Best age appropriate toys for 6 month old to 1 year (2022 Reviews)

The first thing to consider when buying toys for your babies is age. You do not want to get a toy that will bore your baby because he or she is too old for it. Also, you do not want to get one that he will not even bother to look at because he cannot comprehend what it is since he is too young. For instance, when buying toys for babies aged 6 months or older, you must ensure that you get age appropriate toys for 6 month old baby so that he or she can enjoy playing with it. Most importantly, age appropriate age toys not only promote the child’s cognitive and motor skills development but also boosts their creativity.

In this article, we look at some of the toys that are best suited for babies aged 6 months and older.

Best age appropriate toys for 6 month old comparison chart

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Best age appropriate toys for 6 month old Review

Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy

One of the toys most parents buy for babies at around 4 to 6 months is a teether. Apart from chewing on to soothe the itchy gums, teething toys also come in handy during play time.

The Manhattan toy is not only a teether but also a rattle. The baby can chew on the loops or shake it to produce a rattling sound in the middle cube. Holding on to the loops helps to improve fine motor skills such as grasping and clutching.

Pros

• It is BPA free
• Colourful
• Easy to clean (Avoid using hot water or steam to clean)
• Light in weight

Cons

• It is not dishwasher safe

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Baby Einstein Take Along musical toy

This is one toy that will definitely help to soothe a fussy baby, especially during the witching hour. The melodies, which include classical music by composers like Mozart are soothing and keep the baby entertained. As the music is playing, the lights also go up with the beats.

The good thing is that there is a volume control button if you feel the volume is too loud.

When traveling, this is one toy you should never leave behind as it can help to keep the baby entertained during long rides.

Pros

• It is BPA free
• Easy to clean
• A wide range of musical tunes
• Portable

Cons

• Requires two AA batteries to play the music and light up. Hence, if your baby is always playing the music, the batteries do not last long.

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VTech Musical Rhymes Book

Even though babies under 1 year do not understand anything about books, they always seem interested. This could be because the turning of pages seems to fascinate them. The problem with giving babies books is that they are likely to rip the papers apart.

This musical book is a great way to engage them in learning without fear of the pages being ripped off. It gets them ready to read and encourages brain development.

You can start by singing the classic nursery rhymes to them, which is a great way for the two of you to bond.

You can also let them listen to the sounds, words and musical notes, which will help to develop their speech. The 5 piano buttons produce different sounds and also introduce the names of different colours on each key and the names of the instruments drawn on them.

The pages, which are brightly coloured, make playtime more interactive as they enjoy turning the pages.

Pros

• Made of BPA free plastic
• It is Portable
• Easy to clean
• Has a volume control button
• Very strong and durable even when dropped on the hardwood floor.

Cons

• No negative reviews about this toy. Parents who have bought it love absolutely everything about it.

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Lamaze Peek-A-Boo forest

Cloth books offer different experiences for babies. Some have different textures and provide babies with tactile experience while others have a storyline for interaction and to keep the baby engaged.

The Lamaze soft book offers a combination of these two. It has different textures and an engaging story with rhymes and rhythm.

It is a forest-themed soft book that helps the baby to explore and learn about different animals. The easy to open flaps promotes hand-eye coordination. The different textures, bright contrasting colours and the crinkling sound of the pages help to encourage exploration and stimulate baby’s senses.

It offers a great opportunity for you and your baby to bond as you read through the story and help the baby to identify the different animals on the soft book.

Pros

• It is machine washable
• Durable material

Cons

Parents love this soft cloth book and have nothing much to complain about.

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Factors to consider when buying the age appropriate toys for 6 month old to 1 year

They should be age appropriate

Toys usually come with a label clearly indicating the right age for a child to use.

This is because the children’s behavior, habit, and temperament differ across different ages. So their development needs also differ.

For instance, 6 months old babies may require toys that will help to develop their motor skills as they are now trying to sit, stand, or hold things around them. In one of our previous articles, we talked about the appropriate activities for 6 months baby that encourage development. Read it here. 

Make sure you get one that is right for your baby.

Should encourage learning and creativity

Of course, what is the use of a toy if it will not encourage some form of learning in a child? Just because your baby is under one year does not mean they can’t learn something.

Toys give the child a chance to practice new skills repeatedly. In the process, they learn how to do something in different ways and even become creative.

For instance, if he keeps tapping a toy over and over again in order to hear a certain sound, he will eventually learn different ways of tapping the toy so that it can produce different sounds.

They should be long lasting and grow with the baby

Toys are prone to wear and tear since they are thrown around on a daily basis. You do not want to spend your money on a toy that will be banged on the wall on the first day and it breaks into pieces.

Get toys that last long. Make sure the parts do not come off easily as this can also pose a risk to your baby such as choking when swallowed. Any toy that has small parts that can come off easily is not long lasting.

They are also very expensive. So get a toy that will grow with your baby. You can get a toy at 4 months that your baby will keep using and love it even more at 9 months. For instance, the Kick n Play piano gym by Fisher-Price has learning content for babies from 0 months to 6 months and over.

Should encourage the child to be physically active

No matter how young your baby is, he or she needs to develop his motor skills.

The baby needs to learn how to turn his head, touch, stand, sit, or even walk as he gets older.

Therefore, it is good to get a toy that encourages them to be physically active. Moving toys such as moving boxes and wagons are the best for this.

Must be safe for the baby

The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Standards require that; All toys must be made from non-toxic material, Fabric toys must be flame resistant and clearly labelled so, Stuffed toys must be easy to wash and dry and Lead-free paint must be used for painted toys.

Be sure to observe these guidelines when buying toys for your children in order to ensure they are safe to use.

Moreover, some toys tend to make loud noises, which can affect the hearing of your baby. Thus, if you are buying musical toys, rattles or squeak toys, ensure that they are not too loud. Make sure that the musical toys have an adjustable volume knob.

Lynn

Lynn is a freelance writer, a wife, and a mother of two beautiful kids. Lynn started Infant Empire with the aim of making parenting easier for fellow mums and dads. She believes the parenting tips provided here will be of great help to all parents.