When your baby hits the 3-month mark, you'll start to notice a spike in curiosity. Whereas your newborn was content resting in your arms or hanging on a boppy, your infant now wants to play with toys. The best infant toys, however, are more than just loads of fun — they help your baby learn and grow (and the more colorful, interactive, and developmentally appropriate they are, the better.)
Infants are constantly developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. At the same time, they're rapidly taking in the colors, sounds, textures, and even tastes around them. Some of the best toys and baby products for infants allow them to safely explore those curiosities without proving too challenging or frustrating for their developmental stage. And if a toy can grow with them and last through a few stages, all the better.
Be on the lookout for toys that play music so you can soothe your little one while teaching them new tunes, toys that encourage sitting up so they can master tummy time, and textured toys that double as safe teethers. These 14 fun and educational infant toys will keep your little one occupied and engaged to the point that they won't want to put them down.
1A Portable Music Toy That Plays 7 Classical Melodies
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy, $8, Amazon
Give your baby an introduction to classical music with this brightly colored musical toy that plays melodies from famous composers, including Mozart and Chopin. The front of the toy lights up in tune to the classical songs and your 3 to 36-month-old tot will love toting this around by its comfy handle.
2Colorful, Shaped Blocks That Your Child Can Sort & Stack
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks, $6, Amazon
This classic blocks toy teaches infants how to stack and sort while strengthening hand-eye coordination. Recommended for age 6 months to 3 years old, the toy also has a carry handle that makes it easy to transport from place to place so your little one can play with it anywhere.
3A Developmental Ball With Exciting Textures, Colors, & Sounds
Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball, $4, Amazon
Perfect for newborns to 3-year-olds, this developmental bumpy ball teaches various textures, patterns, and colors. It gives off a gentle rattle sound that create neural connections in babies, and its bright colors and patterns are visually appropriate for a baby's vision.
4A Plush Cow That Plays 30+ Songs, Melodies, & Phrases
VTech Baby Lil' Critters Moosical Beads, $12, Amazon
This cute plush cow toy is a musical genius in disguise. It's programmed to deliver more than 20 melodies, songs, sounds, and phrases to help teach your 0- to 24-month-old verbal skills and music appreciation. This music toy also a bead ring with light-up buttons and a spinning square that helps fine motor skill development.
5A BPA-Free Rattle And Teether That Teaches Two-Handed Play
Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle And Sensory Teether Activity Toy, $11, Amazon
Somewhere around 4 months, babies discover the joy of putting every last thing in their mouths. This BPA-free teething toy is more than an object that soothes their gums — it's a rattle wrapped in colorful tube loops that promote clutching and two-handed play.
6A Musical Floor Gym Toy That Grows With Baby
Fisher-Price Kick & Play Piano Gym, $28, Amazon
Give your infant a safe and fun mini workout with this musical floor gym toy, which features piano keys, rollerball frog, a hippo teether, elephant clackers, and a mirror for self-discovery. This toy is excellent for teaching tummy time while traveling.
7A Stacking Toy With Colorful Tubes For Hand-Eye Coordination
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Rock-A-Stack, $7, Amazon
Infants will learn about colors and relative size with this classic stacking toy, which consists of a bat at rocker base and five colorful rings that are easy to grasp. The top tube is filled with moving beads and stacking over and over again helps develop hand-eye coordination.
8A Cute Pop-Up Animal Toy For Cause-And-Effect Play
Playskool Play Favorites Busy Poppin' Pals, $21, Amazon
What young child doesn't love the surprise and suspense of an adorable animal popping up after they turn a knob or press a button? This classic pop-up toy teaches infants about cause and effect and reward. It's perfect for babies ages 9 months and older, and reinforces lessons about colors, shapes, and animals.
9A Multitasking Baby Microphone With Music & Animal Sounds
VTech Baby Babble And Rattle Microphone, $10, Amazon
Let babies hear their own glorious voices amplified with this multitasking baby microphone, which is also a rattle that emits countless interesting and inspiring sounds. Featuring more than 70 songs, melodies, phrases, and animal sounds, this toy provides the ultimate auditory experience for ages 3 months to 3 years old.
10An Interactive Learning Walker That Plays Music & Is Covered In Fun Games
VTech Sit To Stand Learning Walker, $30, Amazon
As babies learn to stand up and take their first steps, this interactive walker will help. With wheels that work on hard floors and carpet and piano keys for musical play, this toy strengthens fine motor skills all around. This learning center boasts three shape sorters, two spinning rollers, and three light-up buttons.
11An Activity Cube That Teaches Colors, Numbers, Music & Animals
VTech Sort And Discover Activity Cube, $20, Amazon
With five sides of fun, interactive play, this activity cube keeps infants entertained and strengthens fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. In includes games like a shape sorter and two electronic panels that teach colors, numbers, animals, and music. This cube also has a book page that plays two nursery rhymes and a spinner that lights up. It's a universe of activity for an infant in one compact and portable toy.
12A Floor Seat Toy Space For Infants Learning How To Sit Upright
Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat, $30, Amazon
This foldable, portable floor seat toy gives infants learning how to sit a place to safely play with linkable textured toys and teethers. It comes with a removable and washable seat pad and two linkable toys that can be removed and changed.
13An Adorable Interactive Puppy That Can Be Personalized
LeapFrog My Pal Scout, $15, Amazon
This sweet, interactive stuffed puppy comes with software that lets you customize interaction to include your child's name and interests. Little ones can press its paws and hear learning songs, phrases, animal sounds, and more. Choose between green Scout or purple Violet.
14These Cute Musical Instruments That Double As Teethers
iPlay, iLearn Baby Rattles, $20, Amazon
These 10 BPA-free rattle teethers are also musical instruments that allow your baby to explore different sounds and feel like a bandleader in their very own home. They help babies develop fine motor skills while learning how to grip various shapes and textures and — once your infant starts to use them to relieve gum discomfort — you can worry less knowing they're made from safe, non-toxic materials.
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