I love giving gifts that babies and parents will love, and that will keep baby engaged! Sometimes it’s easy to find the perfect gift but sometimes it’s not, especially if you don’t have any kids or if you want to give something unique to your second, third, fourth and so on kid. And that’s why we curated this gift guide with the best toys for babies 6-12 months old.
When I created our list of top baby toys I divided it in toys for babies 0-6 months and babies 6-12 months. During baby’s first 6 months of life babies are not as interested in toys and they’re also not mobile, that’s why our the first part of this baby toy list focuses on gifts for babies that can’t move or crawl yet.
During months 6-12 babies start to get mobile, start eating foods and interacting much more with the people around them. They also start playing a lot more with toys and want to engage in more fun activities. After 6 months babies really start to explore the world around them and having toys that helps them explore this world and develop their fine and gross motor skills is ideal. That’s why this toy guide focuses on babies who can sit on their own, and are starting to become mobile. These are toys that babies will play with even after their first birthday!
The following baby toy gift ideas are based on what my daughters and her baby friends liked between 6 and 12 months as well as recommendations from moms online! All these toys are intended for long term use, meaning they will start using them between 6-12 months of age but they will continue using them past one year of age. And since babies like to chew on everything, this list features non-toxic baby toys that are safe to chew on.
The best non-toxic and engaging toys for babies 6-12 months
The Best Toys for Babies 6-12 Months Old
These are the best non-toxic toys for babies over 6 months old. This gift guide focuses on toys that are engaging, entertaining and developmentally appropiate for babies who can sit unassisted and move on their own. These are great toys to gifts at this age range because they will last into the toddler years, making them a great purchase!
Hape Mighty Mini Band Wooden Percussion Instrument
This toy is complete hit! My babies loved it so much and so did all of their friends. We kept ours in the living room and our babies played on it daily. To me, this is a must have!
YBIKE Pewi Walking Ride On Toy
My kids loved this ride on toy the best out of the ones we tried. They started using it around 9 months and kept on using it until they were about 3 years old. The wheels are smooth but it doesn't go too fast, plus it can be used indoors without it damaging your floors.
Hape Beaded Raindrops
This toy is really engaging - babies can watch the little pellets fall down. It also makes a beautiful raindrop sound - baby can flip it up and down to hear one sound or shake it to hear another. This toy has lasted us for years and still continues to be used when we have music sessions.
PlanToys Solid Drum Wooden Musical Toy Instrument
Babies love things that they can manipulate to make sounds. This drum is the perfect size for a baby and it's pretty simple to use. Another musical must-have for babies!
Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
This toy is very unique a one that all kids are interested in exploring. They can pound on the balls at the top and the balls fall into the xylophone. It makes entertaining sounds and keeps babies engaged with the different functions and bright colors.
HABA Discovery Blocks - 6 Colorful Cubes with Unique Effects
We love baby blocks and these are our favorite because each block contains a different element. They're a great starting set that can easily work with other types of wooden blocks.
Hape Friendship Wooden Activity Center Play Cube
An activity cube is a must-have for babies and toddlers. It took us a while to get one and we regretted not getting it sooner because it's one of those toys that kids play with for years to come. Each activity cube comes with different activities so I highly recommend you look here for one that best fits your needs.
PlanToys Marine Puzzle
This is a great starter puzzle! It's simple but cute and colorful. It's challenging enough for babies but not too challenging that they'll give up. If you're looking for a baby puzzle with different textures, check out this one.
Kleynimals - Clean Key Animals - Stainless Steel Toy Keys
Babies love keys so much! I constantly see babies trying to grab their parents's keys and playing with them. The problem with that is that our keys are so dirty and full of germs so if your baby keeps trying to play with your kids, get them this alternative. They are really similar to real keys but a lot safer for baby to chew on!
PlanToys My First Phone
If your baby tends to grab your phone, this little phone from Plan Toys is perfect. It's made with non-toxic materials and it's a fun toy!
PlanToys Dancing Alligator Push & Pull Toy
Pull toys are so fun - they're great for both crawlers and walkers. My babies loved so much the pull toys that we wound up owning several. What we love the most about this one was how colorful it is and that it's made with safe materials.
Green Toys Dump Truck in Yellow and Red
We love Green Toys because they use recycled, non-toxic materials. These toys are pretty durable and we've used them at home, in the bath tub and even at the beach. This little truck is a must have, it's easy for babies to load it with items and drive it around.
