The 21 Best Toys for 9-Month-Olds of 2023

When buying toys for 9-month-olds, keep in mind that at this age, safety is of the utmost importance since babies love putting things in their mouths. We researched value, toy safety, and age recommendations when reviewing products. We also made sure that these toys are fun!

” At 9 months , many babies have the motor skills—crawling, pulling to stand, cruising along furniture—to explore in new ways. They can move to the objects or toys that they want to play with rather than having to wait for someone to bring toys closer to them. This opens up a whole new way for them to play,” says Elizabeth Zack, PhD, outreach and education specialist at the University of Washington.

As their attention spans grow and they become more mobile, 9-month-old babies are eager to explore the world around them. Their developmental milestones help them thrive, and toys that encourage movement, language skills, and social-emotional intelligence are crucial for their development.

Fisher-Price DJ Bouncin’ Beats Interactive Learning Toy

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Why We Like It: This singing and dancing toy helps teach the alphabet, numbers, colors, and opposites, with different modes to entertain littles as they grow.

But Take Note: An easily missed switch in the back controls how long the songs play for.

This bouncing interactive toy will have your baby bopping along to over 75 educational songs about letters, numbers, colors, and more. The DJ toy also has a light-up face and soft ears to encourage sensory play. There’s also an option for to record sounds to mix with the music. With its three levels of play, DJ Bouncin’ Beats will grow with your little one, from sitting and listening to simple songs at 9 months to a full-on dance party with more advanced songs and phrases at 18 months.

Price at time of publication: $45

The First Years Stack Up Cup Toys

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Why We Like It: It teaches counting, sorting, and motor skills.

But Take Note: The cups have holes, so they can’t hold liquid.

These simple-yet-fun nesting cups are always a hit with babies, who can use them to stack, nest, or turn over to hide things underneath. Colorful and bright, they have numbers on their base so your baby can practice their counting and number recognition skills as they get older. Though the small holes prevent the cups from holding water, they are still great for water play or bathtime.

Price at time of publication: $5

VTech Stroll and Discover Activity Walker

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Why We Like It: It has interactive lights and sounds and provides sturdy support.

But Take Note: This toy makes a whole lot of different noises, which can be overwhelming for parents and tots.

This two-in-one activity walker is packed with lights, sounds, spinners, and sorters to keep them entertained and curious while they’re sitting, standing, or walking. Once your baby is more mobile, the attachable activity center snaps onto a sturdy base to prop them up as they start walking. As your tot grows, you can switch the walker between two age-appropriate speeds.

Price at time of publication: $35

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Fisher-Price Linkimals Smooth Moves Sloth

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Why We Like It: Not only does the sloth feature interactive lights and songs to teach letters, colors, and numbers, but it also interacts with the other toys in the Linkimals line.

But Take Note: It requires four AA batteries.

This super cute interactive sloth gets little ones learning and moving with its songs and dance moves. Babies can press the buttons on the sloth’s feet to hear about letters, colors, and numbers while they watch it sing, clap, bob its head, and light up. With over 85 tunes and sounds, there are endless features for your kiddo to discover. If you purchase other Linkimals toys, they sync up and interact with each other.

Price at time of publication: $50

Bright Starts Oball Classic Ball

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Why We Like It: The lightweight ball is easy for babies to grasp and transferr between hands, as well as roll and toss like a regular ball.

But Take Note: Some areas may have sharper edges, so it’s not designed to double as teether.

The award-winning flexible design of the Oball classic makes it easy for babies of any age to grip, catch, and play. Lightweight and soft, it has 32 large, easy-to-grasp holes and is made of a flexible plastic that’s a cinch to wipe clean.

Price at time of publication: $5

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VTech Pull and Sing Puppy

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Why We Like It: This agreeable puppy lets babies push and pull it, learning cause and effect as they develops fine motor skills.

But Take Note: The puppy’s leash is short, so toddlers may have to stoop to pull it along.

