Wondering what are the best infant toys for development for your 0-3 months old?
Here is a list of baby toys that have been vetted by reviewers and critics to help you find the best of the best!
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Playtime is crucial to a child’s development, more so in the first year of a baby’s life.
American Academy of Pediatrics had said that play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children beginning in early childhood (1).
Your little one’s large motor skills will progress at an astonishing pace. Sensory and thinking skills will soar. Small motor skills will be finessed.
There are lots of activities you can do with your baby to activate those brain and muscle cells, as well as age-appropriate toys, to help your baby achieve her developmental milestones earlier.
This post is all about the best infant toys for development
Best developmental toys for newborn
While feeding, rocking, sleeping, and diaper changes occupy most of a newborn’s day, bonding with your newborn through play is a great way to encourage development.
To help newborns stretch out from the curled-up fetal position they were so used to in the womb, doing tummy time will help develop the core muscles of the neck, back, and shoulder muscles.
In fact, tummy time is the most important baby’s first exercise (2). Oh, and do you know that newborns can practice tummy time as soon as they come back from the hospital?
Having a non-toxic play mat in a designated space in your house provides a safe place for your newborn to hang out.
Activity Play Gym
With added toys to a play mat, this 5-in-1 activity gym not only grows with the baby but is perfect for tummy time.
The 48″ mat offers plenty of space for both baby and mom to play, with sides that fold up to form an enclosure as the baby grows. The included prop pillow will keep your newborn comfortable during tummy time.
Floor Activity Mirror
A floor mirror is perfect for a 0-3 month old infant because it helps with tummy time and social development. Your little one will have no idea who he is looking at but will be fascinated by that adorable face. Watch how your baby reacts when he sees himself smiling or moving. By looking at his own reflection, a floor mirror teaches a baby cause and effect.
My First Soft Book
These crinkle books will captivate your newborn’s senses. If your baby is not grasping yet, you can make the crinkle sounds for her to stimulate her auditory development. When she knows how to produce those crinkle sounds by grasping these books, she won’t stop!
These soft books are made of fabric and are machine washable. So, let your baby chew on these to stimulate oral muscle development.
Black and white cards
These Black and White Cards are really well made. Thick and durable. My son started chewing on them and they are still going strong! What I love about this set is its really cute illustrations (with many design sets to choose from). It comes in a set of 6 pictures and the reverse is a negative of the front. We flip these around every couple of days to get the most out of this set.
When your infant becomes a toddler, you can have her color in these cards. Find some cute frames and hang it up in the house!
Best developmental toys for 1-month-old baby
Baby mobile
Infants can see objects 8 to 12 inches away so a mobile is a good option for stimulating a baby when your arms aren’t free. Also, babies love looking at bold patterns and faces and this mobile has the best of both worlds!
This patented mobile by Tiny Love plays 18 soothing melodies in 6 musical categories. Choose between calming tunes for nap time, and more energetic music for interactive play, or use the shuffle option for a fresh listening experience every time – a total of 40 minutes of uninterrupted melodies!
When your baby gets too big, the crib mobile can be converted into a stand-alone music box that baby can carry around!
Tummy time water mat
The Splashin’Kids water play mat is a high-quality and leak-proof infant toy designed to stimulate baby’s development. With its eye-catching graphics, it engages infants with bright colors and floating toys, promoting sensory delight and enhancing brain development.
Madi loves to press the floating toys. She didn’t realize she practicing tummy time in the process of it!
With over 47,000 user ratings on Amazon, this Inflatable Tummy Time Water Mat is one of the best infant toys for development we can find online!
Best developmental toys for 2 months old baby
Baby’s starting to smile this month (yay!) and showing excitement when people are nearby. Mobiles and play gyms are still favorite toys for little ones, but you can also add small stuffed animals and rattles to the mix.
Rattle and teething toys
Wrap your baby’s tiny fingers around the rattle and he will probably keep a tight grip on it! Gently shake his hand so the rattle makes noise to teach him cause and effect.
Baby Activity Rattle and Teething Toy – Best soft toy for 2-month-old baby
Fisher-Price Soft Maraca Rattles – Highest-selling rattle for babies
Oball Shaker Rattle
Baby W loves this Oball shaker because it is lightweight, colorful, and has interesting shapes for him to grab. He developed serious grasping skills just by playing with this rattle.
The textured rattle is clear and he loves looking at the colorful beads move when shaking the rattle.
As a mommy, I love it because it’s light and small. We have another one (in a different color) just for the diaper bag!
Looking for more?
Amazon has this page with only the BEST-SELLING rattles
Your baby is sure to love any rattle toy on that page!
Infantino Spiral Activity Toy
What I love about this Infantino Spiral Activity Toy is the 4 different toys attached to it. All the toys have different textures and make different noises.
- The bee crinkles.
- The little piggy (the reverse is a cow) has a bell inside.
- The rings clap with one another.
- The sun’s reverse side is a mirror.
We used to attach it to Baby W’s stroller and infant car seat. Now, it’s just a part of his crib and he loves playing with it before falling asleep.
Best developmental toys for 3 months old baby
Babies in their third month are still captivated by high-contrast patterns and bright colors – so bring on the brightly colored play mat, mobiles, and rattles.
A soft ankle or wrist rattle allows your little one to experiment with sounds that she can make.
