Image: MomJunction Design Team
The best toys for crawlers are those that encourage tummy time, promote engagement, help movement, and provide sensory stimulation. Crawling is an important developmental milestone for most newborns. Babies often start crawling between the ages of seven and nine months, and some infants may skip the crawling stage and proceed straight from sitting to standing and walking (1) (2).
It is a good approach to get toys that encourage babies to crawl. Thus, we’ve compiled a list of the top crawler toys for you to consider. Keep scrolling to explore these best-selling options and add some to your cart.
Top Picks
13 Best Toys For Crawlers
1. Best Textured: Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
The safety-tested Sassy Developmental bumpy ball comes in bright colors, multiple patterns, and easy-to-hold bumps, making it a must-have for your crawling baby. The bumps on the activity ball help develop motor skills as they encourage them to reach out and transfer it from one hand to another. This review video will help you learn more about this sensory toy as it explores a tester’s experience with the product.
Pros
- Beads produce gentle rattle sounds to create neural connections in the brain
- Bouncy, squeezable, and soft-to-touch rattle ball
- Contrasting colors encourage visual development
- Textured surface stimulates tactile sense
Cons
- May be slightly big for tiny hands
- May not be easy to clean
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The tried-and-true product has earned over 29,156 good reviews on Amazon.
2. Best For Stimulating Senses: VTech Wiggle And Crawl Ball
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
More than 20,572 independent reviewers on Amazon have acknowledged the product's durability and functionality.
Your little one will not get bored with this wiggle-and-crawl exploration toy for crawlers. Your little bundle of joy will be engaged for hours while watching the ball wiggle, wobble, and roll over the floor. The tried-and-tested interactive ball has light-up buttons to teach children about animals, colors, and numbers and aid language development.
Pros
- Bright colors and flashing lights offer sensory stimulation
- Spin, slide, twist, or push buttons aid in developing fine motor skills
- Plays songs, melodies, sounds, and phrases
- Works on carpeted and hard floors
Cons
- May not be suitable for rough play
- May be slightly noisy
3. Best For Fine Motor Skills: Melissa & Doug Pull-Back Vehicles
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The 8,919 reviews on Amazon indicate that this product has a loyal following.
Here is a set of toy vehicles, including a family car, school bus, police car, and a fire truck, that work on a rev-up mechanism. The soft, lightweight, skill-building vehicles for crawlers are easy to lift and roll and encourage your baby to crawl. This video explores a reviewer testing the product. Check it out to learn more about this textured toy for crawlers.
Pros
- Made of quality fabric
- Grasping and pulling back the toys help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Helps develop sensory and communication skills
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Plastic parts may pose a choking hazard
- Colors may bleed
4. Best For Interactive Play: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car
Let your child sit in the driver’s seat of this Fisher-Price stationary car with exciting features for learning letters, colors, numbers, first words, and more. The Smart Stages technology in the toy introduces toddlers to around 75 songs, phrases, tunes, and the three balls and shape-sorting toys for crawlers. Watch a tester’s experience in this video for a detailed review of the developmental baby toy.
Pros
- Interactive dashboard with lights, sounds, and busy activities
- Helps them sit up, crawl, stand, and move around
- Toy resembles a car
- Includes three balls and three shape blocks
- Encourages hands-on learning
Cons
- May be challenging to assemble
- Volume may not be loud enough
"This activity center has been my child's favorite from the beginning. During the early months, she loved to play with the geometrical shapes on the sides, and now that she is a bit older, she loves to pretend to drive in it. While it was tricky to put together, the toy has proven to be a good buy."
5. Best Musical: Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
Bring the orchestra right to your child’s fingertips with this musical toy for crawlers that features five instruments. The eight music compositions of harp, piano, French horn, violin, and flute of this stimulating toy for crawlers can introduce children to music at an early stage. It also has a two-level volume control button to keep a check on the volume levels of the toy.
Pros
- Bright colors and sounds enhance visual development
- Simple and large push buttons to activate the instruments
- Soft and rounded corners make it easy for children to hold the toy
- Includes flashing lights
Cons
- May be slightly heavy
- Some may find the toy noisy
Quick tip6. Best Easy-To-Hold: Skip Hop Follow-Me Bee Crawl Toy
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
Over 10,159 satisfied customers have left positive reviews about the product on Amazon.
