking. This one keeps a small activity panel but puts the focus on the walking. That’s what you want when they’re cruising and itching to let go.
Skip Hop Baby Walker
One of the things I dislike about most walker toys is that they are covered in buttons, lights, and other distractions. This design leaves a little market for kids to play with, but the focus is on the walking aspect.
- Grow-With-Me Fun in 5 Ways: From first sit-ups to confident cruising, our convertible baby walker grows with your little one from 6 months to 5 years. Sit, cruise, push the shopping cart, roll the stroller, or dive into pretend play and spark creativity with endless ways to explore, learn, and play!
- Supports Balance, Motor Skills & Early Learning: Our baby push walker is thoughtfully designed to help little ones practice walking, balancing, and counting. Its interactive features encourage gross and fine motor development, imaginative play, and early problem-solving in a fun, engaging way.
- Detachable Play Panel for Floor & Easel Play: The removable play panel turns into a mini easel or floor activity station. Detachable fruits and veggies let kids role-play as farmers market workers or shopkeepers, building hand-eye coordination, cause & effect, and pretend play skills while exploring at their own pace.
- Farm-Themed Fun: With a bright, farmstand-inspired design, the baby activity walker includes interactive fruits and veggies designed to keep your child engaged and entertained for years of learning fun. Coordinates with Skip Hop Farmstand collection. Size (inches): 16.3L x 18.5W x 18H
Pop-Up Peekaboo Books
My youngest had a hard time getting interested in books. The Pop-Up Peekaboo series is what finally grabbed him, and we probably own ten of them now. They’re perfect for this stage because the whole thing is “where did it go?” and babies are just figuring out that things still exist when they can’t see them. As he got older, he started lifting the flaps himself.
Pop-Up Peekaboo! Under the Sea
We probably have 10+ books from the Pop-Up Peekaboo! Series. My youngest struggled to engage with books, but these classic pop-ups got his attention right away. As he got older he started lifting the flaps himself too.
Best Toys for 12 to 18 Months
Around their first birthday, the CDC says most babies pull up to stand, cruise along the furniture, put things into containers, and look for a toy you hide under a blanket. By 15 months, most toddlers take a few steps on their own, stack two blocks, hug their stuffed animals, and copy other kids while they play. It’s a lot of firsts in a few short months!
Fisher-Price Little People Animals Farm
I think it’s universal: all kids love farms. Little People are sized for little hands, and this set gets toddlers caring for animals and pretending to be the farmer long before they have the words for it. That’s early pretend play and nurturing in one toy. It also folds up, which your living room will appreciate. We have a bunch of Little People sets, and our Fisher-Price guide covers our favorites.
Fisher-Price Little People Animals Farm Playset
I think it's universal that all kids love farms. This one teaches kids to care for animals, pretend to be a farmer, and folds up for easy storage.
- 3 Smart Stages learning levels grow along with your child & teach counting, opposites, animal sounds, and colors with fresh songs, sounds & phrases
- Playset comes with 1 farmer figure, 4 animal figures & 2 food play pieces, all sized for small hands to grasp & move, helping to strengthen fine motor skills
- Helps foster fine motor skills and encourages imaginative storytelling play for toddlers and preschool kids ages 1 to 5 years old
Hape Pound and Tap Bench
Two toys in one. Little ones pound the balls through the holes and they land on the xylophone, which is instant cause and effect (and instant noise, fair warning). When the pounding gets old, the xylophone slides out and becomes its own instrument. That’s “puts things in a container” and banging things together, all in one toy.
Hape Pound & Tap Bench
A 2-in-1 toy that kids can tap balls directly onto the xylophone for new sounds, or pull out the xylophone and play some tunes of their own.
- Pound the balls and they will drop on the xylophone, tinkling out a pleasant scale of notes
- Pull out the xylophone and play a tune directly on the keys
- Hape finishes are all non-toxic, child safe, and of the highest quality
Melissa & Doug Stack and Count Parking Garage
My second loved stacking. If it could stack, it was a winner in his book, so I knew this one would be a hit, and it was. The cars stack on the levels (a nice close-ended challenge) and then they’re just cars to drive around. We have a lot of Melissa & Doug in our house, and you can see the rest in our Melissa & Doug roundup.
Melissa & Doug Stack & Count Wooden Parking Garage
My second loved stacking. Anything that could stack was a winner in his book, so I knew this would be a hit and it was! You can stack the cars, or play with them.
- Wooden vehicle stacker
- Includes 10 toy cars, sliding counter, and wooden frame
- Clever drop-down counter encourages early math skills
- Compact design
Shopping for a birthday? We have a separate list of gifts for a 1 year old and a bunch of first birthday gift ideas (including a few that aren’t toys at all).
View more toys for 12 to 18 monthsBest Toys for 18 to 23 Months
The second half of that year is a whole different kid. By 18 months, the CDC notes most toddlers walk on their own, scribble, climb on and off the couch, copy you doing chores, and push toy cars around.
They also start moving away from you, then checking to make sure you’re still there. That’s the beginning of independent play, and yes, it important to practice this early!
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
Some of my sweetest memories are of my oldest zooming around the house and the driveway in his Cozy Coupe. For years, it was his favorite toy. It works for new walkers who want something to push, and it’s a ride-on once they figure out the whole Flintstones thing. More ride-ons and climbers are in our Little Tikes guide.
Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
I have the sweetest memories of my oldest zooming around the house and driveway in his Cozy Coupe. For years this was his favorite toy.
- Made in the USA. The Little Tikes Company is located in the heartland of America.