Your 3 months old will also start to bring things to her mouth. Easy-to-hold and bright-colored toys will be crucial to your baby’s development at this stage.
Foot Finders & Wrist Rattles for Infants – Great for sensory and motor development for 3 month old babies
All-In-One Rattle, Teether, Shaker, Musical Toys – Best for all around 3 months old baby development
Other Amazing Toys for 3 Months Old Baby
VTech Tummy Time Discovery Pillow – This pillow will make every baby love tummy time
VTech Baby Rattle and Sing Puppy – Multi-purpose rattle that teaches cause and effect
By the 3rd month, babies should be able to life head 45 degrees when on the tummy. So continue to give your baby lots of opportunities to practice tummy time on the activity mat!
Don’t have an activity mat for your infant yet?
Award-winning toys
Award-winning toys set the standard for quality and innovation. Our picks of these award winners are not only fun but age-appropriate for your 0-3 month-old infant.
Tiny Love Black & White Infant Activity Play Mat With Book
VTech Lights & Stripes Zebra
Vosego Ludwig Van Beethoven Virtuoso Bear – 40 mins Classical Music for Babies
Penguin Musical Wobbler – Roly Poly toy – Soothing tinkling sounds
Award-winning toys don’t mean breaking your bank.
Best wooden toys
Wooden toys inspire creative play through their simple and organic design. While babies may be captivated by electronic toys, adding a few wooden toys to the mix will help their inspirations soar.
Also, compared to their plastic counterparts, wooden toys are eco-friendly and can sustain a lot of abuse. Good quality, eco-friendly wooden toys also don’t contain PVC, phthalates, or toxic chemicals used in plastic toys.
Organic Wooden Stacking Toy – Montessori inspired – Real Beech Wood
Montessori Spinning Drum – perfect for practicing fine motor skills, and helps develop hand-eye coordination
Our picks of the best wooden infant toys are not only non-toxic but are age-appropriate for your 0-3 months old. Your infant will sure to love these toys you can rest assured that they are safe.
little dove Wooden Baby Gym with 6 Baby Teething Toys – Foldable and safest baby gym
PlanToys Baby Key Rattle – Bright and colorful keys enhance baby’s fine motor skills
Looking for more eco-friendly wooden toys?
Bonus! Everything is handcrafted locally in Vermont, USA, and very affordable!
More amazing wooden toys for 0-3 months old baby
- Silicone Chewable Rings with Organic Wood
- Manhattan Toy Musical Forest Trio
- Wooden Rainbow Stacking Toy
Best sensory toys
Sensory toys and play are important in developing language skills, fine motor skills, and inducing a sense of calm. Providing your baby with toys that stimulate her senses, it helps build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways and also increases brain activity.
This multiple newborn toy award winner is one of the best sensory toys for your infant. The continuous tubes promote clutching and two-handed play, while the middle cube provides a pleasing rattle sound that babies love. Your baby can lick and teeth on the safe, colorful, and BPA-free loops.
Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teether Toy – colorful rattle and teether to stimulate baby’s senses
HABA Rainbow Fabric Ball – Best soft toy for sensory
Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys – #1 best-selling teether for babies 0+ months
Links Toys – The most versatile toy for babies 0+ months
The links toy is THE most versatile toy ever! It can be used as a toy, a teether, or link toys to another. They usually come brightly colored and have different patterns for sensory exploration.
As a toy and teether, your baby can explore the different patterns with his hands and mouth. We mostly use it to link small toys to our activity gym.
When my baby starts teething, I stick a couple of these links in the refrigerator and my baby loves it!
Since your 0-3 months old is too young to play with complex toys, teethers are one of the best toys to stimulate the senses.
A good teether will have different textures for sensory exploration and is small enough to train her hands-on grasping skills.
An added bonus is that you can use the teether to soothe baby’s gums when her teeth start coming in, at around 3 to 7 months of age.
How to organize baby toys?
Your newborn probably doesn’t have lots of toys yet, but for sure you’ll accumulate more toys as your baby grows.
Plan ahead by getting a set of fabric storage bins. Each bin can store toys in its own category, whether it be stuffed animals, Legos, or wooden toys.
We have 6 storage bins now and they fit and look nice inside Baby W’s closet.
If you are leaving your baby’s toys outside for easy access, you can store them in bins with lids to avoid dust.
To organize smaller toys that are easy to get lost, such as puzzle pieces, we heavily rely on freezer bags.
By separating different toys, you can teach your baby how to clean up after moving on to the next set of toys when he gets older.
RELATED POST: Realistic kids room organization ideas that even lazy moms will love
Conclusion on best infant toys for development (newborn-3 Months Old)
Babies’ development starts the moment they are born. Providing them the best toys that are age-appropriate will boost their cognitive and physical development.
We all know babies love toys, but your caress, cuddles, and the safe and secure environment around them are the most important things for them.
Now I want to hear from you:
What kinds of baby toys are your favorite?
Do you favor wooden toys? Or do you think your newborn will love sensory toys?
Tell me by leaving a reply in the comments below!
Best infant toys for development related articles:
- Developmental Activities for a Smart Baby (0-3 Months Old)
- Developmental Activities for a Smart Baby (3-6 Months Old)
- Best Non-Toxic Baby Crawling Mats
- 5 Proven Tips to Get Your Baby Sleep Trained Fast
- Baby Eczema Itch Relief: The Beginner’s Guide
Best infant toys for development
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