How to choose the best toys for your baby

Baby toys do more than hold your baby’s attention—they are also great tools in developing your little one’s motor skills, depth perception, brain activity, and other milestones. Playtime is an important part of your newborn’s life, and toys can be a fun and helpful way to build your baby’s skills. 

Through playtime, infants and toddlers can learn about the world around them. Help your child develop important social and emotional skills by playing with them and their toys. Even though there are several options out there, playtime doesn’t need to be complicated. With baby toys, a little goes a long way. From being aware of different development stages in babies to knowing what types of toys to buy and understanding how they help with development, we can help you know what toys are appropriate for your young baby and toddler.

How to track baby development milestones with toys

Keeping track of baby milestones is an exciting part of parenthood. Baby toys are a simple but effective way to support your little one as they learn new skills. While all babies don’t get to milestones at the same time, there are general timelines which apply to many babies (but always see your GP or maternal and child health nurse if you have any questions or concerns about your baby's individual development).

If you know what to expect with your little one, you can look for appropriate toys for your baby’s appropriate developmental stage. So, what might your baby’s milestones be?

Baby Milestones 0–3 Months

One Month

• Lifting their head briefly during tummy time
• Glancing at a colourful object for a moment
• Making comfort sounds
• Moving arms and legs symmetrically.

Three months

• Holding chest up and rolling over during tummy time
• Staring and inspecting something for a few seconds
• Responding to sound stimulation by making their own sounds
• Reaching towards a toy without grasping it.

Activities Babies 0–3 Months Might Enjoy

Try holding a plushie, crochet or felt toy in front of your newborn during tummy time to help with their head, neck and muscle development. These types of toys are safe in your hands, and soon your little one will be able to hold their chest up on their play mat.

Baby Milestones 4–6 Months

Four Months

• Reaching and grasping objects with both hands
• Playing with rattle toys
• Finding a partially hidden object
• Smiling at their face in a mirror

Six Months

• Rotating wrists when playing with a toy
• Passing objects between hands
• Starting to enjoy peek-a-boo
• Telling strangers apart from familiar faces.

Activities Babies 4–6 Months Might Enjoy

Try playing peek-a-boo with your baby to help them identify partially hidden objects and learn that you still exist even when they can't see you (also known as object permanence). This may also help them recognise familiar faces, objects and their own name as you call out to them.

Baby Milestones 7–12 Months

Seven Months

• Grasping objects with only their fingers
• Making noises that sounds like exclamations
• Playing with their reflection in the mirror
• Enjoying bouncing games and dancing.

Twelve Months

• Holding and placing blocks on top of another without letting go
• Repeating a sound or gesture if someone laughs at it
• Offering their toys to a known adult
• Having a comfort object like a doll or a blanket.

Activities Babies 7–12 Months Might Enjoy

Block games are great for babies because it helps develop their problem-solving skills. Babies can stack blocks, knock them down, and walk around to collect the blocks. Black and white or bright contrasting blocks are easier for babies to see.

Baby Milestones 13–24 Months

Thirteen Months

• Pushing, pulling and dumping things
• Turning pages in a book
• Playing alone on floors with toys
• Taking things apart and playing with movable toys.

Twenty-Four Months

• Jumping in place and kicking a ball
• Making scribble marks on a piece of paper
• Playing alongside other children and interacting with others
• Using switches, knobs, or buttons on a toy.

Activities Babies 13–24 Months Might Enjoy

Babies in this age bracket may begin to play more independently as they have the physical skills to explore on their own. As they reach toddler age, try throwing a ball and having them run to reach it or kick it back to you.

How to choose toys for your baby?

Watch your little one explore the world around them through their toys. Babies can start playing within the first two months during tummy time, though they probably can’t start playing by themselves until they can grasp toys. Stick with safe and simple toys that encourage exploration and development. Keep in mind what developmental stage your baby is in and what you want them to work on.

Before you browse, here are four things to consider when you choose toys:

1. High-contrast images and toys (easier for small children to see, may be more engaging for some children).
2. Sound (some children may like or dislike toys with sounds).
3. Parental interaction (having a mix of toys that for parental interaction and independent play can be a great idea).
4. Safety (all your toys should be safe for your little one, so consider size of parts, quality of manufacturing, paints used, and presence of loops, buttons, batteries, beads, beans and more. For more info on toy safety in Australia, check out our product safety standards).