- GROWS AS KIDS DO. The removable floorboard makes this ride-on transition easily between parent-controlled and kid-powered modes
- Includes: working doors, steering wheel with working horn, moving, clicking ignition switch, gas cap open and closes, rugged, durable tires, front wheels spin 360 degrees
Learning Resources New Sprouts Deluxe Market Set
Copying you is the name of the game at this age, and pretend food is the easiest way to lean into it. Who doesn’t love velcro food that “cuts” in half? We love this set for the variety, the fact that you can build a sandwich, and the basket that keeps it all together. The honest downside: the velcro eventually stops sticking. It still gets played with anyway.
Learning Resources New Sprouts Deluxe Market Set
Who doesn't love the velcro food that cuts in half? The only problem is the velcro eventually stops sticking. We love this set for the variety, ability to build a sandwich, and storage basket.
- DURABLE PLAY FOOD: Exceptionally durable play food crafted from thick, child-friendly plastic.
- COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING: Extensive 32-piece play food set for toddler fun
- INTERACTIVE BASKETS: Includes two adorable baskets (shopping and bushel)
Learning Resources Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog
My kids loved this way more than I expected for how simple it is. Pull the spikes out, push them back in, sort them by color. It’s a quiet little fine motor workout that keeps busy hands busy, and it’s chunky enough for toddler fingers.
Learning Resources Spike The Original Fine Motor Hedgehog
My kids loved this more than I would have expected for how simple it is!
- FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENT: Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog helps toddlers strengthen hand muscles, improve coordination, and build the pincer grasp needed for future writing skills
- COLOR SORTING & MATCHING FUN: Practice color recognition, sorting, and matching with colorful quills that make this one of the most engaging color sorting toys for toddlers
- BUILD EARLY LEARNING SKILLS: Numbered holes encourage counting, sequencing, and problem-solving while supporting fine motor skills toys for toddlers through hands-on play
- PORTABLE STORAGE DESIGN: All 12 chunky quills store neatly inside Spike, making this toddler toy perfect for travel, restaurants, daycare, and learning on the go
Next Up: Best Toys for 2 Year Olds
By 2, most kids kick a ball, run, try knobs and buttons, and play with more than one toy at once, like putting toy food on a toy plate. They also notice when someone is upset. Everything they see you do, they want to do too.
Step2 Kitchen Playset
We’ve loved our play kitchen for years. At 2, it’s the “food on the plate” milestone in action, and it grows right into full restaurant play later. If you only have room for one big pretend play toy, make it a kitchen.
Step2 Kitchen Playset
We've loved this kitchen at our house for years.
- 25 Pieces and accessories
- Dog/pet feeding area
- Realistic lights and sounds
Play-Doh Starter Set
This was the very first Play-Doh set I bought, and six years later the tools and case are still in circulation. The dough itself is long gone (dried up, mashed together, and a good chunk of it stuck to my carpet). Play-Doh covers art, sensory, and fine motor all at once. If you run out, our homemade playdough recipe works great with the same tools.
Play-Doh Starter Set
This was the exact first set I bought, and it's still in circulation 6 years later! Granted the play-doh itself has long been dried up, mashed together, and stuck to my carpet… But the tools and case remain!
- Reusable storage is bas great for storage and to take Play-Doh on the go
- 9 tools & 4 cans of doh
- Rigorously tested for quality, Play-Doh compound is made primarily with flour, salt, and water, making it a great choice for arts and crafts for kids who love modeling clay (contains wheat)
Melissa & Doug Shape-Sorting Dump Truck
I love a multipurpose toy. This one is a shape sorter (fine motor and problem-solving) that also happens to be a dump truck. So when they’re done sorting, they’re hauling, and a 2 year old who switches between the two is exactly what open-ended play looks like at this age.
Melissa & Doug Shape-Sorting Dump Truck
I love a multipurpose toy! This shape sorter is great for fine motor skills and closed-ended play, but also doubles as a dump truck that kids love for open-ended pretend play!
- Dual-Function Wooden Toy This sturdy wooden toy truck doubles as a shape sorter, featuring nine shaped holes that correspond to the colorful wooden blocks, offering a fun challenge for toddler toys
- Dump and Play Action The truck bed tilts to dump the blocks and the back door lifts, providing a satisfying and repeatable action that encourages fine motor skills and hours of engaging pretend play
How to Use These Toys
Here’s the part nobody tells you: your baby doesn’t need all of them out at once. Kids get overwhelmed by too many choices, just like we do staring at a 200-item menu at the Cheesecake Factory.
We keep most toys put away and bring out a handful at a time. That’s our toy rotation system, and it works from the baby years on.
- For babies, 2 to 3 toys out at a time is plenty. Swap them when you notice the interest dropping, not when they cry for something else.
- Try to pull from different toy categories. A sensory toy, a gross motor toy, and a book is a great little set.
- Keep the extras where your little one can’t get to them. Out of sight really is out of mind.
When your baby isn’t a baby anymore, the guides keep going: 3 year olds, 4 year olds, 5 year olds, and 6 year olds. You can also browse everything on our toy guides page.
FAQ
If I had to pick one, a push toy they can walk behind or ride (like a Cozy Coupe), because walking is the big milestone of the year. After that, something to stack and sort and a simple pretend play set like Little People cover a lot of ground.
A little of everything: something to push or climb, something to stack or sort, a musical toy, a few board books, and an early pretend play set. You don’t need a lot. You need variety.
Fewer than you probably have 😂 I know this was always true for us! At our house, 2 to 3 toys out at a time was plenty for a baby, with the rest put away and rotated in.
Follow your child’s lead. If they start walking at 9 months, they will get more use out of a walker than stacking cups.
Take the minimum age seriously, especially for small parts. Anything marked 3+ usually has pieces that are a choking risk for babies and young toddlers.
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