I confess this age group of 6-9 months is the start of my favorite baby stage. At this point, your baby might now sleep through the night, start sitting up independently, and even start crawling. The world of play begins to expand at this age, as your baby can do and understand more within their environment. From 6 months to 2 years, so much happens fast for a baby, and it’s fun to watch.
I am an occupational therapist by trade, and now I’m a stay-at-home mom. I’ve been through the baby stage three times with my children and worked with young kids for years before becoming a mother. When choosing toys for our babies, I always thought about purpose and function and how the toys would foster our children’s development. But babies are expensive, so I recommend budget-friendly toys, and if they are going to be an investment, you can use them for months. Even toys for babies 0-3 months and toys for babies 3-6 months of age can be beneficial and entertaining for babies in the 6-9-month stage. After using with patients and my own children, here are 9 of the best toys for 6-9 month-olds.
9 Best Toys for 6-9 Months
1. Peek-a-Boo Elephant
I dare you and your baby to play with this toy and not smile. All three of our kids played with this one, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. Babies at this age are beginning to grasp a concept called object permanence, or the understanding that an object or person still exists even if you can’t see or hear them. Because they are beginning to understand that things and people do not disappear when they’re not immediately visible, games like peek-a-boo are incredibly fun. This elephant toy is interactive; his ears flap when he sings and plays peek-a-boo. I promise you – your baby will love this one. And you’ll love it too!
2. Blocks
Yes, blocks. As an OT, I carried my blocks everywhere I went. They are wonderful toys for 6-9 month olds that are beneficial to building a baby’s visual motor skills. Babies love learning how to stack blocks, and during their toddler and young childhood years, they will learn how to replicate structures with blocks. They are basic toys, but every kid needs a set of blocks. I like this set because they feature bright, engaging colors and pictures. Plus, unlike traditional wooden blocks (which I also love), these lightweight plastic blocks are slightly softer, so when a baby learns how to stack a tower, the blocks won’t hurt them if they topple over.
3. What’s Inside the Box
As babies increasingly explore their environment, they learn about all kinds of things by touching and feeling. All this time spent exploring their environment helps develop an essential life skill called stereognosis. It is the ability to recognize an object using your sense of touch without visual and auditory information. Imagine how often you reach into your purse or diaper bag looking for your keys, phone, or another object and can locate it based purely on your sense of touch. This toy helps foster that skill, and your 6-9 month old will love it. When a baby is very young, they will love to pull the toys out of the box, and you can help them label the toys with their names, like “car” or “flower.” Babies can reach into the box and tell you the item’s name as they expand their language. As your child ages, you can play a more advanced version of the game by having them reach in and tell you the object’s name before pulling it out of the box.
4. Spinning Stacker
Stacking rings are a classic toy, and I’ve always loved this “spin” on the original concept. This stacker features six double-sided gears that spin onto the pole as they drop. At this age, babies can understand the concept of cause and effect and are working on their fine motor skills. This toy is excellent for both these areas and visual motor coordination. At the start, you will need to help your baby place the gears onto the pole, but eventually, your baby will learn how to do it, and they will play with it again and again!
5. Marble Run
This is not your typical marble run with small parts that pose a choking risk for babies. Instead, this marble run features larger balls that roll and drop between the levels to entertain them. At 6-9 months, babies can open their hands to drop toys. When your baby is a newborn, they cannot control their hands fully, so when they grab something, they hold on tight until their hand opens randomly. But now that they’re older, they have more control over when they let go of objects, making this toy the perfect fun activity for your 6-9 month old.
6. Crawl Along Toy
I’m a big fan of tummy time; at 6-9 months, some babies are ready to crawl and can move around on the floor. This toy rolls around and encourages them to chase it for fun gross motor play. We can attest because Baby Chick’s Editor in Chief’s daughter started crawling when she was trying to go after her crawl-alongtoy! It features songs, sounds, and lights and includes three languages for learning shapes, numbers, and colors.
7. Tissue Box Toy
Who knew pulling out tissues could be so much fun? If you’ve ever been around a baby, you know they love to take things out of containers. This is a fundamental skill for a baby to learn – the ability to grasp something and take it out. Eventually, they will also learn to put them back in, but for now, they are really into the “take out” game. This toy features a soft box full of lightweight scarves and sensory crinkle paper. Baby will love to take out the fabric, and you can even show them how fun it is to throw the lightweight scarves and watch them float back down. They will learn the difference in properties between the thicker crinkle paper and the scarves, all during play! This one is sure to be one of their favorites.
