Image: MomJunction Design Team
The best development toys for a 6-month-old should intrigue your baby. Development toys help develop the baby’s motor skills, support cognitive development, and stimulate their senses. Six-month-old babies are curious and fascinated by the world around them. Therefore, engaging them with toys that enhance their curiosity is a great idea. These baby-safe developmental toys can also help your little one achieve their milestones. So, keep scrolling to find the best toy for your baby.
Top Picks
13 Best Development Toys For A 6-Month-Old
1. Best Easy-to-Grasp: Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
Are you looking for a simple toy that keeps your little one engaged? Bring home the Sassy developmental bumpy ball that features vibrant colors and exquisite patterns with easy-to-grasp bumps. Multiple textures of the balling ace the little one’s developing tactile sensitivity, while the soft rattle noise helps create neural connections in the baby’s brain. You can use this texture ball for 6-months-old to help them practice reaching for things, learning to grasp them, and transferring from one hand to another. The contrasting colors work well to enhance your child’s focus and vision. This video takes you through this classic baby toy’s details.
Pros
- Improves hand-eye coordination
- Enhances tactile development
- Easy to clean
- Ideal for tummy time
Cons
- Threads may start to unravel
- May be bigger than expected
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The product boasts 29,156 reviews on Amazon, and many buyers have said they would purchase the product again.
2. Best For Encouraging Crawling: VTech Wiggle And Crawl Ball
VTech’s interactive wiggle and crawl ball features more than 45 playful songs, melodies, sounds, and cheerful phrases to help keep babies engaged. The fun toy encourages your little one to crawl after it. It has six interactive animals, including a dog, a cat, a bear, a bird, a bunny, and a turtle. This visually engaging toy can help in improving the motor skills of your child and promote sensory stimulation and help with language development. Equipped with five flashing lights, the spinning and twisting animals can keep your baby intrigued. Suitable for babies from six months to three years, this toy requires three AA batteries to operate.
Pros
- Encourages interaction
- Works on carpeted floor as well
- Sturdy construction
- Easy-to-press buttons
Cons
- Sound may be slightly loud
- May require frequent battery replacement
Quick factWhy We Think It's Worth Buying
Join the 20,572 satisfied buyers on Amazon who have said the product meets their needs and expectations.
3. Best For Honing Hand-Eye Coordination: Fisher-Price Rock-A-Stack And Baby’s First Blocks Bundle
Keep your little one engaged and stimulated with this block set. The two-toy set includes ten colorful blocks and five colorful rings. It has five unique openings in the storage box encouraging babies to identify them and put blocks through their respective slots. This sorting toy for 6-months-old helps little kids understand the concept of sizes and shapes. It can help improve your child’s hand-eye coordination and dexterity. For a more detailed review of this product, here’s a video.
Pros
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Teaches shape sorting
- Encourages color recognition
- Comes with a storage box with a handle for portability
Cons
- Base of the ring tower may not snap well
- Lid of the storage box may be hard to snap
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The product has garnered more than 20,688 positive reviews on Amazon.
4. Best For Developing Motor Skills: Skip Hop Developmental Learning Crawl Toy
The Skip Hop three-stage developmental learning crawl toy for babies comes with several colorful lights and sounds. Your baby’s hands will stay active as they rattle, crinkle, and explore the toy. This sensory play toy for 6-month-olds encourages creativity, crawling, and chasing helps with sensory and motor skills development. The toy’s removable bee has moveable beads and rubberized details for teething, and the cloud keeps spinning in its place when the bee is removed. Know more about this developmental toy in this video.
Pros
- Strengthens muscles
- Easy to hold
- Color changing lights
- Sensor helps avoid obstacles
- Cloud spins in place when the bee is removed
Cons
- Battery may run out quickly
- May not have volume control
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
More than 10,159 buyers on Amazon have said the product lives up to the hype.
5. Best For Teaching Sounds: Baccow Educational Learning Activity Table
, this activity table by Baccow helps your little one learn different shapes, patterns, colors, and letters of the alphabet. It has an animal sound flip book, spin the pointer, a piano, and a violin with a push button. You need three AA batteries to make the table work. This activity toy helps develop fine motor skills and early learning skills. The cause-and-effect activity center for 6-month-olds also encourages parent-child bonding.
Pros
- Includes volume controller
- Has burr-free edges
- Detachable legs
- Easy carrying handle
- Improves social skills
Cons
- Volume may be loud
- Sound button may be prone to accidental pressing
6. Best For Introducing Music: NextX Baby Musical Toys
Made of non-toxic, high-quality ABS plastic, the baby musical toy from KingsDragon features three kinds of sounds for musical instruments, songs, and animal sounds that you can play by pressing the center button. Equipped with six piano keyboards, three-hand drums, and three musical instrument buttons, the creative toy helps babies hear and learn different fun sounds. It helps enhance hand-eye coordination and finger flexibility and features a button with three modes for volume adjustment.
