The 23 Best Toys For 6-Month-Olds
When babies turn 6 months old, a new world suddenly opens to them. They become more interested in the people and things around them—and they’re also likely to be more curious about trying their first real baby toys. To find the best toys for 6-month-olds, you’ll need to understand where they are developmentally, but it’ll also be fun to explore their budding interests and personalities by seeing which playthings most appeal to your little one, whether that’s a Jumperoo or the best teething toys. Try musical toys, like the LeapFrog Learn And Groove Play Drum, interactive baby books to boost their early language skills and toys that promote motor skills like a set of soft baby blocks. Read on for the best toys for 6-month-olds.
The best toys for 6-month-olds appeal to their developing senses and are easy to grasp with little … [+] hands.
Illustration: Forbes / Photos: Retailers
As a mom to three kids and a product reviewer and tester, I’ve seen my fair share of baby toys. To learn more about what makes for the best toys for 6-month-olds, I also spoke to four experts, including two pediatricians. “Play allows for creative learning and is essential for healthy brain development,” pediatrician Dr. Esther Liu, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, told me. I also spoke to a pediatric physical therapist and a clinical psychologist. You can hear more of their thoughts on baby toys and play throughout this article.
As renowned psychologist Jean Piaget said, “play is the work of childhood.” By giving babies the tools they need to play and explore their world, you’re setting them up for success in all areas of development. Whether you’re looking for a gift or just want to grab something special for your baby, here are some of the best toys for 6-month-olds. After reading this story, you might also want to peruse our additional holiday Gift Guides, including best gifts for new moms and the best toys for 1-year-olds, or peruse more of our favorite baby gear items, including the best cribs, baby swings and tested best high chairs.
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Best Developmental Toys For 6-Month-Olds
A Soft Set Of Blocks
Amazon
B. Toys By Battat Baby Blocks
These textured, squeezable blocks are soft so baby won’t get hurt when they knock the stack down. “Before they are even able to stack blocks independently, babies will explore blocks by passing them back and forth between their hands and banging them together,” says Dr. Charissa Chamorro, clinical psychologist in New York City.
An Interactive Push Walker With Removable Activity Board
Amazon
VTech Sit-To-Stand Learning Walker
This interactive push toy includes a removable activity board that’s filled with fun toys for non-mobile babies, including musical keys and a faux telephone. It’s perfect for tummy time, and then, as they get ready to start trying out those first steps, it can be pushed around the room. Just remember to keep any dangerous areas, including stairwells and the kitchen closed off with a baby gate whenever you introduce a wheeled toy like this. Pediatric physical therapist Kaitlin Rickerd, however, explained that a push walker can actually help to encourage babies to crawl and pull to stand as they reach for the interactive toy. This walker is ideal starting at 9 months of age for most babies, but younger ones can use the removable activity board, too.
Mirrors Are Extra Entertaining For This Age Group
Amazon
Sassy Tummy Time Floor Mirror
According to Dr. Chamorro, mirrors encourage “baby to engage and interact with their reflection, [and] they can practice smiling and they will even start to make sounds when looking at their reflection.” She also explained that parents can point out body parts and name emotions. It’s a simple toy that can support many aspects of baby’s development, plus it’s adorable to watch them check themselves out.
An Oversize But Soft Block Set
Amazon
Follies The Baby Bauhaus Set
These soft blocks won’t hurt if baby falls down on them. The set includes two cubes, a pyramid and a ball, all designed in high-contrast colors to appeal to babies. The objects also feature tags, a mirror and a bell.
An Activity Table And Baby Seat In One
Amazon
Fisher-Price 2-In-1 Like A Boss Activity Center
This activity center lets babies grow into all the fun. Once they’re able to hold their heads and trunks up solidly, they can be placed in the chair for short portions of the day to explore all the fun toys. There are mirrors, buttons to press, sounds and songs, shape sorters and more. Once they start thinking about climbing out of it, transform it into an activity table for tots.
