Buying toys and gifts for a 0-6 month old baby can be a bit confusing.
When my daughter Fee was born, we were given lots of rattles, teddies and cute bunnies (we have jellycat bunnies coming out of our ears…even Bee the dog has one).
These first toys were great until Fee started needing a bit more entertainment. I went shopping thinking ‘how hard can finding some toys for a baby be?…’ and ended up in Toys R Us completely bamboozled by all the different options on the shelves.
Even though I had done a fair bit of research on ‘which toys are best for motor development / hand-eye coordination..etc…etc..’ I still spent a lot of money and bought alot of stuff that Fee just didn’t use (or show any interest in!).
I did however buy a few great toys, ones she absolutely loved and got lots of use out of.
And so now, with hindsight, I thought I would put together a list of the top ten toys that I would buy again. I have selected the toys based on the following criteria:
- Usage – Toys that Fee and her friends have enjoyed playing with the most
- Value for money
- Test of time – Toys that will hopefully still be in good enough condition to sell or be used by another sibling…should one come along.
I hope the list is useful to anyone in the position of buying toys/gifts for a newborn to 6 month old (I wish I had had it a year ago!). If you click the photos or titles, they will take you to Amazon where you can buy any of the toys on the list. Enjoy!
This little guy was one of the first toys I bought Fee when she was a few weeks old and she loved it.
It can be clipped onto the hood of a bassinet (using the white ring) and will keep little ones entertained while you are out shopping with them in the pram.
I also clipped it onto Fee’s baby swing and to her playmat/gym as an extra toy to bat and stare at.
Babies enjoy the crinkly noise it makes when you scrunch it and it has no small parts so it was a good chewing option for Fee (and Bee the dog unfortunately).
It has black and white shapes and a mirror that babies can look at / focus on at an early age as well as lots of colours and squeaky bits for when they are a few months older.
I bought this play arch for Fee when she was 8 weeks old.
Initially I put it on her car seat to keep her entertained while I was driving, but I ended up using it everywhere including on her bassinet and on her baby swing/seat.
It has lots of colourful elements and different textures and even a little pulley that spins one of the wheels.
She loved it and I loved the fact that it could be attached to most things, was portable and it entertained Fee for long enough for me to make a cup of tea!
I was given this rattle as a gift for Fee when she was born.
It makes a really cute little chirping noise when you shake it and it’s size is perfect for little hands to grasp.
The black and white stripes get the attention of babies even a few weeks old and my daughter still picks this rattle out of her toy box (albeit for chewing purposes) 14 months later. Its not too pricey which is an added bonus.
I was given this at my baby shower. A baby gym is a must have in my opinion. I would really recommend getting a baby gym from day one.
It allows little ones to have a kick about and gives them something to look at and play with when they are too small to sit up.
This baby gym is one I would buy again as it has good toys hanging from the arch, lots of colours and visual stimulation and it also adapts as your little one gets bigger.
The toys can be removed from the arch and my daughter Fee played with the toy people even when she outgrew the actual baby gym itself.
TIP: You can remove the light-up musical sun toy from the arch. I attached it to the bars of Fee’s cot. It can also be attached to the handle of a car seat.
This was one of my daughter’s first big toys.
After lots of research I splurged and bought this hoping I had made the right choice. Luckily I had.
We first put her in this bouncer when she was three months old and while it was a little big for her (I had to put a cushion under her feet) she had a big smile on her face.
We introduced Fee to the Jumperoo by putting her in it for a few minutes at a time and after a little practice she was bouncing away in this in the living room. The seat itself can rotate which meant she could spin round and play with all the different elements. She really enjoyed being in an upright position while she played and this toy gave her the freedom to move around while still being supported.
I am a big fan of toys that were around when I was little, so when we received the very hungry caterpillar toy as a gift I don’t know who was more excited me or Fee!
Fee really got into this toy when she was around 3 months old.
It has lots of different elements; a squeaky apple in a clear pocket, teething rings, a spinning rattle ball, a button that plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, multi-textures and colours.
I really liked the fact that it had two little velcro straps which meant you could attach it to the buggy or the side of the cot as well as the car seat.
Fee loves these blocks. They are a combination of musical shakers and stacking cubes.
Fee prefers the sound element of shaking them and they are pretty robust as they have been thrown about quite a bit and are still in good shape.
I bought them when she was around 3 months old and she got lots of use out of them. She still plays with these now.
I first spotted this activity table when one of Fee’s friends brought it along with her on a play date. She was around 5 months old.
It encourages babies to pull themselves up and stand as it has lots of interesting and eye-catching elements. It can be set to three different languages (English, French and Spanish – Even mummy learnt a few phrases in espagnol from it) and introduces babies to music and musical instruments.
We still have this out around the house and Fee enjoys having a boogie to the music.
Stacking cups are always a good source of entertainment for babies.
I like these stacking cups in particular as they can be played with in lots of different ways.
They can be linked together to form a caterpillar, stacked on top of each other and they can also be used in the bath to play and sieve water (each cup has a different pattern of holes on its base). They are colourful, fun and good value for money.
I bought this when Fee was around 6 months old. She seemed to be teething and putting everything in her mouth.
Having bought quite a few teethers, this was definitely the best.
The good thing about it is that there are lots of different bug shapes for chewing on and the ring shape makes it easy for little hands to hold. It is also very colourful and looks more like a toy than a teether.
TIP: Attach this to a chain of plastic loops and you can then clip it to the buggy so it doesn’t get lost (or thrown out of the buggy!) when you are out and about.
Hope you found this list useful. If your little one is a bit bigger, check out my posts on toys for 6-12 month olds or 12-18 month olds.
