Toys for a 6-month-old Baby

Your baby is growing up fast and can now sit up by himself. He may even be able to grab two objects and bang them together. He loves listening to new sounds and learning that he can make things happen! Here are some baby toys for 6-month-olds that you can get your baby to aid in his development:

Action/Reaction Toys

Toys that do something when your baby plays with it, such as squeak, rattle, move, flash lights etc., are action/reaction toys.

1. Skill Development

• Action/reaction toys help in your baby’s cognitive development.
• Toys that move slowly encourage your baby to start crawling.

2. Recommended Toys

• Plastic keys on a ring
• Squeaky toys
• Dolls or stuffed toys with recordings that activate when pressed
• Toys with movement – cars, stuffed animals, etc.

Stacking Toys

Stacking helps babies develop some important skills.

1. Skill Development

• Your child learns how to solve problems
• Developing the creative part of the brain
• Developing gross and fine motor skills

2. Recommended Toys

• Stacking rings or blocks

Toys That Encourage Crawling

Most crawl toys are cushy and colourful, often incorporating colourful lights, movement, or some sound.

1. Skill Development

• Helps develop motor skills
• Encourages mobility in your child
• Encourages tummy time

2. Recommended Toys

• Battery operated walking dogs
• Roller, on which your baby is propped up
• Toys with wheels

Role Playing Toys

These are toys that help him imitate the actions of daily life.

1. Skill Development

• Helps your baby understand the world better
• Helps develop hand-eye coordination
• Builds self-confidence

2. Recommended Toys

• Play-phone or cell phones
• Lightweight toy hammers

Soft Toys

Your little one will soon grow attached to his soft toys.

1. Skill Development

• Stuffed toys can be a great tool in getting your child to learn to self-soothe at night while falling asleep
• The different textures that soft toys and dolls come in offer a great sensory experience for your little one.

2. Recommended Toys

• Stuffed animals
• Dolls
• Soft books

Noisy and Flashy Toys

Toys that make noise and flash lights when touched are fun for your baby.

1. Skill Development

• Cause and effect are now becoming a reality as your baby will be able to experiment with different toys to see how certain things he does makes certain things happen.

2. Recommended Toys

• Rattles
• Balls with bells in them
• Toys with button options that have different sounds; for example, a toy that has the options of pressing different animal buttons and learning what sounds they make.

Building Blocks

At this age, it is best to go for the softer bigger blocks.

1. Skill Development

• Building blocks teach your child hand-eye coordination
• Builds his focus
• Teaches him problem-solving

2. Recommended Toys

• Fabric building blocks
• Building blocks with projections that can be used for assembling
• Colourful dominos (age-appropriate size)

Push Toys

Toys that babies can push are a lot of fun for them and will encourage them to move.

1. Skill Development

• Aids in the development of motor skills
• Your baby can be kept engaged for a long time, improving his cognitive development as well.

2. Recommended Toys

• Toys with wheels
• Walkers
• Balls

Bath Toys

Use bath time as an opportunity for play and learning.

1. Skill Development

• Bath-time with toys can stimulate several senses.
• Your baby is introduced to the fact that some animals live underwater and some can float on top.

2. Recommended Toys

• Rubber ducky
• Pouring tumblers
• Floating toy ship
• Toy sea creatures

Balls

Balls are a lot of fun and can be used for many different purposes when it comes to children.

1. Skill Development

• Helps them learn how to crawl
• Can be used as a push toy
• Helps in the development of motor skills

2. Recommended Toys

• Rubber bouncing balls
• Balls with lights
• Balls with rattles or bells inside

Books and Puzzles

It’s never too early for your baby to delve into the deep and wonderful world of books and knowledge! Furthermore, he will benefit from puzzles for this age group.

1. Skill Development

• Helps with memory development
• Aids in the ability to recognise objects and faces in pictures
• Problem-solving skills are exercised

2. Recommended Toys

• Indestructible books are made from a very thick paper-like material, and are filled with colourful pictures. These are safe even for your baby to chew on, and are washable as well.
• Pop up books are great for getting your baby to interact while you read the story to him.
• Inset puzzles with very large pieces

Activity Gym

Babies love to observe things; your little one is going to love having a play gym for him to play with and observe.