Sensory toys

There are many sights, sounds and sensations that are new to your little one. Sensory baby toys are a great way to help develop your little one’s sight, sound recognition and fine motor skills. Since humans have five senses, there are several toys to help your newborn grow.

Baby books

We have several baby books that have crinkly or textured pages that your baby will love. These books encourage babies to grasp and feel with their hands. Some crinkly books can be chewed on or bitten as babies often like to explore with their mouth. Choosing books with high-contrast images and fun textures is a great combination for a sensory experience.

Musical toys

Encourage your baby’s hearing and language skills with musical and sound interactive baby toys. You can bond with your little one by dancing and singing to the songs they play. They can learn to track you based on visual and audio cues.

Baby mirrors

As your baby grows, they will eventually be able to recognize his or her reflection. When your little one hits that milestone, you can start to buy baby-safe mirrors so they can coo at their own face and develop their vision. This will improve facial recognition with themselves and others.

Bath toys

Keep baby happy during bath time with bath and water toys. Interactive bath toys can include classic rubber ducks, stickers, animals toys, boats and more. The squishy or rubbery texture of the toys keep your child occupied as you clean them and get them ready for the next day’s adventures. Remember to never leave your child alone in a bath or shower.

Soft & plush toys

A baby’s first stuffie is always memorable. These types of toys are cosy, soft and can be great to play with outside of the cot and with parental guidance. As you search through our soft plush toys, make sure to find one that is fit for your baby’s developmental stage. Stuffed animals are a great way to learn about new animals, develop social skills, and work on grasping motor skills. Remember to keep sleep spaces clear from all toys.

Interactive toys

An important milestone for babies is grasping and holding onto objects. There are a variety of toys that help babies build their fine and gross motor skills, including rattles, play gyms, teething toys and other interactive toys.

Rattles

Our unique and interactive rattles come in all shapes, colours and sizes. These exciting toys can be the perfect mix of bright colours and unique noises. With rattles, babies can work on their grasping skills while enjoying the textured feel of a rattle in their hands and mouths. Shaking the rattle around will also improve babies eye coordination, and a bright coloured rattle will help them track objects with their eyes.

Playgyms

Play activity mats or baby gyms are a great way to play with your baby and encourage developmental milestones. Tummy time is a lot more fun when rattles, noise toys and hanging plushies are involved. These play mats often grow with your baby and are a long-lasting playmate for your little one. 

Teething Toys

Teething is an important milestone to hit but getting there can be difficult. Our baby teethers are a nice way to comfort and soothe babies as their first teeth come in. The smooth and soft textures are great for gnawing. Buying a teether with a narrow stem makes it easy for babies to hold.

Extra considerations when choosing toys

With your baby’s development and the different types of toys in mind, you are almost ready to start filling the toy drawers in your little one’s nursery. There are a few more considerations to keep in mind, including safety, moving parts and more. 

Remember that everything is new to babies, and they won’t know the difference between fancy toys and a wooden spoon. Many objects can introduce decision-making and exploration.

Safety first

The best thing about babies is their curiosity. Their environment should be a safe place to have fun and learn.

1. Avoid small detachable parts that can become a choking hazard.
2. Don’t buy toys with strings that could be swallowed. 
3. Do not get anything that contains magnets or button batteries.
4. Dispose of plastic packaging safely.
5. Choose toys that don’t use plastics with heavy chemicals.
6. Keep baby away from chewable toys with small beads.
7. Read safety instructions before playtime.
8. Clean toys regularly with a sanitising solution or wipe.

Developmental toys

If your baby is ready, choose toys that your baby can interact with to help them develop important milestones. From toys that encourage motor skills to toys that focus on social benefits, there are several activity and sensory toys that encourage development. 

1. Buy toys with moving parts that encourage spinning, pulling or pinching to develop your baby’s wrists or fingers.
2. Look for playmats or baby gyms with soft, dangling parts that help their eye coordination. 
3. Choose toys that are bright, bold or contrasting to help your baby’s short-sighted vision—they can only see distances up to 30 cm.
4. Select books with pictures and faces that your baby can start to recognise.
5. Know that electronic and battery-operated toys are safe for a toddler under parental supervision, but always check the battery compartment is securely closed before play.

From deciding what types of toys to buy based on your child’s developmental stage to knowing what toys are safe for your little one, we hope you feel more confident about your baby’s playtime. Discover the vast range of sensory toys, activity mats, interactive toys and more from Baby Bunting.