I have always valued other mom’s opinions of kids’ products. Before I’ve purchased anything for Buddy, I’ve looked at reviews from other moms. I wanted to share some of Buddy’s favorite toys as an older infant for anyone who is looking for a gift for a child between 6 and 12 months. Many of these toys are continued to be played with currently (at 22 months).
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Buddy loved his try-angle for a long time. There are two sides of activities to keep babies interested. Buddy especially loved the gears, sliders, and mirror. I would recommend this for 6 – 18 months.
2. Tangiball by Discovery Toys
Our family still loves this ball and plays with it often. (Hubby might like it even more than Buddy!) It squeaks and is great for throwing or rolling. I would recommend it for ages 6 months and up.
3. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Puppy’s Smart Train
When we first bought this train for Buddy, we were hoping it would help motivate him to crawl. It was one of the first things that moved that he was interested in following. He still plays with it a lot, and he loves to make it go around the room. There are multiple levels of play on it, so I’m sure it will be played with for a long time. I would recommend it for crawling infants and toddlers, ages 8 months – 2 years.
4. Toddler Bands: Hohner Kids Toddler Band and B.Parum Pum Drum
Buddy received both of these bands for Christmas when he was 8 months old. Both said they were for older kids, but they were perfect for a sitting infant. The Hohner Kids Band was Buddy’s favorite gift that year! He still plays with both bands on a regular basis. I would recommend it for ages 8 months – 3 years.
5. Puppet books
These were some of the first books that held Buddy’s interest. We bought the first one for Buddy at 2 months, but after 6 months was when Buddy really started to be interested in reading. We still read these books all the time. I would recommend these for ages 6 months – 2 years.
We were given some of these books as baby gifts when Buddy was born. We now have seven different titles in this series. (We also check out others in this series all the time from the library.) This was the first type of book that Buddy pulled off the bookshelf to “read” independently. (The picture above was the first time he did this, and this teacher mom was so proud!!) I think we are on the verge of outgrowing these books, but we do still read them on a regular basis. I would recommend these for ages 4 – 18 months.
7. Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Table
We were given this activity table as a Christmas gift when Buddy was 8 months old, and it has grown with him really well. When he was smaller, we played with it on the floor. Once Buddy was able to stand and play, we put the legs on the activity table. The phone receiver is a rattle, and that continues to be Buddy’s favorite part. We still play with this all the time. I would recommend this for ages 6 months – 2 years.
8. Bright Start Roll, Shake, and Spin Activity Balls
Buddy loves balls of all kinds, but these balls have always been a favorite. They’re easy to hold and some of them make a noise when shaken. I’ve already blogged about some of our activities with these balls (read about them here: balls in a tube, balls in a muffin tin, and colander activities). I’m sure we will continue to play with these for a long time. I would recommend these for ages 6 months and up.
9. B. Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube
We received this as a hand-me-down from friends, and we’re so lucky they gave it to us! This was a great activity to help Buddy build strength in playing while standing. He still loves playing with it! I would recommend this for ages 9 months – 3 years.
This was an impulse stocking stuffer, and we ended up loving it so much we bought a second one for Grandma’s house in Florida. As I mentioned before, Buddy loves balls, so it’s fun to have one to play with in the bathtub. We’ve also used it in our water table and at the pool. It is a strainer, and there’s a ball within the ball that makes noise. It’s a lot of fun. I would recommend this for ages 6 months – 2 years.
11. High chair toys Melissa and Doug Wooden Bead Maze and Sassy Fascination Station
Whoever invented toys with suction cup bottoms for high chairs was a genius. We have two different ones (linked above), and we love them both. It is so nice to have a toy on hand while finishing cooking, unpacking groceries, or cleaning up after dinner. The Sassy one in the picture we used more when Buddy was younger, and we use the Melissa and Doug bead maze more now. I would recommend these for ages 6 -18 months.
12. Baby Einstein Activity Jumper
The activity jumper was another hand-me-down from a friend. But it is totally worth the money to buy one if you don’t have one that you can borrow. Buddy loved this so much! He would jump and laugh for a long time. It was great having him contained, so I could do things like grade papers or clean. We were all so sad when Buddy outgrew his jumperoo. I would recommend this for ages 7 months – 12 months.
13. Stacking rings
There are a lot of variations of stacking rings out there. Ours lights up and makes noise, and I know Buddy loves it. It was a challenge for Buddy to do this independently at first (at 8 months), but he was so proud once he could do it. I think he’s almost outgrown it, but we do still play with the stacking rings from time to time. I would recommend it for ages 6 – 18 months.
If you’re looking for a gift for a younger infant, read my blog about toys for infants 0-6 months here.
