That’s why baby toysare crucial when it comes to not only entertaining them but developing your child’s intellectual, emotional and creative skills. In the first 12 months of a baby’s life, their brain is firing on all cylinders as they grow from newborn to infant to toddler. It’s important to not only provide educational toys for their growing minds but stimulate their senses and imagination. That’s why we’ve rounded up 60 of the best baby toys on the market, from sensory toys to activities and books. Each stage of play is essential for your little one as they learn to babble, grab, roll, crawl, walk and run. Below, check out our list of the best toys for baby. Here at Parade.com, we’re all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however, all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.
Best Toys for Baby
Best Sensory Toys for Baby
1. Manhattan Toy Winkel Infant Toy, $14.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Not only is it visually stimulating, but the Winkel Infant Toy is both a teether and a rattle. Babies can grasp it, suck on it and shake it. They absolutely love this toy!
2. Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Jitter Toy, $7.99 on BuyBuyBaby
The Skip Hop Jitter Cloud is the perfect portable toy and can be used on a car seat, stroller or play mat. Let baby touch, grasp, pull and chew! Flip Fish is a multi-textured sensory toy that promotes development skills as it squeaks and crinkles. It encourages grasping and tactile exploration. The Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Toy is a registry favorite and encourages a love of music and auditory development. Lights blink as the speaker plays baby-friendly versions of classical masterpieces by Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and Rossini.
5. Miniland Sensory Balls, $41.98 at Maisonette
The Miniland Sensory Balls promote hand-eye coordination and stimulate baby’s senses with colors and textures. Made with natural rubber, the balls are great for holding and chewing.
6. Oball Rollin Rainstick Rattle, $13.99 at Walmart
Your little one can grab, bend and shake this indestructible ball, which features the soothing sounds of rain. Beads spin around and around as baby works on their fine motor skills.
7. HABA Wooden Baby Clutching Toy $14.99 at Walmart
The HABA clutching toy, made of beechwood and a non-toxic water-based stain, is perfect for those teething babies six months and older. Plus, they can grab and grasp with ease. The textured ribbons and fabric on The Learning Lovey encourage tactile play and help babies develop cognitive, social and emotional skills through social interaction. It provides comfort and is portable and washable.
9. Kids Preferred World of Eric Carle Tissue Box, $30.69 at Walmart
This playful tissue box, decorated with images from beloved Eric Carle books, grabs baby’s attention with its bright colors and textures. Encourage sensory development as your little one pulls tissues out of the box and pushes them back in.
10. Plan Toys x pbk Sensory Blocks, $24 at Pottery Barn Kids
Baby can mix and match blocks as they improve fine motor skills. The Plan Toys x pbk Sensory Blocks come with wooden balls, plastic beads, kaleidoscope lenses, mirrors and felt to promote creative play and visual and spacial perception. They’re made of solid rubberwood.
Best Visual Toys for Baby
11. Baby Einstein Glow and Discover Light Bar, $21.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Another fun creation by Baby Einstein, the Glow and Discover Light Bar is ideal for both tummy time and sit-up play. Let baby enjoy the flashes of light as they touch keys that feature words, and animal and xylophone sounds. Plus, choose from English, Spanish or French.
12. Fisher-Price 3-Piece Tambourine and Maracas Set, $14.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Baby can stimulate all their senses with this colorful music set, which features a mirrored tambourine and a pair of chewable maracas. Let love of music take flight as your tot shakes, rattles and explores.
13. Baby Einstein Magic Touch Curiosity Tablet, $22.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Baby’s first tablet! Little ones can tap an “app" on this magical wooden toy to learn about colors, numbers, and first words in three different languages.
14. Skip Hop Bandana Buddies Ellie the Elephant, $14.99 at BuyBuyBaby
This adorable elephant toy is visually appealing and provides baby with hours of play as it’s covered in different textures, and patterns. It features a teether, rattle ring and mirror, among other surprises.
15. Sassy Sensory Activity Panels, $14.99 at BuyBuyBaby
The Sassy Sensory Activity Panels will no doubt attract your baby’s eye with their bright colors and stark patterns designed to encourage emotional development from a young age.
16. Tummy Time Floor Mirror, $16.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Tummy time becomes a whole lot more fun with this floor mirror, which will encourage baby to focus on the human face and their own reflection.
17. Montessori Newborn Kit, $75 at Monti Kids
This collection of Montessori infant toys is designed by child development experts. They promote concentration, visual tracking, core development, grasp development, an early love of reading and pre-crawling movements. The perfect gift for a new baby!
