10 Best Toys for 6-Month-Old Babies 2024

Newborns don't need a lot to be happy. They're literally impressed with milk or formula, a diaper change, sleep, and seeing your face day after day (after day!). Once they're around six months old, they need more stimulation than you to learn important milestones like gripping, stacking and learning to stand.

We've gathered some of the best toys for a 6-month-old to mark off your newborn checklist. They'll love them so much, they'll want to play with them in their car seats, at home, and in their strollers.

What to look for in the best toys for 6-month-old babies

First and foremost, assume your six-month-old baby is going to want to put every toy in their mouth. Opt for baby toys that don't pose choking hazards and are made with either all-natural materials or BPA-free plastics.

Then, look for things that help them improve hand-eye coordination and grip strength. They'll need these skills in the coming months to try finger foods and hold their own baby bottles.

Opt for engaging colors and shapes, and remember that the youngest babies are still developing their eyesight. Bold black-and-white stripes, polka dots and geometric designs help them hone those skills and focus their vision. Finally, choose toys for your 6-month-old baby that are easy to clean—you'll need (and want to) clean these items frequently.

Best toys for 6-month-old babies 2024

• Best overall: Sassy Stacks Stacking Rings
• Best budget: Bright Starts Easy Grasp Oball
• Best stacking: mushie Stacking Cups Toy
• Best for chewing: Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teether Toy
• Best luxury: Skip Hop Baby Activity Center
• Best for learning to stand: Fisher-Price Baby Bouncer
• Best for grip: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes
• Best for hand-eye-coordination: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Baby Piggy Bank
• Best rated: Tomy Lamaze Mortimer The Moose Clip-On Toy
• Best machine-washable: Bloobloomax Wrist Rattles Foot Finder Rattle Sock
• Best investment toy: Stapelstein Stepping Stones

Best overall

Sassy Stacks Stacking Rings

With nearly 54,000 ratings and an impressive 4.8-star average on Amazon, the Sassy Stacks Stacking Rings are the clear overall winner for six-month-old babies. The BPA-free nine-piece set offers a straight post with different textured and weighted rings to stack.

It's great for learning hand-eye-coordination and fine motor skills so you can let them stack to their heart's content. Plus, the colors are fun and engaging for development peepers to look at. We love the mix of early-viewing black and white stripes and bright, engaging colors.

Best budget

Bright Starts Easy Grasp Oball

One of the best toys for a 6-month-old is the simplest, most budget-friendly option out there! The award-winning Bright Starts Easy Grip Oball has 32 soft finger holes for baby to grasp, throw, and catch like a pro. It's a great choice for travel.

Need a fun idea? Consider using a clip to attach it to your best umbrella stroller so baby can't toss it to the ground.

Pro tip: use a pacifier clip to keep it attached to baby while you're strolling around stores. The last thing you want is their favorite toy hitting the ground (over and over again).

Best stacking

mushie Stacking Cups Toy

When they're able, nearly every baby loves stacking. It helps with the brain-to-body connection, which is crucial for development. Most stacking toys don't look like much, but they'll make for hours of fun. Nearly 13,000 reviewers agree that this mushie stacking cups toy earned its 4.9-star average ratings and then some—making this one of the best toys for 6-month-old babies of all types and styles.

The brand also has adorably trendy rock-a-stack toys that are both visually and texturally appealing for babies.

Best chewing

Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teether

Much like the Oball, this rattle and sensory teether by Manhatten Toy has a beautiful simplicity to it that babies can't get enough of. Made from soft, BPA-free teething tubes, this lightweight and brightly colored teether is made for little hands to grab onto while the center provides a gentle rattle to ignite multiple sensory functions.

If your little one is having a hard time with teething, toss this into the refrigerator to soothe gums (and then use a soft-brustled toothbrush and the best kids toothpaste). Waterproof construction makes this a clever bath toy, too.

Pro tip: buy a few. Leave one in the stroller, one in the car, one in the den, etc. These are cheap enough to invest in, and babies geet a kick out of them till about 18 months old.

Best luxury

Skip Hop Baby Activity Center

When you're looking to splurge, this Skip Hop Baby Activity Center—designed with a pediatrician—features a 360-degree rotating seat that bounces and turns to see any of the positioned clip-on teething toys that you can move anywhere. With a "Discovery Window," baby can see their feet to connect their movement to their body.