8. Simple Activity Cube
Activity cubes and activity centers are so beneficial for learning through play. At this age, babies may still be a bit young for the standard activity cubes, but this more basic one is perfect for this age group. It has basic push-button features and is small enough for your baby to sit and play independently. This is one of the best toys for 6-9 month babies to learn simple cause and effect and fine motor manipulation.
9. Smart Stages Puppy
This toy was another favorite of our household. Learning and identifying body parts is an essential concept for kids, and this puppy toy introduces body parts along with shapes, colors, and counting. Songs are a great way to introduce new ideas to kids; the songs this puppy sings are fun and engaging. Baby is going to love playing with it again and again.
At this age, babies become more independent in exploring their environment. Most can sit up by themselves, allowing a new visual field to play. Since they are now sitting, they can use both hands during play, which introduces an important aspect of fine motor development – bilateral hand use. Babies need to learn how to stabilize an object with one hand while manipulating it with the other, and many toys on this list do just that. At each stage of learning, play continues to be an essential part of their day, and it’s a fantastic way to bond with your baby, too. Child development specialists refer to it as “learning through play,” and it’s an excellent way for a baby to have fun while also learning valuable life skills that will lead to independence. As always, have fun playing!
This article contains affiliate links. These opinions are our own. However, if you buy something, we may earn a small commission, which helps us keep our content free to our readers. Check out ourChick Picks Shop to see more of our recommended products. It’s our carefully curated shop of products we love and recommend! ❤️
FAQs
Which of the following toys is appropriate to 6 9 months old baby? ›
At this age, babies also love soft books, balls, stacking rings or cups, and blocks.
What toys should a 6-month-old be playing with? ›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 kind of toys should my 9 month old be playing with? ›What Kind Of Toys Should My 9-Month-Old Be Playing With? “The best toys are the ones that engage a baby's creativity and build the skills that they are learning: blocks and cups that can be stacked, bright colors and patterns, soft baby books with pictures of familiar items,” Dr. St. Germain said.
What are 2 things your baby will be doing from 6 9 months? ›Your baby is starting to sit up, move by rolling, reach out, and act on the world. They worry that you might not come back when you go away and will let you know it. Your baby will respond to you giving them lots of things to look at, touch, play with and safely put in their mouth.
What do 6 month old babies like to play? ›Some great games and activities for 6-month-old babies include peekaboo, kicking, tummy time, making bubbles, singing, clapping, reading a book, flying, and doing sit-ups. No matter what you do, playing games and interacting with your baby helps enhance their development.
How can I stimulate my baby's brain development? ›Play ideas for encouraging newborn cognitive development
Talk to your baby often, hold your baby, and make eye contact. Read with your baby, recite nursery rhymes, or sing songs. Repeating the same song, rhyme or story is great for babies, because repetition is one of the ways they learn. Make faces with your baby.
At 6 months, your baby will start using sounds to express emotion. She/he may mimic sounds she/he hears, like "ma,” “da,” “ah,” “oh" and even "no!" Your little one will begin to recognize familiar faces, reach and grasp for toys and will soon be crawling — start preparing your home (and yourself) for a mobile child!
How do I mentally stimulate my 9 month old? ›Build Puzzles
Introduce simple puzzles that have small handles on each puzzle piece. Although your baby may not be able to put the pieces back into the board right away, she will enjoy the colors and manipulating the pieces. She will eventually learn how they fit together.
Some of the most popular include rattles, soft toys, teether toys, sensory toys, and stacking rings. Since 7-month-olds love to put items in their mouths, their toys should be free of small parts that pose a choking risk and should be made from a material that's safe to chew on.
When should a baby crawl? ›Most babies start to crawl between 6 and 12 months. But there is a wide range of what's “normal” when it comes to reaching developmental milestones—just because your daughter hasn't crawled by 8 months doesn't mean that there is something wrong with her.
What age do babies crawl? ›
At 6 months old, babies will rock back and forth on hands and knees. This is a building block to crawling. As the child rocks, he may start to crawl backward before moving forward. By 9 months old, babies typically creep and crawl.
Which food increase baby brain development? ›Eggs, salmon, lean meat and dairy - these are some foods that are good for a child's brain development.