18.. Art Cards, $14.95 at Maisonette
Black-and-white photos with contrasting patterns or images attract your baby’s eye and encourage visual development. These Art Cards are a great addition to your newborn’s daily playtime routine. Recommended for babies aged 0 to 5 months old, Manhattan Toy’s award-winning Wimmer-Ferguson infant collection is the original innovator of black and white developmental toys. The patterns on this portable mobile are inspired by laboratory-research and adapt to baby’s changes in visual development by featuring a range of design complexity and color.
Best Play Gyms, Mats and Tables for Baby
20. Fisher-Price Deluxe Kick & Play Piano Gym, $39.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Make tummy time even more fun for your baby with this Kick & Play Piano Gym, which features a colorful play mat, visually stimulating arch and large keyboard with five light-up keys for take-along play.
21. Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Activity Center and Exerciser, $138.99 at BuyBuyBaby
This Skip Hop Exerciser is a fan-favorite as it grows with baby, converting from a seat to an activity table to a play table with a plastic chalkboard surface. It features a foot piano, rattle beads and a snack bowl, among other things.
22. The Lovevery Play Gym, $140 at Lovevery
A best-seller among parents, the Lovevery Play Gym provides a plush environment while promoting visual sensory development and hand-eye coordination. It also encourages tummy time with plenty of patterns and activities to keep baby occupied.
23. Lalo Play Gym, $135 at Lalo
Lalo’s Play Gym is more simplistic in its approach but equally as effective with a black-and-white sensory ball, mirror prism and silicone teether. The easy-to-clean mat and bars also convert into a play tent as your baby grows.
24. Explore & More Let’s Roll Activity Table, $60 at Nordstrom
This interactive table will entertain your baby as they grow into a toddler with 20 developmental activities, including a light-up piano and swirl slide. Little ones will enhance fine motor skills as they use their hands to interact with objects.
25. Manhattan Toy Deep Sea Adventure, $130 at Maisonette
This beautifully designed play center will immediately grab your little one’s attention. Allow them to explore all the ocean has to offer as they cruise around the table, looking at images of mermaids, crabs, jellyfish and more. Plus, they can work on their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and cause-and-effect play while completing a bead run or peg maze. So much to work with here!
26. Nature Friends Baby Activity Chair, $149 at Crate&Kids
This adorable activity chair from Crate&Kids has it all. Filled with woodland-themed surprises for your child, it stimulates sensory development with activities and textures that encourage hands-on play and exploration.
27. Little Nomad 4x6 Play Mat, $99 at House of Noa
A sturdy play mat that looks great in your living room? What more could you ask for! This 4x6 play mat from House of Noa (formerly Little Nomad) is stylish, practical and provides plenty of play space for your curious little one.
28. Skip Hop Little Traveler Reversible Play Mat, $119.99 at BuyBuyBaby
If you’re looking for something that might engage the baby a bit more, this playmat from Skip Hop is reversible and features colorful images and appealing patterns.
29. Kaloo Colors Activity Mat, $49.95 at Walmart
The Kaloo Colors Activity Mat has a teething ring and mirror to keep your baby’s attention. It’s cozy and colorful, and rich in visual, tactile and sound discoveries.
Best Teething Toys for Baby
30. Sofie La Girafe, $26.99 at BuyBuyBaby
If you haven’t heard of Sophie the Giraffe yet, here she is in all her glory. The beloved teething toy is made of natural rubber and provides relief and comfort to budding teeth as babies suck and chew on their legs, head and body. And, she’s cute!
31. Comotomo Silicone Teether, $6.99 at BuyBuyBaby
This silicone teether from Comotomo features baby finger-sized biting points and is designed specifically for little hands to grab and grasp. This plant-based teether from Calmies soothes sore mouths and is a sensory delight. Babies may grab onto it and never let go!
33. Innobaby Flower Rattle Teether, $7.99 at Walmart
If there’s one teether that can reach those hard-to-get spots for baby, it’s this one. The flower rattle teether has a dual-sided shape and texture, making it a sensory joy for babies and their throbbing gums. Slip this mitt on baby’s hand so they can suck, chew and bite their way to painless gums. It makes a crinkle sound too, so senses will be stimulated.
35. pipSquigz Ringlets, $19.95 on Fat Brain Toys
These colorful ringlets are a great option for your teething tyke. They can loop together or pull apart and feature fun textures and suction cup connectors that inspire exploration.