Babies have a blast pulling and pushing this dog toy as they watch and listen to it play music and light up. Perfect for 9-month-olds, this highly interactive and visually stimulating toy helps them learn about cause and effect and develop their fine and gross motor skills. From teaching them their numbers and colors to the parts of their body, this toy will be a learning favorite as they grow.

Price at time of publication: $25

Melissa & Doug Take-Along Shape Sorter Baby and Toddler Toy

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Why We Like It: The shapes are easy to grip for babies learning sorting and matching skills.

But Take Note: Because the sides are soft, some find it collapses when babies push the shapes in.

This padded on-the-go activity center is so much more than a basic shape sorter. Babies can lift the crinkly flaps, match the shapes, and drop the textured blocks through the sorter. As they develop their skills, they’ll enjoy identifying the objects and zipping and unzipping the bag. Recommended for babies ages 9 months old and up, the set also has an easy-to-grasp handle to carry it from place to place.

Price at time of publication: $28

Boon Stacking Boats Bathing Toys

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Why We Like It: These BPA-free bath toys inspire creativity and dry quickly.

But Take Note: They only stack in a certain order, which may be frustrating.

These brightly-colored stackable boats make bathtime more fun for babies. They can float them in the tub or use them to scoop up water and let it drain out as they watch the holes’ cool rain effect. Suitable for 9-month-olds and up, they’re free of BPA, phthalates, and PVC—plus, since they’re single-piece construction, they won’t get moldy like other bath toys.

Price at time of publication: $10

Sassy Stacks of Circles Stacking Ring STEM Learning Toy

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Why We Like It: This vibrantly colored toy develops fine motor skills without frustration.

But Take Note: Though it’s made of plastic, these toys shouldn’t be submerged in water, as they could grow mold inside.

Designed to help develop fine motor, grasping, and hand-eye coordination skills, this stacking toy features chunky rings of all different textures and weights. The straight post accepts different size rings for frustration-free stacking, while the see-through ring with colorful beads helps little ones connect sight to sound. Plus, when they’re a bit older, the numbers on the side of each ring will help babies learn counting order.

Price at time of publication: $13

Hape Double Bubble Wooden Bead Maze

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Why We Like It: Durable wooden beads promote hand-eye coordination.

But Take Note: The beads could pose choking risk if the toy breaks.

This two-track bead maze promotes fine motor skills, develops hand-eye coordination, and entertains little ones as they work the wooden beads from one end to the other. Durable and portable, it has four suction cups to keep the wooden base secure on smooth surfaces, like high chair trays, for extra stability.

Price at time of publication: $22

VTech Turn and Learn Driver

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Why We Like It: It holds an impressive 60 songs and sounds, and appeals to early car lovers.

But Take Note: This toy is on the noisy side.

As your baby steers the wheel, this toy plays one of over 60 songs and sounds as the little dog moves back and forth. The fun design also includes a traffic light, a turn signal lever that triggers sounds and music, a horn, and a gear shifter. Little drivers can also press the five colorful buttons to learn about different animals and vehicles.

Price at time of publication: $20

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Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack & Roll Cups

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Why We Like It: In addition to stacking, the cups nest inside each other and can turn into colorful balls.

But Take Note: It may be tricky to separate the pieces when snapped into a ball.

Babies can stack these versatile cups into a tower, nest them inside of each other, or snap two together to make a ball that they can roll. The cups are numbered one through 10 to help little ones learn their numbers, while the bright hues can teach them about colors. As a bonus, the hard plastic material is easy to wipe clean.

Price at time of publication: $11

Bright Starts Press & Glow Spinner

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Why We Like It: This toy glows and spins with each push of the star, and the music it plays is at a gentle volume.

But Take Note: Flashing lights might not be suitable for some babies.

This spinner will mesmerize your little one with its bright lights and fun tunes. To operate, your baby needs to push on the star, helping them hone their fine motor skills and explore cause and effect. Caregivers will appreciate that the volume isn’t too loud, and that the various songs are fairly short.

Price at time of publication: $14

VTech Drop and Go Dump Truck

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Why We Like It: Babies and toddlers love loading the included “rocks” into the dump truck, which counts each one aloud.

