What are the best developmental toys for 6-month-old babies? As a new parent, you want to find the best learning toy for your precious 6-month-old baby boy or baby girl. With so many returned search results in Google or Amazon, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of colorful pictures and enticing titles for toys.
In this toy guide, we have selected the most age-appropriate and educational toys for 6-month-old babies. Our team reached out to child educators and neurosciences, as well as experienced parents (including many of our own colleagues). Whether it’s for a birth month celebration, or you are looking for gift ideas for your grandchildren, these best developmental toys for 6-month-old babies will inspire you. Let’s dive right in.
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1. Best Activity Seat for 6-Month-Olds
3-Stage Giggles Island
What Makes It Special?
- 3 ways to use and grow with your baby
- 360 rotatable seat with lots of toys
6-month-old babies have more awareness of their surroundings and are becoming very curious. That’s why toys like floor seats, baby bouncers, and rockers are their favorites. The 3-Stage Giggles Island is the perfect toy to let them explore by sitting up and give them a new perspective of the world. Your little one will love how the seat can rotate 360 degrees so that he can touch all the toys. This is a great toy to keep your little one busy and encourage him to discover new things.
2. Best Developmental Blocks for 6-Month-Olds
Squeezable Baby Blocks
What Makes It Special?
- Super soft baby blocks with a wide range of colors and patterns
- Promotes babies’ fine motor skills and sensory development
Building blocks are one of the best learning toys for kids of all ages. These Squeezable Baby Blocks are one of the few block toys that are age-appropriate to 6-month-olds. It is made with high-quality material that is 100% safe for both children and the environment. Besides vibrant colors and different patterns, these blocks also teach numbers and shapes. It makes one of the best sensory toys and developmental toys for 6-month-old boys and girls.
3. Best Activity Table for 6-Month-Olds
Magic Star Learning Table
What Makes It Special?
- Features 6 busy activities and teaches two languages
- Interactive buttons and gear to teach cause and effect
If your little one is ready to sit up without assistance, this Magic Start Learning Table will sure become her favorite everyday toy. Not only does it feature a wide range of activities to keep your baby busy, but it also plays happy songs and teaches numbers. What’s more, it also grows with your baby into toddler age thanks to the ability to detach the busy board and carry it around.
4. Best Developmental Toy for 6-Month-Old Girls
Pretty Party Tea Set
What Makes It Special?
- Features 70 songs, phrases, and melodies
- Promotes communication skills and imagination through make-believe play
Pretend-play toys are exceptional choices to encourage babies’ imagination. This Pretty Party Tea Set is as entertaining as its attractive. When you tip the pitcher, the liquid inside will simulate the real water movement. It makes a great tool to facilitate fun interaction between you and your little one. That’s what makes it a wonderful gift for 6-month-old girls.
5. Best Learning Toy for 6-Month-Olds
Magical Mushroom Garden
What Makes It Special?
- Multiple-awards winning toy that easily grabs babies’ attention
- Promotes babies’ motor skills, concentration, and dexterity
If you are looking for a sensory developmental toy for your 6-month-old but are tired of dull sensory balls, this Magical Mushroom Garden will have everything you wanted. Your little one can rock, roll, and spin the balls while they play upbeat music and songs. As your baby gets older, he can also follow along with the built-in game by identifying the right numbers and colors.
6. Best Physical Developmental Toy for 6-Month-Olds
Jolly Jumper
What Makes It Special?
- Strengthen your baby’s legs and overall body coordination
- Fun and entertaining for babies and parents
Does your little one have a lot of energy? So much so that it’s too much for you to handle? The Jolly Jumper is proven to be a life-saver for many parents as it helps your little one let off the steam. Not only is it entertaining to your little one, but it also gives him an opportunity to use his legs. Plus, it’s a fun experience for parents to watch their babies laughing and bouncing up and down.
7. Best Pretend Play Toy for 6-Month-Olds
Learning Kitchen
What Makes It Special?
- Encourages 6-month-old to sit up and use their hands
- Trains babies’ fine motor skills and teaches English and Spanish
Many six-month-olds babies can sit up with some assistance. Pretty soon, your baby will be able to sit independently. The Learning Kitchen by Fisher-Price is a remarkable educational toy that is a real hit among many babies. One cute feature is that when your baby puts her hand under the faucet, the toy makes realistic sounds of running water. It’s easy to see why it has earned 4.7 stars on Amazon as one of the best developmental toys for 6-month-old babies.