Pros
- BPA- and lead-free
- Made of food-grade ABS plastic
- Develops sensory skills
- Improves memory
- Round-edge design
- Easily accessible battery compartment
Cons
- Sound may be loud
- Volume button may be prone to accidental pressing
"I got this musical toy for my infant, but my older one is equally charmed by it. It is pretty versatile with its piano and drum setup in a single unit, and the educational aspect is a boon. I also love its volume control feature and easily accessible buttons."
Point to consider7. Best Visually Appealing: Splashin’kids Jumbo Roller
Bring home the Splashin’kids jumbo roller that is a well-built playtime toy made from heavy-duty PVC. Besides encouraging the baby to crawl, it works well to develop their neck and shoulder muscles and helps enhance their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. With visually appealing animal graphics, this toy can help develop your child’s puzzle-solving and cognitive skills. The package comes with two rattle balls and one LED light ball.
Pros
- BPA-free
- Does not leak air
- Easy to inflate
- Attractive graphics
- Stimulates imagination
Cons
- Does not come with an air pump
- LED light may be a bit too bright
8. Best For Tummy Time: UnihRoly Poly Baby Toys
Make your baby’s tummy time fun with this interactive tummy time and muscle development toy. It has the ideal size and weight to fit in your baby’s hand. Your baby can hold and push this toy to help enhance their sensory development, balance training, and hand-eye coordination. The in-built bell works effectively to soothe your baby. The interactive elements in the developmental toy, such as BPA-free teethers, make this toy suitable for babies aged up to 18 months.
Pros
- Easy to hold
- Movable eyes
- Break-resistant
- Lightweight
- Available in two different colors
Cons
- May not be scratch-resistant
- May not work well on carpeted floors
"My niece is captivated by its interactive features, especially the bobbling motion. It has also made tummy time hassle-free as she loves to move towards it to get a good hold on it. Overall, it has been an excellent find to encourage movement."
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
About 2,075 reviewers on Amazon have given their seal of approval to the product.
9. Best For Developing Grasping Skills: Mixi Baby Toys Blocks
Mixi’s BPA-free, soft building toy blocks are easy to squeeze and suitable for babies and toddlers. Featuring 12 pieces with different designs, the blocks have colorful animals, shapes, fruits, and children embossed on them for visual exploration. The rounded design makes these chewy toys for 6-months-old easy to hold and grab, and it ensures sensory, cognitive, social, and motor skills development. Your baby can easily stack and chew these blocks and count them to learn numbers and problem-solving during playtime.
Pros
- Made of food-grade materials
- Safe to bite
- Sterilizable
- Wear-resistant
- Boosts hand-eye coordination
Cons
- Some shapes may not fit together
- May have a peculiar smell initially
Quick fact10. Best Lightweight: Kidsthrill Rainbow Nesting & Stacking Cups
Made from premium-quality plastic material, this building set is suitable for newborns, infants, and toddlers and is free of toxic materials, such as BPA, phosphate, and lead. This ten-piece stack helps develop hand-eye skills and motor control in babies. Your baby can learn to sort sizes, count till ten, and learn colors, encouraging brain development. Each cup has an animal character embossed on its bottom. These nesting toys for 6-month-olds are lightweight and ring-shaped to make stacking easy for kids.
Pros
- Non-toxic and safe
- Doubles as a bath toy
- Has drain holes at the bottom
- Easy to clean
- No sharp edges
Cons
- Some cups may not snap together
- Cups may not be numbered
"My little one adores this stacking set of cups and loves playing with them, especially during bathtime. While not immune to wear with regular play, it is a minor caveat given the entertainment and developmental value they offer."
11. Best For Sensory Development: TemiNewborn Baby Rattle And Teether Ball
The rattle and teether ball for newborns works well to enhance their problem-solving skills, fine motor skills, and sensory development. Its rubber rings are suitable for gripping and chewing. Made from 100% natural silicone rubber, the teething ball is gentle on your baby’s gums and aptly sized for their little fingers. This grip toy for 6-months-old is BPA- and PVC-free and is suitable for infants.
Pros
- Promotes clutching and two-hand play
- Heat-resistant upto 100°C
- Encourages hand-eye coordination
- Promotes color recognition
- Boosts visual skills
Cons
- May not keep children interested for long periods of time
- Rattle sound may be a bit mellow
12. Best For Shape Recognition: Wood City Wooden Sorting And Stacking Toy
Wood City’s wooden sorting and stacking toy for babies is bright, colorful, and engaging. The different geometric shapes and colors allow children to develop hand-eye coordination and shape and color recognition. A toddler’s safety is prioritized with this stacking toy made of 100% natural wood, food-grade paint, and smooth edges. This shape recognition toy for 6-month-olds combines playtime with learning, making it a suitable educational toy and helping boost a toddler’s imagination
Pros
- Promotes motor skill development
- Offers multiple play possibilities
- Long-lasting and durable
- Easy to handle
- Bright colors
Cons
- Two-hole rectangle pieces may be a tad small for an infant
- May not be fade-resistant
13. Best For Honing Visual Tracking Skills: Vanmor Crawling Baby Musical Toys
The caterpillar-shaped baby musical toy by Vanmor comes with soft lights and music to encourage babies to crawl and chase. You can press the center ball to flatten the inchworm or push it with your free hand to make the toy move. Its front wheel has a vortex graphic design to help enhance the baby’s visual skills, while the rear wheel produces a rustling sound to boost the auditory abilities. Made from premium-quality ABS material, the developmental toy is lightweight, durable, and easy to carry, helping to build your child’s muscle strength.
