A child’s brain develops at an astounding rate during the first two years of life, and playtime is the perfect time to encourage your baby’s learning while having fun. Each product on this list has received high marks from parents as being among the best developmental toys for babies. These toys are appropriate for a variety of ages, are available in different price ranges and provide a number of stimulating experiences whether you wish to use batteries or not.
7. SmartNoggin NogginStik
- Age: Newborns and Babies up to 1 Year Old
- Price Range: Under $$
- Batteries Required: 3 nonstandard batteries (included)
- Developmental Skills: Encourage Visual Tracking, Enhances Grasping and Holding Skills
The NogginStik Light Up Rattle is a fun little toy that encourages healthy brain development and early bonding. The toy lights up in three different colors to enhance your baby’s visual tracking skills. Furthermore, it helps with grasping and holding, which are all important foundational skills.
The rattle is designed for infants to 12 month olds, so it’s one of the best developmental toys for parents looking to make an investment in something that will last longer than other options. You’ll also be getting a little booklet with important milestone in your baby’s life and how to use the rattle for each of milestone.
6. Baby Einstein Take a Long Tunes
- Age: Three months and older
- Price Range: Under $
- Batteries Required: Two AA (included)
- Developmental Skills: Fine Motor, Color and Sound Recognition
The best developmental toys for babies aim to provide a variety of stimulating experiences. This includes an introduction to classical music, which is often thought to have benefits for young children. The Take a Long Tunes toy from Baby Einstein plays portions of seven classical pieces from composers like Mozart and Chopin.
The easy-to-push button will start or change a song, and you may be surprised at how soon your baby learns to push the button all by themselves! Red, blue and green lights flash in time to the music and provide the visual stimulation babies enjoy.
Four brightly-colored beads slide up and down the side handle and make a satisfying rattle when baby shakes the toy. The beads can also be used as a teether.
5. Manhattan Toy Winkel
- Age: Newborn through Two Years
- Price Range: $
- Batteries Required: None
- Developmental Skills: Grasping, Hand/Eye Coordination, Color and Sound Recognition
Sometimes, the best developmental toys for babies have a design that appears simple but turns out to be surprisingly versatile. Just looking at the Winkel’s intriguing shape may well be enough to hold your baby’s attention for quite a while!
Made of brightly colored plastic loops intertwining around a square center, the Winkel has the look of an open ball. The rounded shape and multiple “handles” make this toy easy for baby to pick up, turn over and hold onto. The loops are PVC-, BPA- and lead-free and make a great teething surface. A gentle rattle in the Winkel’s center also provides some audio interest.
4. Lamaze Peek a Boo Forest
- Age: Six Months and Older
- Price Range: $
- Batteries Required: None
- Developmental Skills: Fine Motor, Color and Sound Recognition, Hand/Eye Coordination
Books will always be some of the best developmental toys for babies. It is never too early to introduce your baby to reading, and the Peek a Boo Forest can be a great way to do just that.
This washable fabric book contains six pages that provide a number of different stimulating experiences.
Each page has a fun flap that allows your baby to find out what’s hiding underneath. The brightly colored pictures have high-contrast images that are easy for baby to see, and the simple rhyming words form a soothing rhythm. The soft pages also contain a layer of cellophane for an entertaining crinkly noise.
3. Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
- Age: Newborn and Older
- Price Range: $$
- Batteries Required: None
- Developmental Skills: Fine Motor, Color and Sound Recognition, Hand/Eye Coordination, Texture Recognition
As the name implies, the Bumpy Ball is covered with multiple large bumps that are easy for even a young baby to grasp securely. This soft, foam-filled ball is lightweight and a great size for babies to handle.
Your little one can enjoy picking the ball up, rolling it along the ground, practicing their throwing skills or just have fun observing the bright, high-contrast colors and patterns.
The Bumpy Ball features netted, smooth, and fuzzy textured surfaces that give your baby a tactile experience, and two hard plastic bumps contain different colors of rattling beads.
2. Halilit Mini Rainmaker
- Age: Newborn and Older
- Price Range: $
- Batteries Required: None
- Developmental Skills: Cause and Effect, Color and Sound Recognition, Gross Motor Skills
This toy mimics the soothing sound of rainfall, helping babies calm and fall asleep. As you turn the rainmaker over, an abundance of brightly colored plastic beads tumble down through multiple levels and make a gentle tinkling sound. The lead- and BPA-free outer wall is made with a faceted plastic that has the illusion of a prism.
This rainmaker is eight inches tall and is easy for little hands to turn and roll over. While your newborn won’t be able to handle this toy on their own, you can enjoy the sounds together as you turn it over for them. After all, the best developmental toys for babies should help foster the bond between parent and child.
1. WolVol Cube Play Center
- Age: 18 months and older
- Price Range: $$
- Batteries Required: Three AA (not included)
- Developmental Skills: Fine Motor, Hand/Eye Coordination, Color and Sound Recognition, Cause and Effect
This play cube has enough buttons, levers, flashing lights and sounds to keep your little one entertained for quite some time. The top and each of the four sides have different activities, including a hammer and drum, bead pushers, and rotating pictures. The play center also offers activities for imaginative play.
A steering wheel lets your little one pretend to drive, and a removable cell phone is just the right size for making baby phone calls. At just under 12 inches wide and tall, the Cube Play Center is a great size for a young child to easily play with on the floor, and the large handles make it easy to move the toy from room to room.
Conclusion
Children often learn best through play, and toys have the potential to do more than simply be entertaining. These options for best developmental toys for babies give your child a chance to hone various skills and help make the most of playtime. Has your child played with any of these toys? Feel free to share your experiences or ask any questions in the comments!
Leave a Reply