8. Best Activity Cube for 6-Month-Olds
Educational Cube
What Makes It Special?
- Multiple creative ways to play with
- Features a wide range of activities and patterns to promote motor skills
If you are looking for the best learning toy that offers tons of activities but is also easy for babies to grab, the Educational Cube by ToyVelt is an exceptional option. Playing with the gears, shapes, and buttons on each side of the waffle block will enhance your baby’s fine motor skills. In addition, once your baby grows into a toddler, he will have lots of fun turning these puzzles into different shapes.
9. Best Gumball Toy for 6-Month-Olds
Swirl ‘n Tunes Gumball
What Makes It Special?
- Interactive toy to keep your baby engaged
- Teaches cause and effect and encourages trial and error
The best developmental toys that keep babies from getting bored are open-ended toys. The Swirl ‘n Tunes Gumball Toy is a one-of-a-kind interactive toy that both babies and parents love to play with. While you demonstrate how to push the level to spill the gumballs, your little one observes your actions and learns from you. It is the best developmental toys for 6-month-old babies and parents to play together.
10. Best Wooden Developmental Toy for 6-Month-Olds
Wooden Shape Sorter
What Makes It Special?
- Open-ended learning toy that’s age-appropriate for 6-month-olds
- Teaches shapes and colors through sorting
Wooden toys are all the rage nowadays as people become more aware of the benefits of open-ended play. Ths Wooden Shape Sorter by Cubbie Lee is a superb sorting toy for babies. Even though your 6-month-old is most likely to miss it every single time, you can play with her while explaining and showing her how to do it. In addition, one side of the cube can open so that you can store all shapes inside.
Guide to Selecting Developmental Toys for 6-Month-old Babies
A great deal has happened in the past six months. You and your baby have accomplished a lot. The bond between you two is stronger than ever. Below is the guide to finding the best developmental toys for 6-month-old babies.
1. Look for busy toys that offer lots of activities, sounds, and colors.
At 6-months, your little one has made lots of advancements in his physical development. Not only does he have better vision and mobility, his curiosity about everything and everyone is more than ever. That also means he has a very short attention span. However, the good news is that six-month-old babies don’t have a good memory, you can show him the save toy or activity after a few hours, and they will love it as f it’s new.
That’s why you need to look for toys that offer lots of activities to keep them from getting bored easily. Toys with a wide range of colors, sounds, toy figures, and textures are 6-month-old babies’ favorites. These toys will invite your baby to explore, encourage him to try new things, and boost his overall cognitive skills development and help him learn about this world.
2. Look for age-appropriate toys that provide your baby enough room to roll and crawl.
Not every six-month-old has the same physical development but most children at this age can sit with assistance. In addition, many babies know how to roll from back to back, and some may even know how to sit without assistance or crawl on all fours. It is very import for parents to provide enough room for their children ample space to practice their newly-gained motor skills. In addition, there are toys that encourage your little one to use their hands and legs, as well as promote their overall body coordination.
3. Look for toys that encourage interaction and communication with others, such as parents
At this age, your little one starts to recognize familiar faces and sounds. Furthermore, she becomes more aware of others’ emotions. Six-month-old is when babies start to develop social-emotional skills, which will help lay a strong foundation for healthy emotional intelligence as a grown-up. That’s why you should avoid screen-time and keep your baby from mindless cartoons or kids’ songs. Instead, find toys that are interactive and encourage caregivers to play together. One of the best playmates for an infant is their parents and caregivers, and there are amazing toys that can help make bonding time more interesting and productive.
4. Look for toys that make sounds, light-up, and play music.
As we mentioned earlier, six-month-olds have short attention spans. Plus, due to their limited physical development and cognitive skills, they don’t respond to many things like us adults do. What grabs their attention the most are toys that can blink, flash, makes catchy noises, and tuneful melodies. Sorry, mama, if you find this annoying. But this is what appeals to your little tot. When you look for toys that provide these busy elements, make sure that they can be turned-off easily and have sound adjustment settings.
Conclusions
Spending quality time with our little ones is many parents’ favorite time. Through meaningful interactions, our babies get to know us and learn from us. Though it can be challenging in the beginning because of their limited language skills and mobility, but it will be the most rewarding experience in the world as time passes. So what is your favorite way to spend time with your little tot?
Cecilia Yeung is a successful entrepreneur and product researcher. She has a background in psychology and children’s education. As a working mother of two, she loves to write about children’s education and development.