This could be one of the best toys that encourages babies to crawl through its three stages. They learn to crawl via energetic tunes, colorful lights, and buzzing sounds. The easy-to-hold rattle wobbles, moves in a circular pattern, and moves in random patterns to encourage pre-crawlers, beginner crawlers, and advanced crawlers to move and stay engaged. It also doubles as a teething toy for crawlers, as it has a rubberized surface that soothes the gums.
Pros
- Comes with an instruction manual
- Equipped with a sensor to avoid obstacles
- Toy encourages crawling and develops child’s muscles
- Flashes colorful lights and plays music
Cons
- Children may require adult supervision while playing with the toy
- Toy may not be carpet-friendly
7. Best With Cheerful Music: Bright Starts Roll And Glow Monkey Toy
Just tap on its head, and the Bright Starts Roll & Glow Monkey moves with glowing wheels and cheerful music. As your baby catches the monkey, you can press the push button to make the monkey move again, making it the ideal cause-and-effect toy for crawlers.
Pros
- Encourages the child to move around
- Suitable for tiled floors
- Enhances visual development
- Can be used for parent-child bonding
- Can be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap
Cons
- May require a screwdriver to change the batteries
- Lights in the wheels may be a tad too flashy for the child
"My babies love chasing after the light and sounds produced by this money toy. While sometimes it needs a little push to move in the right direction, the toy has been working well on our soft carpeted floors. Plus, it has been holding well to my little one's enthusiastic play."
Caution8. Best For Problem Solving: Yookidoo Musical Crawl N’ Go Snail Toy With Stacker
The award-winning toy brand, Yookidoo, brings you Crawl N’ Go Snail—one of the best toys for crawlers. Just press the green button to switch on the snail and watch it roll away along with the music. It doubles as a stacking toy for crawlers and encourages the babies to track the motion of the snail, eventually getting them to stretch and crawl.
Pros
- Has a child-friendly tail operation button
- Includes a parent on/off button for silent play mode
- Stacker helps develop motor skills and problem solving abilities
- Suitable for use on carpets
- Helps children learn cause and effect
Cons
- May require frequent battery change
- Some children might find the sounds to be loud
"My daughter loves the toy's tunes, and it encourages her crawling adventures. It definitely works better on hard surfaces than carpet. Also, i found it sturdy enough for rough play. Overall, a pretty good toy to keep my child engaged."
9. Best With Safe Materials: B. Toys By Battat Looky-Looky Crawl Along Mirror
Your little one will love this rolling toy for crawlers, as they can see themselves in the mirror built within it. The two big wheels keep the mirror steady and spinning on the floor while your baby girl or boy chases after it. One wheel entertains with its rattle beads while the other wheel of this mirror toy for crawlers has a spiral design and produces a soft chiming sound.
Pros
- Made of safe materials that are 100% recyclable.
- Encourages the child to crawl, move, and stay active
- Apt for sensory development
- Mirror promotes self-awareness
Cons
- May not be sturdy enough
- Mirror may not be child-proof
"The mirror on this toy has made tummy time a fun affair in my household. My baby loves to point, babble, and chase after the mirror when laid on his stomach. It does tend to swing too quickly on some occasions, but overall, it has been helping my little one reach his developmental milestones on time."
Quick tip10. Best For Push And Play: LeapFrog Count And Crawl Number Kitty
The push kitty from LeapFrog plays high and low meowing sounds, silly sounds, and original melodies. Press the keys to listen to number names from one to 20 with ‘cat-tastic’ counting rhymes. Your baby girl or boy can push the toy and crawl along with the kitty, making it the ideal push and pull toy for crawlers.
Pros
- Includes a spinning ball and mode-switch button
- Comes with a parental instruction manual for safe play
- Helps improve balance and motor skills
- Kitty can be made to sit up
Cons
- Batteries may drain quickly
- Baby may outgrow it pretty quickly
"I love watching how this toy lights up my son's little face. It is engaging and helps with early number recognition and motor skills, encouraging him to crawl after it. A good balance of entertainment and education, it has been a delightful addition to playtime."
11. Best Engaging: WolVol Musical Press And Crawl Baby Activity Toy
Babies get attracted to bright colors and lights, and this eye-catching press-and-crawl developmental baby toy has them both. When the back is tapped, the gross motor skill toy for crawlers extends its body and moves forward for your child to chase it.