What causes a baby's brain not to develop? ›Some babies have anencephaly because of a change in their genes or chromosomes. Anencephaly might also be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as the things the mother comes in contact with in the environment or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medicines she uses during pregnancy.
Do babies watch TV at 9 months? ›Pediatricians generally recommend keeping children under 18 months from viewing screens. Even after that age, parents should always accompany children with TV watching and ensure they don't get too much screen time.
How many naps should a 6 month old have? ›By about 6 months
Your baby needs about 10 to 11 hours sleep a night. They need 2 to 3 naps during the day. They should sleep for between 1.5 to 2 hours for each of the first two naps.
At 6 months, your baby begins babbling with different sounds. For example, your baby may say "ba-ba" or "da-da." By the end of the sixth or seventh month, babies respond to their own names, recognize their native language, and use their tone of voice to tell you they're happy or upset.
How many teeth should a 9 month old have? ›This occurs around 9 to 13 months old, on average. Now your baby likely has two teeth in the center bottom, and four teeth across the top. 10 – 16 months old: The final incisors to erupt are usually the lower lateral incisors. This usually happens between 10 – 16 months old.
How can I teach my 9 month old to talk? ›Interact often. Continue talking, singing, and reading to your baby. Repeat sounds and say simple words. Ask your baby to point to familiar objects and ask, "Where's the cup?" Or point to a ball and ask, "What's that?" Pause before you provide the answer.
How many words should a 9 month old speak? ›Baby development at 9-10 months: what's happening
If your baby is an early talker, they might be using 1-2 words already. But your baby will still make noises to get your attention. They'll also use body language to communicate with you and let you know what they want.
Social and emotional milestones at 9 months
Some of the ways you'll see your little one learning to connect with the people around her at 9 months: Starting to cling onto adults she's familiar with. Might be afraid of strangers. Has favourite toys that she reaches for often.
What are sensory toys for babies? ›
Sensory toys are designed to engage one or more of the senses. While a sensory toy may stimulate sight, sound, touch, smell or taste, the term typically refers to a plaything that engages tactile senses, directly or indirectly.
What toys make babies smarter? ›Pegboard puzzles, nesting cups or blocks, and buckets with holes for different shaped blocks challenge hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. Mechanical toys. Pop-up toys and "busy" boxes with knobs, buttons, and levers encourage fine motor skills and problem solving, and teach cause-and-effect.
Which parent do babies love more? ›Most babies naturally prefer the parent who's their primary caregiver, the person they count on to meet their most basic and essential needs. This is especially true after 6 months when separation anxiety starts to set in.
What type of things do babies prefer to look at? ›After human faces, bright colors, contrasting patterns, and movement are the things newborns like to look at most. Black-and-white pictures or toys will keep your baby's interest longer than objects or pictures with lots of similar colors.
Should 7 month old babies watch TV? ›The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies younger than 18 months get no screen time at all. The exception to this rule is video chatting with grandparents or other family members or friends, which is considered quality time interacting with others.
What do 9 month old babies play with? ›Place toys of different textures in a circle around your baby (think a soft stuffed animal, a smooth or squishy teething toy, a firm board book). Get down on her level and show her each item to encourage her to crawl and examine them. Allow your baby to bang each toy, even bring it to her mouth or drop it.
What toys can a 6 week old baby play with? ›When choosing toys for your new baby, stick with safe, simple objects that encourage exploration and open-ended play. Things like rattles and other grabbing toys, balls, activity gyms and board books are great for encouraging developmental milestones during your baby's first six months.
How do you cuddle a 6 month old? ›Bonding through cuddling, contact and facial expression
Cuddle baby close to the left side of your chest so baby can hear your heartbeat. This is good for bonding with newborns, because it helps them feel safe. Skin-on-skin contact, like baby massage, can help your baby feel secure. Always use a soothing touch.
Babies can enjoy Cheerios after they can sit without assistance and bring food to their mouths. Expect your baby to be ready no earlier than 8 months of age, though all babies develop at different paces. As usual, ask your baby's pediatrician if you have any questions about when or what to feed your child.
Can a 9 month old eat yogurt? ›You can introduce yogurt and cheese once your baby is six months old, as long as they continue to eat a variety of iron-rich foods. Let your baby enjoy the taste of plain unsweetened yogurt, or add fresh, canned or frozen fruit.