Pros
- Runs on carpeted floor
- Burr-free edges
- Made of safe materials
- Free of BPA and phthalates
Cons
- May not be suitable for teething
- May not have volume control
"This caterpillar toy crawls seamlessly regardless of the surface I place it on. While my daughter loves its sounds and music, my ears sometimes wish it came with volume control. Still, the toy is engaging and has kept her entertained despite her growth spurts."
6-Month-Old Baby Development Milestones
Here are some of the major developmental milestones that your baby will attain at six months.
- Physical development: During this time, your baby might be getting their first set of teeth and be able to sit without any support. They may also start crawling and try to reach for things. This is also the stage of bouncing where little ones can’t keep still for even a moment. Thus, it is a good idea to bring home toys that attract your child’s attention.
- Senses: Your tiny tot will be able to see well across a room without confusion. Focusing on things and differentiating between colors will become easier for them. Recognizing familiar faces and responding to their name are a few other sensory developments that will take place at this stage.
- Brain: Your baby may start responding to different names being called in a room. Their brain will also help them with the babbling sounds when trying to string words together. Emotions such as happiness, anger, sadness, and jealousy will start developing inside them and may reflect in their responses towards others.
How To Choose The Right Developmental Toy For A 6-Month-Old?
Check this list of essential factors before buying a developmental toy for your six-month-old baby.
- Safety: Choose a toy made from premium-quality materials and free of toxins, such as PVC, BPA, and lead. This will ensure your baby’s safety.
- Skill development: The toy should ensure skill development such as motor skills, sensory development, visual skills, and imagination. Such toys will not only entertain the baby but also help in their overall development.
- Attractive: Pick a toy that is visually appealing and will keep your little one engaged for a longer time. As babies tend to have short attention spans, make sure to choose something stimulating.
- Lightweight: A portable and easy-to-carry toy will make your baby independent as they’ll be able to carry it around without needing assistance. Such toys will also occupy minimal space and are easy to store.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What toys should a six-month-old be playing with?
Choose toys that are made of non-toxic materials, simple to use, lightweight, textured, and produce lights and sounds.
2. What toys are developmentally appropriate for a six-month-old?
Since most six-month-old babies love sensory stimulation, toys such as crawl toys, easy-to-grab toys, basic-level building blocks, tummy time toys, and certain toys with sounds could be useful (1).
3. How can I stimulate my six-month-old baby’s brain?
Certain safe and age-appropriate toys could stimulate your six-month-old’s brain. For example, musical toys could help encourage them to imitate sounds, which could be their first step toward learning language or verbal communication skills (1).
The Bottom Line
Developmental toys pique children’s natural curiosity and stimulate different senses. They also help the little munchkins reach their developmental milestones. When picking a developmental toy for your 6-year-old, make sure it is made of safe, BPA-free material. Additionally, ensure the toy is free of sharp edges and does not come with small parts. You may also consider those that come in bright colors, play sounds and melodies, and are textured to develop their visual, auditory, or fine motor skills, like the Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball. In addition, you might consider a toy that enhances language skills and sensory development, like the VTech Wiggle And Crawl Ball. We also like the versatile Skip Hop Developmental Learning Crawl Toy, which offers multiple aspects of development.
Infographic: Choosing Toys Based On A Six-Month-Old’s Milestones
Opting for age-appropriate toys for the child can help you make sure they thoroughly enjoy using them. You can ensure the same by understanding the developmental changes that occur in your baby as they turn six months. So, check out this infographic to learn the usual milestones of a six-month-old and consider them while selecting a toy.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
References
- Important Milestones: Your Baby By Six Months
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-6mo.html - Tummy Time.
https://pathways.org/topics-of-development/tummy-time/
Why Trust MomJunction?
Buying toys for children can be cumbersome when you have to go through different websites and narrow down your choices. Priti Bose writes on children’s gifts, toys, and more, and her well-researched articles prioritize your child’s interests and safety. In this article, she has listed the best developmental toys for 6-month-old kids to keep them engaged and enhance their cognitive development. These toys are child-friendly and made of high-quality, safe materials. She has also incorporated user reviews to offer you an unbiased opinion.
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