Best Activity Toys for Baby
36. Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks, $10.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Tots can work on their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as they fit shapes into the corresponding slots of this take-along basket of blocks.
37. Green Sprouts Stacking Cups, $9.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Stack, unstack and stack some more! These colorful cups develop concentration and thinking skills and are perfect for the playroom, bath time or the beach.
38. VTech Stroll & Discover Activity Walker $42.99 at BuyBuyBaby
A classic! The VTech Stroll & Discover Activity Walker has it all in terms of engagement. It’s colorful, interactive and helps babies develop the skills needed to take their first solo steps.
39. Joovy Spoon Walker, $109.99 at BuyBuyBaby
The Joovy Spoon Walker is basically a high chair that promotes walking. It strikes the perfect balance of eating, playing and learning and provides comfort, stability and mobility for your growing tot.
40. InnyBin, $25.95 on Fat Brain Toys
Little ones can experiment and problem solve with Innybin, which features six textured shape blocks designed to fit through elastic bands of a cube.
41. SpinAgain, $29.95 at Fat Brain Toys
Babies can spin again and again with this fun toy. SpinAgain comes with six bright discs that thread onto a corkscrew pole and go around and around and around.
42. Plush Picnic Toy Set, $25 at Nordstrom
This plush picnic set includes cherries, a rattle avocado, crinkly toast and a noisy grape juice in a basket with touch-and-close tabs. So much to explore and take along!
43. Explore & More Egg Shaker Trio, $10 at Skip Hop
These cute and colorful musical friends will have your baby shaking and moving. They’re a good toy for traveling, too!
44. Rainbow Nester Stacker, $39 at Maisonette
This sweet stacking rainbow is a great addition to a nursery and allows tots to stack, sort and make different shapes with six arched pieces.
45. Pop Blocs Farm Animals Learning Toy, $19.49 at Melissa & Doug
These Pop Blocs Farm Animals will keep that busy bee of yours buzzing as they pop linkable pieces together and pull them apart in fine motor fun.
46. Explore & More Fox Xylophone, $18 at Skip Hop
If your ears can take it, babies will love to bang and play this adorable Fox Xylophone, which features a pull-and-go design. This pony-themed musical toy grows with your little one as they walk, bounce and scoot. Over 50 songs, sounds, tunes and phrases accompany the ride!
Best Bath Toys for Baby
48. Aqueduck Bath Extender And Cover, $12.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Not only does this Aqueduck Bath Extender cover the spout of the tub, but it allows you to rinse your little one’s hair easily. Babies will love the water feature as they splish and splash in the tub.
49. Verdes 36-Piece Foam Alphabet & Numbers Set, $6.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Baby can continue learning in the tub as they play around with foam alphabet and numbers, and practice recognition and cognitive thinking skills.
50. Ubbi 5-Piece Bath Boat, $9.99 on BuyBuyBaby
This Ubbi Bath Boat will provide hours of fun as baby uses their imagination and floats it around the not-so-rough waters of the tub.
51. Skip Hop 5-Piece Zoo Stack & Pour Buckets, $9.99 at BuyBuyBaby
These colorful Zoo Stack and Pour Buckets provide endless activities in the bathtub. Little ones can stack, fill, dump, pour and drain over and over again.
52. Manhattan Toy Floating Fill ’N Spill Whale, $34 on Maisonette
Babies will have a whale-y good time with this Fill ‘N Spill Whale, which floats on the water’s surface and is filled with four sea creatures for extra play.
Best Books for Baby
53. On the Night You Were Born, $7.99 at BuyBuyBaby
Nancy Tillman’s On the Night You Were Born celebrates the wonder and magic of a child’s birth with stunning words and imagery. We Are Family, by Patricia Hegarty, celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of families. No matter how different they may seem, the love that is shared is all the same. Nancy Shaw’s Sheep in a Jeep is a rollicking ride in which, yes, sheep try to drive a jeep. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic. The Eric Carle book features interactive die-cut pages and is great for teaching counting and days of the week. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle is a fun tale about a little blue truck who, with the help of his farm animal friends, gets out of some muck. Baby Signs, with pictures by Joy Allen, helps tots learn essential signs so they can easily communicate their needs, wants and feelings with a simple gesture. Matthew A. Cherry’s touching book Hair Love, also a short film, highlights the relationship between a Black father and his daughter. A new favorite. Yet another classic, I Am A Bunny by Ole Risom and illustrated by Richard Scarry follows Nicholas the bunny as he experiences the seasons. Next, the best baby registry items.