Best Wooden Toys For 6-Month-Olds
Container Play With This Sweet Gift Set
Amazon
Melissa & Doug Wooden Surprise Gift Box
This sweet set includes several baby toys, but the real treasure is the box. It’s really fun for babies to put things in and out of containers. “At this time, they become very interested in the concept of things being able to disappear and still exist, later reappearing,” says Dr. Chamorro. Playing like this can help them understand object permanence.
Five Sensory Baby Toys In One Package
Amazon
Hape Wooden Multi-Stage Sensory Set
Rattles, a car, a suction cup toy and a teether: this wooden set has so many interesting toys for babies. If you’re looking for gifts for a 6-month-old you don’t know very well, this Hape collection is a good option, because it has a few different types of toys.
They’ll Chase This While They Learn To Crawl
Plan Toys
PlanToys Wooden Rainbow Baby Roller
Rickerd recommends rolling toys that move away as babies crawl toward them. This wooden roller will encourage them to crawl across the floor. It’s brightly colored, and it makes noise, both of which are enticing to babies.
Best Music Toys For 6-Month-Olds
This Penguin Rocks
Amazon
Hape Penguin Musical Wobbler
This sweet wooden penguin toy wobbles as babies reach for him, teaching them a few things about balance and motion. His arms also shimmy a bit as he waddles, and he plays a few bell-like sounds at a moderate volume, inspiring kids to play with him.
An Interactive Drum Sized Just Right
Amazon
LeapFrog Learn And Groove Play Drum
This sweet drum lights up and teaches kids songs and more in both Spanish and English. Dr. Harvey Karp explained that “a baby-appropriate toy drum that they can rat-a-tat-tat on” can support gross motor development. This can also keep them entertained while they work on sitting independently.
Press The Buttons To Play 6 Songs
Amazon
Skip Hop Baby Toy Guitar
Babies love to listen to music, so it’s no surprise that musical instruments tend to be a hit with this age. Dr. Liu explained that toys with buttons, such as this adorable toy avocado guitar, teach babies cause and effect. They’ll rock out to the six songs and 10 guitar riffs included in this toy. Just don’t forget the batteries, too.
A Toy That Allows Baby To Be A Composer
Amazon
Baby Einstein Cal’s Smart Sounds Symphony
Instead of pushing buttons, the technology on this musical toy allows babies to simply touch the board to make sounds. It has three modes: instrument, color/animal and freestyle. I love that you can set this toy on the floor or on their high chair for tabletop playtime.
Best Sensory Toys For 6-Month-Olds
This Water Mat Keeps Them Occupied During Tummy Time
Amazon
Splashin’Kids Inflatable Tummy Time Water Mat
This mat is filled with floating sea creatures, and it’s a mess-free way to get in some sensory play, especially during tummy time or just while seated on the floor. “I really like the water mats on the floor to encourage babies to work on their upper body and core strength and engaging them without the flashing lights and noise that can distract them,” says Dr. Liu.
A Toy Car That’s Easy For Them To Move
Amazon
Oball Rattle And Roll Sports Race Car
Oballs are easy for 6-month-olds to grab while they’re working on their pincer grasp and grip strength. This toy is an Oball, car and rattle in one. Babies will enjoy watching the beads move while they push it along the floor. Best of all? No batteries required.
A Rattle That Makes Rain Sounds
Amazon
Hape Red Rainmaker Music Set
Babies can listen to the rain sounds and watch the beads fall down as they play with this musical rattle. It has some longevity too as many toddlers will also enjoy making rain sounds and shaking the toy.
A Sensory Cube Complete With A Mirror And Crinkle Sounds
Amazon
Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson Learning Cube
“Sensory toys that feature different textures are also great,” Dr. Karp said. This multi-sided cube from Manhattan Toy features ribbons, crinkle paper, a teething ring, various soft textures and more. It also comes in bold, high-contrast colors that are appealing to 6-month-olds’ developing vision.