PlanToys Chicken Racer
Little cars are so much fun and we especially love these ones because they're the perfect size for baby hands. They're very well made so you don't have to worry about pieces coming off and if your baby decides to chew on it, this one is made with non-toxic materials.
PlanToys Stacking Ring
All babies need stacking toys! They're great for developing fine motor skills. This stacking toy is super cute and colorful but there are plenty to chose from. You can find here one you like best.
Green Toys My First Stacker
Here's another stacking toy and what we love about this one is that it doubles as a bath toy!
Under the Nile Organic Veggie Crate
Kids love playing with pretend food and so do babies! This set is super cute and made with organic materials so they can safely chew on these toys. It's the perfect starting set for your child's play food collection.
HEVEA Star Ball
This is a great toy to play with at home or during bath time. The little holes are enticing for little fingers!
Hape Put-Stay Rattle Set |
This is such a great toy - they're rattle toys with suction cups! It's a great toy to use in high chairs, when eating at home or out. They stay in place and entertain baby with different sounds.
Green Toys Shape Sorter
Sorting toys are great for developing fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. We got this set as our first sorting toy and the babies loved it! The pieces are big enough for baby to hold and put in the right hole.
Uncle Goose Classic ABC Blocks
These classic blocks are a great set of starter blocks and they have the added bonus of having the ABC's and numbers. This is one of those sets that's worth getting with your first baby because it will be used by all your babies.
Hape Turtle Shape Sorter Pull Toy
I love this because it's two toys in one - a pull toy and a sorting toy. This little turtle went with us many places and is very loved by my kids.
Under the Nile Organic Supermeow Roxie Scrappy Cat Lovey
If you're looking for a colorful and organic lovey, this might be the one! It's made with organic materials and you can hang it.
42 Piece Tegu Magnetic Wooden Block Set
We love Tegu blocks, they are magnetic wooden blocks. This is one of those toys we got when my first was a baby and that we played with for years. For a few years it was also our go-to travel toy! It's a really fun way to build things since the pieces are magnetic.
HABA Walker Wagon - First Push Toy with Seat & Storage
This is a fun toy for early walkers. It doesn't move to fast and it's easy for baby to push this toy or to sit on it and be pushed around. It also has a little bin where baby can carry toys.
Award Winning Hape Wonder Walker Push and Pull Walking Toy
If you're looking for a more colorful walking toy, check this one out. Baby can push it or pull it and it comes with baby-friendly activities.
Silicone Bath Toy
A lot of bath toys grow mold and they become dangerous for baby, not these! What I love about these bath toys is that you can easily open them to clean them up.
A toy subscription box:
A baby toy subscription box saves you time by not having to research which are the right non-toxic baby toys for each stage of development. I would have loved to have this option when my babies were born!
You sign up and get non-toxic toys delivered to your door at the right time. You can see before signing up what toys you would get in each box. Check out the playkits here!
Non-toxic toy brands:
If you didn’t like these toys or are looking for something different, there are several brands that make non-toxic, baby-safe and developmentally appropriate toys for babies.
Here are some of the best non-toxic toy manufacturers:
Babies also love to chew on things, so a great gift idea for babies or a baby shower would be to make a little gift basket with teething toys. You can find our favorite non-toxic teething toys here.
Another great place to find more non-toxic baby toy ideas is on our gift guide on Amazon. I constantly update it with the newest, non-toxic, engaging and worth-while baby toys.
And if you baby is getting very close to turning one, check out our toy guide for one year olds!
Are there any toys your baby loved that are not on our list? Let us know in the comments!
Amber says
Love the frog rocker! We have an elephant rocker that still gets played with. The most popular toy for this age range in our house was the Brite Starts “Around We Go” play station. It does take up a lot of space but our son LOVED this toy. We liked that it helped him develop his core strength and coordination. Also, the chair can be detached once it’s no longer needed which turns it into a play table. We pulled ours out for a visiting baby the other day and my older kids were still trying to play with it!
Cheers, Amber at OurCharmedLife.net
Carolina says
That sounds like fun! I’m going to have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation. 🙂
Charlee Anne says
These are some seriously great ideas, Carolina! I especially love the jungle tails book. Thanks for putting this little guide together. 🙂 I hope you’re enjoying your travels!
Carolina says
I’m glad you liked them! The tails are so much fun.
Happy holidays!