1. Skill Development

• Motor development takes place when he swats at his toys
• Observe and experiment with different toys

2. Recommended Toys

• Standard play
• Themed play gyms such as a tepee-shaped play gym
• Portable play gym bassinettes

Musical Toys

Music has a way of soothing and calming babies, and musical toys do just that!

1. Skill Development

• Teaches your baby to self-soothe and use the sound of music for comfort
• Playing with toys such as toy keyboards helps to develop some musical creativity in your child
• Helps develop a bond between you and your baby

2. Recommended Toys

• Toy keyboard
• Toy drums
• Toy xylophone
• Battery operated dolls or stuffed toys that sing and dance

Wagons

Kids love to be pulled around by their family members as this gives them the chance to explore, and have a great time while doing it.

1. Skill Development

• Helps your baby learn balance and exercise his motor skills
• Can help him develop their memory and recognition skills

2. Recommended Toys

• Walker wagons which are wagons with long handles to help baby hold onto something as he tries walking
• Walker stations that have a seat and which your baby can use to pull himself across the floor
• Four in one trike has features of a stroller, tricycle and a wagon.

What Does Age Recommendation Labels on Toys Mean?

When considering toys to buy for your little one, you are going to want to be prepared rather than running around the aisle buying things at random. Age recommendation labels are meant for parents and those who wish to buy presents for your little ones. They are based on the following:

• Guidelines for safety
• Very good knowledge of child development
• Observations made based on children of certain age groups playing with certain toys
• History of toys that are similar
• Information from parents whose children have played with the toys.

Safety Tips for Babies

Though toy companies usually mention the age recommendations on their toy boxes, it does not mean that you can just leave your little one alone. There are always safety measures that you need to undertake in order to have safe play time with your little one.

• Do not ignore the age recommendation labels on toys; instead, pick them according to the age and skill level of your child.
• Pay attention to other information such as “flame resistant” or “washable.”
• Discard plastic wrapping to avoid choking.
• Choose toys that are lightweight, colourful, and do not have any toxic paint or materials on them, as children like to put things in their mouths at this age.
• Make sure there are no small removable parts. like the eyes and noses on stuffed toys.
• Make sure there are no sharp edges or materials like glass or metal as these can injure your little one.
• Do not leave any toys that have strings or cords around your baby’s crib or while your baby is left unsupervised as they can pose a strangulation threat.
• Throw away any broken toys.
• Always supervise your child while he play with his toys.

How to Help Your Baby Learn While Playing?

Here are some ways that you can help your baby learn while playing:

• Use a roller to help keep his upper body elevated so that he can look around, and do keep an eye on him during this time.
• While playing with building blocks, stacking toys, and puzzles, you can talk to your child about the shape, colour, and how to play with them. You will encourage your child to think and learn to use his problem-solving skills.
• Gently roll a ball to your baby to give him a bit of a physical work out. He will use his motor skills and learn how to catch a moving object. If the ball doesn’t quite reach him, he may be encouraged to crawl to it.
• Hide a rattle behind your back and shake it, so that your baby will start to understand that just because he cannot see it, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t still exist.
• Sing nursery rhymes such as ‘Old McDonald’ to help teach him about animals and the sounds they make. You can make it even more fun by using stuffed animal toys or by showing colourful pictures of the animals.
• You can encourage early role play by taking him around the house and allowing him to do things such as turn the lights on and off, or perhaps ring the doorbell.

How to Choose Best Toys for Your 6-month-old Baby

Out of the vast number of toys that are available, choosing some can be tricky, so we have some tips that you can use. Just pick the toys that are:

• Safe and long lasting
• Interesting to your child
• Interactive in nature
• Challenging but not frustrating
• Encouraging to the developing needs and skills

Children of this age are constantly learning and every waking moment of theirs can be used as a learning opportunity. So, getting developmental toys for a 6-month-old baby will play a huge role in helping him achieve those ever important developmental milestones right on schedule.