Best Bath Toys For 6-Month-Olds
A Simple And Inexpensive Toy They’ll Play With For Years
Amazon
The First Years Stack N Count Cups
Never underestimate kids and their desire to play with cups. “Stacking cups are one of my favorite toys to promote development. Babies can work on fine motor and problem-solving skills by learning to stack the cups, and caregivers can promote problem-solving skills by playing hide-and-seek with different-sized cups,” said Dr. Chamorro. This set of eight brightly colored cups are fun to play with in and out of the bath and are BPA-free.
A Bath Toy That’s Easy To Clean
Amazon
Sassy Rain Shower Bath Ball
This bath toy easily fills with water and then sends down rain showers when your 6-month-old picks it up. Traditional squirting bath toys develop mold easily, but this one comes apart for cleaning, so you don’t have to worry about mold buildup.
A Dishwasher Safe Seaplane
USA-Made
Amazon
Green Toys Disney Baby Mickey Mouse Seaplane
Made of recycled plastic, this Mickey Mouse-themed seaplane floats on the water. Babies will enjoy spinning the propeller as Mickey cruises around the tub. A bonus: it’s dishwasher safe for easier cleaning.
A Classic Book For The Bath
Amazon
The Rainbow Fish Bath Book
Dr. Chamorro explained that books can help babies develop communication skills and fine motor skills as they learn to turn pages. This classic book that many of us know and love is an ideal addition to the bath toy rotation as this edition is designed to get wet.
Best Educational Toys For 6-Month-Olds
A Finger Puppet Book
Amazon
Old MacDonald Had A Farm Finger Puppet Board Book
Don’t underestimate books when it comes to play for babies. This one incorporates finger play, music and animal sounds, all of which are sure to be a hit with 6-month-olds. They’ll learn more about this popular song and thrill to meet all these friendly animals.
They’ll Play With This So Much, You’ll Know The Songs By Heart
Amazon
VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube
Typically, I steer clear of overly electronic toys, but when a mom of a 6-month-old recently asked for toy recommendations in a moms’ group that I’m in, this was by far the most recommended toy. It includes buttons and manipulatives, and it plays songs and sounds.
Two Classic Baby Toys
Amazon
Fisher-Price Rock—A-Stack Ring And Baby’s First Blocks Set
Stackers and shape sorters are classic baby toys. According to Dr. Karp, toys like these help develop fine motor skills. The set from Fisher-Price includes five stacking rings and 10 shape sorting blocks and the container.
How We Chose The Best Toys For 6-Month-Olds
As a mom to three kids and a product reviewer specializing in parenting, I’m constantly researching and testing toys, both formally and informally. I used my own experience as a guide when deciding which toys to include (and which not to include). I also considered which toys are most popular, what the current toy trends are and which toys are most likely to engage 6-month-olds.
I spoke to four experts in the baby realm for this article as well: pediatric physical therapist Kaitlin Rickerd, PT DPT; clinical psychologist Dr. Charissa Chamorro, PhD; Dr. Esther Liu, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center; and Dr. Harvey Karp, a pediatrician and founder and CEO of Happiest Baby, maker of the Snoo smart bassinet. I spoke to the experts about why babies need to play, where 6-month-olds are at developmentally and how parents and caregivers can support their play and development.
This article is regularly reviewed and updated. It was last updated in December 2022. Additionally, Forbes has reviewed hundreds of baby and kids toys over the years. Here are a few more of our favorite toys:
What Toys Should My 6-Month-Old Be Playing With?
Dr. Chamorro recommends that babies play with toys in each of the following developmental categories: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem-solving skills and social skills. She suggested toys such as blocks, baby books, stacking cups and mirrors.
What Toys Are Safe For A 6-Month-Old?
Young babies like to put just about everything in their mouths, so safety is incredibly important when choosing a toy for a 6-month-old. “The best way to know if a toy is safe and appropriate for your baby is to check the label,” says Dr. Karp. “All toys are age-graded based on choking or safety risks and the physical and cognitive skills a child needs to play with the toy. Make sure you avoid any small toys or toys with small parts. And, when you can, opt for toys made of natural materials that are phthalate-, PVC- and BPA-free.”
