Following on from my post about buying toys for a 0-6 month old, I have put together a list of our 10 favourite toys that were in Fee’s toy box at the age of 6-12 months.
I’m a self confessed googler and bargain hunter. So whenever I buy anything it is usually only after much research and review reading and note taking. So this list is a culmination of lots of research and of course Fee’s road testing!
I have cut the list down to 10 toys that I would recommend to friends and ones that Fee and I have enjoyed playing with the most. Enjoy!
I have put this at Number One as it is my (and Fee’s) favourite plastic fantastic toy to date.
We have had this since she was 6 months old and it is still being played with every day.
It has been a hit with Fee’s 3 year old cousin, next door’s 2 year old and even Mr E. So while it is one of her Big toys, it has definitely stood the test of time and is (in my opinion) great value for money.
It comes with around 7 balls (…I think – though Bee the Dog may have run off with a couple) and has flashing disco lights and funky music that gets the little ones (and me) bouncing up and down.
A great toy for play dates as it gets kids of all ages interacting together, giving you enough time to make a cup of tea.
Love it!
From the moment I brought this home, Fee started pulling herself up and taking her first (supported) steps! My weeks of gentle encouragement and praise had not worked in getting her to stand, she obviously needed some brightly coloured plastic with wheels to get her motivated!
It is a great toy for encouraging little ones to stand and take their first steps and the front toy ‘dashboard’ can be removed and played with separately e.g. in the car or whilst in the high chair.
We actually got the pink version, but wish we had gone for this one instead as it has more gender neutral colours.
Between the age of 6-12 months, Fee really became fascinated with music and loved anything that she could shake, rattle and roll. We bought these hand bells after seeing them in a music class we went to. Whenever I turn the radio on, she still digs these out of the toy box and shakes and bops along to the tunes, particularly if it is Beyonce.
Another must have musical item in our house.
Babies at this age love percussion instruments and Maracas are Fee’s favourite instruments.
These wooden ones are relatively lightweight, easy to hold for little hands and provide lots of fun and entertainment.
My mum bought Fee a wooden cart similar to this when she was around 7 months old. Fee loved removing all the blocks and climbing in for a ride and I like this one in particular as the wheels are pretty sturdy and it is relatively hard wearing (a must in our household!). I like wooden toys such as this as they are timeless and can be passed down to siblings and it makes a change from all of the ‘plastic fantastic’ toys in our house.
Talking of plastic fantastic toys…I do really like this Mega Bloks wagon. It comes with around 20 Mega Bloks and a tray on which to build upon. If you are looking for a wagon/cart and some building blocks, this is a great option to start with as it combines the two. You can also buy more blocks separately and the wagon acts as a good storage box for all the blocks. It is more of a pull-along cart than a push-along cart. Fee has used this in the garden to chase Bee the Dog and it doesn’t matter if it gets muddy as it can be hosed down.
This toy was donated to us by a friend of mine. It is a pretty simple toy with a few buttons that play different notes, say the names of shapes/colours and play short melodies. I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but Fee seemed to know what to do almost straight away. She loved the mirror and the different tunes and the fact she could pick it up and carry it around with her. It has been dropped a number of times and still works perfectly. Good Battery life too.
I grouped this Crab paddling pool and the plastic balls together as that is how we use them in our house.
The paddling pool is great in the summer as it has a sun shade that protects little ones from the sun when outside. It can also double up as an indoor ball pit in the winter and can be deflated and easily stored when not in use.
Sadly our Mr Crab died. He popped after being jumped on by a merry Mr E at Christmas. So we’ll be ordering another one in time for summer.
I got 100 of these plastic balls and use them in the Crab ball pit / paddling pool above. Some of the balls have been squashed by all the dive bombing into the ball pit and Bee (the Dog) has also tried to eat a couple but they usually can be manipulated back into shape quite easily.
Fee was given a pop up and hammer toy similar to this by my sister in law. It was a hit (quite literally) straight away. It helps with manual dexterity and is quite fun!
Most babies at this age love stacking blocks. Fee in particular loved watching me stack them up so she could crawl over and knock them down. I like these wooden ones as they are pretty robust, have nice bright colours and stack nicely away into each other when not in use.
Well I hope this little list gives you some ideas for your little ones.
If you want more ideas, check out my ‘Top 10 Toys for 0-6 month olds’ and ‘Top 10 Toys for 12-18 month olds’ posts.