Even better—as your wee one grows, the activity center easily converts into different stages of use. From sit-and-swivel to bounce-and-play, and from cruising to a full-on play table with more than 25 activities. This is the perfect toy for any 6-month-old looking to develop fine motor skills.

Babies love the introduction to sight, sound and touch adventures. Parents love the safe all-in-one play center that lets them focus on household chores, catching up on work or finally getting to drink that cup of coffee.

Best for learning to stand

Fisher-Price Baby Bouncer

Just like the splurge-worthy activity center, the Fisher Price Baby Bouncer is a must-have for any baby learning to stand. With an adjustable, machine washable seat pad that spins 360 degrees, the freestanding jumper allows baby to play with the fun animal toys while the music and lights invite lots of bounce time.

It's loaded with firm textures, soft plush play things and some of the best developmental toys for 6-month-old babies we've seen yet—all in one clever little sit-in station that's a breeze to take from room to room. Plus, it helps them develop neck, core and back strength as they grow.

Build leg, back and neck muscles while engaging in sight discovery, grip strength exercises and the adventures that come along with touch.

Best for grip

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

You don't have to have a little Einstein on your hands to love the Baby Einstein Take-Along Tunes. This handheld player has thousands of five-star ratings, thanks to the 10 soothing sounds of Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and Rossini. It's portable, easy to wipe clean, and offers volume control—just be prepared to hear the same tunes over and over and over.

It improves gross motor skills and engages almost all the senses, making it one of the best toys for 6 month old little ones on our list. We love encouraging an early love of music, color identification and strong manual dexterity.

Best for hand-eye-coordination

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Baby Piggy Bank

There are plenty of toys that promote hand-eye-coordination, but this Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank helps build strong motor skills through 10 different colored coins to drop into the piggy's back. Watch your baby awe with wonder as they listen to the more than 40 songs, sounds, and learning phrases, including Spanish words.

With two Smart Levels, your baby will be counting money quickly. We suggest letting this toy for 6-month-old babies rely on the larger piggy bank first, and after your little one is a year or older letting them play with the coins. They may be too small to start with for early sitters (and babies prone to popping everything in their mouths).

Best rated

Tomy Lamaze Mortimer The Moose Clip-On Toy

You may not be in the market for a new clip-on toy, but the thousands of reviews say Mortimer the Moose is worth it. With a squeaker tummy, soft antlers baby can chew and satin knot legs that jingle and crinkle, this portable stuffie is a great on-the-go option for when baby gets fussy.

Plus, he's just so cute and one of the best introductory plush toys for little ones who are just too young to have stuffed animals but old enough to recognize them as totally swoon-worthy. Have a double travel stroller for multiple babies? Get two of these adorable baby toys.

Best machine washable

Bloobloomax Wrist Rattles Foot Finder Rattle Sock

One of the best toys for a 6-month-old is something they can wear! TheBloobloomax Wrist Rattles Foot Finder Rattle Sock and Wrist Rattles are exactly that. These adorable socks, made with high-quality soft material, come with little toys attached with bells to catch the baby's attention.

While wrist rattles are Velcro-attached, the Foot Finder sock encourages babies to explore once they've set their eyes on their feet. This makes a unique gift for any new mom and a brilliant toy for 6 month old rays of sunshine.

These make a nice alternative to similar Fat Brain Toys items that tend to be a bit pricier. We love the colors, easy washing and gender-neutral versatility.

Best investment toy

Stapelstein Stepping Stones

If you haven't already caught our Stapelstein Stepping Stones review, now is the time, because this luxe gift for six-month-old babies is a worthwhile investment. They'll use it for years to come (seriously, up to about age seven!) and you'll love all the clever ways it teaches them to have screen-free fun.

The youngest babies use these for seated support, while babies approaching a year old enjoy climbing and stacking them. Later, they'll turn these stepping stones upside down to store all their little toys and absurd collections of household items.

Trust us—you need these.

No matter which toys you buy for your 6-month-old, it's going to be the best, so don't stress! They'll love anything you give them. Make sure you clean baby toys almost as frequently as you sterilize pacifiers. Seriously—germs are gross.

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