But Take Note: Its songs may get annoying to grown-ups.

More than just a pull-along toy, this colorful truck helps little ones learn about numbers, colors, and tools. As they load the plastic rocks into the truck, it counts each one. They can also tilt the hinged bucket to dump out the rocks or push the buttons to play songs that teach colors, words, and tools.

Price at time of publication: $21

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Hape Penguin Musical Wobbler

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Why We Like It: This soothing toy makes a tinkling sound as it moves, without the need for batteries.

But Take Note: It’s meant for babies, so won’t be entertaining when they’re older.

This adorable wooden musical toy plays soothing tinkling sounds as it waddles, spins, and rolls. As the sweet penguin wobbles, the interior bell creates a soft sound that is perfect for little sensitive ears. Babies can bat at it, and it always pops back up.

Price at time of publication: $17

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Stride-to-Ride Puppy

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Why We Like It: While this pup’s fun for babies on the ground, it also turns into a ride-on toy for toddlers.

But Take Note: It may not roll on high-pile carpet.

This adorable puppy grows with your baby, as it easily converts from a walker to a ride-on toy. Babies can sit and play with it by sorting the colorful blocks and “feeding” them to Puppy. When they’re ready to walk, the seat raises and becomes a handle. Whether they’re pushing, walking, riding, or scooting along, babies can watch the puppy’s head and ears wiggle and listen to fun songs and encouraging phrases as it moves.

Price at time of publication: $60

LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table

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Why We Like It: The table the ground for babies and up on legs for toddlers, teaching in both Spanish and English modes.

But Take Note: The tabletop is heavy without its legs.

Little ones can press, slide, spin, and pull the colorful instruments on this activity table to play more than 70 songs and sounds as they work on developing motor skills. The learning mode, which can be set to English or Spanish, introduces them to basic concepts like letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. You can also remove the legs for floor play and then replace them when your baby is ready to stand.

Price at time of publication: $53

VTech Musical Rhymes Book

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Why We Like It: This toy combines the interactivity of an electronic toy with the educational value of a book.

But Take Note: Adults will find the songs repetitive.

Babies will hear songs, sounds, and phrases as they slide, twist, and push buttons and levers in this interactive book, which is full of classic rhymes such as “Little Boy Blue.” Turning this book’s pages helps little ones build motor skills, while the five piano tabs introduce them to instruments and colors and help build children’s vocabulary.

Price at time of publication: $20

Green Toys Tugboat

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Why We Like It: This endlessly fun bath toy is made from recycled plastic milk containers.

But Take Note: Be sure to clean all its small crevices to prevent mold growth.

Babies can float this colorful boat across the bathtub or use the wide spout to scoop and pour water. When your little one is old enough to play safely in the kiddie pool, this boat is a fun pool toy, too. Like all Green Toys, it’s made in the USA from recycled plastic milk containers and contains no BPA, PVC, phthalates, or external coatings.

Price at time of publication: $15

VTech Baby Babble and Rattle Microphone

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Why We Like It: While encouraging your future divas and emcees with real amplification, this mic develops fine motor skills.

But Take Note: Its many interactive sounds may be overstimulating.

This interactive microphone amplifies your little one’s voice, and the puppy button encourages them to sing along with playful melodies. When a baby shakes the rattle or turns the ring, they hear different animal sounds and fun music. Great for promoting imaginative play, this fun-filled toy enhances listening and motor skills and can also be used well into your kiddo’s toddler years.

Price at time of publication: $15

Baby Einstein Musical Mix ‘N Roll 4-in-1 Push Walker

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Why We Like It: This multipurpose activity table and walker is stocked with 100 melodies and phrases in four languages.

But Take Note: Some assembly is required.

For a toy that’ll give you the most bang for your buck, try this four-in-one floor toy, activity table, and push walker from Baby Einstein. It starts out as a musical floor toy and then transforms into a walker, DJ mixing table, and finally, a toddler play table. Along with the four different modes of play, babies will love the more than 100 melodies and phrases, which come in four languages: English, Spanish, French, and German.

Price at time of publication: $50