Pros
- Made of sturdy and durable plastic
- Helps strengthens the baby’s muscles
- Suitable baby gift for occasions such as birthdays
- Music and lights in the toy engages and entertains the baby
Cons
- Size may be smaller than expected
- Sounds may be a bit loud
"This colorful toy is great at entertaining and getting babies to crawl. My granddaughter loves the music button and the fun movements. It may be a bit fast, but its lights, music, and actions make it a winner. However, a volume control option would have been nice."
12. Best Educational: Cute Stone Turtle Toy
Make your munchkin learn while playing with the turtle toy by Cute Stone. It is made of non-toxic ABS material. The multifunctional toy for crawlers encourages your little one to crawl, build muscle, and promotes fine motor skills, as the toy crawls slowly at the press of a button. The fun interactive toy for crawlers also teaches numbers and the alphabet.
Pros
- Suitable for pretend-play
- Made of sturdy and shatterproof ABS
- Plays lullabies and animal and drum sounds to aid in auditory development
- Has volume-adjustment button
Cons
- May not move if placed on a carpet
- Telephone cord may not be very safe for toddlers
"My son loves this toy's engaging movements and melodies. Although the speaker's placement can sometimes muffle the sound, the interactive features keep him entertained. Add-ons such as the old-school phone and vibrant keypad encourage him to crawl."
13. Best With Light And Sound: LotFancy Baby Musical Crawling Learning Ball
This amusing and interactive ball from LotFancy features eye-catching flashing lights, hilarious music, and animal sounds. It has four geometric shape buttons to play different animal sounds. The light-up activity ball for crawlers works on two AAA batteries and switches off automatically after some inactivity.
Pros
- Encourages children to move, crawl and develop gross motor skills
- Backed by a one-year warranty
- Durably built with top-quality ABS material
- Encourages interactive play
Cons
- May require effort to move the ball
- May require frequent battery change
"This ball has been a winner, not just with my kids but also my puppy. It is durable, and its lights and sounds keep them entertained. Just a heads up, it's a bit heavy. Despite this, the enjoyment it brings to playtime has made it a solid investment."
How To Choose The Right Toys For Crawlers?
Here are some points to keep in mind when buying the best toys for your crawling baby.
- Crawling stage: Filter the options to check the suitable crawling toys for your baby and read the features to know if they are appropriate to your baby’s age and encourage their crawling.
- Safety: Check for any removable accessories and its assembly so that the child will not get any access to or swallow small parts. It is good to choose baby toys that have been manufactured according to international safety standards.
- Durability: The baby might bang the toy occasionally, so buy a crawler toy that is durable.
- Price: This aspect also plays a role in getting a better toy. If you have a budget, stick to it and buy a toy that is reasonably priced and of good quality.
- Features: Check if the toy lets you make minor alterations based on your child’s age. Prefer toys that grow with your child, letting them use them even beyond the crawling stage. Baby toys with interactive features and customizable functions, such as the facility to turn off sounds and lights, can be given preference.
Why Trust MomJunction?
Our established toys specialist, Priti Bose, brings you a list of the best toys for crawlers. The best-selling baby toys mentioned in the list are colorful and attractive. Some have features, such as flashing lights and animal sounds, to stimulate your baby’s senses. Priti has selected each consumer-tested toy after carefully considering your baby’s safety and age-appropriate developmental needs. She has described each toy’s features and has provided a buying guide to help you make the right choice.
The Bottom Line
While crawlers encourage babies to crawl and learn to walk eventually, tying attractive toys to the crawler can help keep them engaged during their tummy time. The best toys for crawlers are available in various shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Buying a suitable toy per your needs can help babies engage different senses, such as auditory, tactile, and visual senses. Our recommendations include the easily washable Melissa & Doug Pull-Back Vehicles and the interactive Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car. The colorful Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball is also ideal for enhancing visual tracking. The toys should feature round edges and be free of removable or detachable parts that may be a choking hazard to ensure your child’s safety.
Infographic: Toys For Babies That Can Crawl
Babies extensively use their limbs to navigate and understand the world around them. You can go through this infographic to choose toys that will help in enhancing your child’s social and emotional skills. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
References
- Baby milestones by month: What to expect; Geisinger Health
https://www.geisinger.org/patient-care/conditions-treatments-specialty/baby-milestones-by-month - Helyn Kim and Esther Care; Learning progressions: Pathways for 21st century teaching and learning; The Brookings Institution
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/03/27/learning-progressions-pathways-for-21st-century-teaching-and-learning/ - How music affects your baby’s brain: Mini Parenting Master Class
https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/how-music-affects-your-babys-brain-class”
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