It’s safe to say that you will buy your child too many toys. And if you don’t, someone else will!
For those of you in small homes, or who don’t want to sprain an ankle on massive collections of toys, here are the top 5 toys I would recommend for 0-6 month olds. You can find top 5 lists for other ages coming soon!
My top toy for this age group is the Lovevery Play Gym. I love it so much, I’ve written a post about it here. It has everything in my Top Five Toys for 0-6 months already included in it! It’s a tad bit pricey, even with the discount code I snagged for you. So you may opt to get a few items separately.
A cheaper option, is to get the following five items:
tummy time mat - This allows you to signal to your kiddo that it’s tummy time/play time! If you get a high contrast mat, it can help their early vision skills. And, it’s helpful if you have wooden floors or a slightly cold home. Plus if you wear shoes in your house the mat can be a clean, safe spot to set your baby. Its important to use a thicker quilt-like mat, if you use a regular blanket, it can make it harder for baby to move around as the blanket may get bunched up. This one is nice since it’s reversible and organic; it has multiple uses!
rattle - These are helpful to work on eye tracking, grasp, head turning and much more.
grippy round object/ball - Something that rolls is helpful for tummy time. You can roll it in front of your child while they are on their tummy, which will help them follow a moving object with their eyes. Also, it can double as gripping practice if it’s not completely smooth or has some holes in it.
high contrast cards and books - Newborns don’t see in full color when they are born. They can see high contrast (this means black on white, or simple, bright colors on a plain background where the eye can see the difference in shades vs. the actual color). Using these cards or books helps them learn to focus and develop their eyes skills. These cards (and these) are my favorite! This book is a crinkle book which babies love past the newborn stage as well! If you’re going to buy ONE, I suggest an accordion book as they can be propped up in all different spots, angles and locations. My favorite is Black and White by Tana Hoban.
board books - Kids should be read to from day one! Board books are great, because as a child’s grip improves, they can turn the pages themselves. Also, when your kid puts thick board book pages in their mouth, you don’t end up with mushy, missing, swallowed or eaten book corners. Also, they stand up well, so they can be used to help with important tummy time skills. Edible Colors and Brown Bear, Brown Bear are two of my daughter’s favorites.
This is all you absolutely need to buy from 0-6 months. It will last way longer than 6 months though, your child will just change how they interact with each toy. There’s also a lot of great stuff you can use for tummy time and play that is already in your home. That’s a whole different post though. Coming soon!
Pro Tip: Download the BABY SEE app. It shows you exactly what your baby can see on any give day as they develop. This was our #1 used app for the first several weeks of our daughter’s life! It’s FREE.
P.S. I only link to products I use/love. If you choose to use the links above, I may receive compensation, which helps keep this website running. Thank you!