10 Best Toys for 6-Month-Olds Reviewed in 2024
Stacey Joseph
A six-month-old baby is ready for almost any toy and any adventure. This is the exploration stage where they want to be a part of everything and see it in action. Their toys at this stage must satisfy their curiosities, and they will be reaching out and grabbing for things just out of their grasp now. They should have some of their teeth now, so teething is no longer the main focus for toys. The mirrors, rattles, and textured fabrics are still okay, but now the baby wants a toy with more depth and thought. Now the desire is lights, sounds, phrases, words, bendable textures, moving wheels, and rolling balls. The baby wants action and wants to cause that action themselves.
In a Hurry? The test winner after 45 hrs of research
Grippable, colorful, and bendable
Cleans easily and BPA-free
Includes a ball inside for the rattle
Aids with handling skills and finger dexterity
Includes various shapes and textures
10 Best Toys for 6-Month-Olds Reviewed
1. Bendy Ball Rattle
Grippable, colorful, and bendable
Cleans easily and BPA-free
Includes a ball inside for the rattle
Aids with handling skills and finger dexterity
Includes various shapes and textures
Some infants were not interested in this toy
The hard centerpiece may be disliked by babies
The highly popular Bendy Ball Rattle by Baby Einstein takes the first place on our list. By shaking this cute ball to make the ball in the middle rattle, babies are practicing the concept of cause-and-effect. They realize quickly how to generate the sound that the toy is capable of making.
Read moreAge Range
Though this bendy ball can be enjoyed by children as young as three months old, it is targeted towards babies around six months of age as that’s when they start to reach and grab for their toys! It’s soft and easy for little ones to hold onto thanks to all the holes in the honeycomb design.
Safety
This creative Baby Einstein rattle is constructed with entirely BPA-free materials. It isn’t made with any small pieces so there are no choking hazards but a few users have complained about peeling plastic and children getting their tongue stuck in the holes.
Educational Value
Activity playthings, such as this one, give the infant plenty to do with their time. With this fabulous toy, they can chew, squeeze, roll, and shake the item in their hours of play.
Price Range
This terrific item has the lowest cost of all the products listed. It derives its value from the bendable soft materials, the mixture of lovely colors, and the ball that rattles in the middle.
Materials
The plastic material is grippable and bendable, free of BPA, and cleans easily. There is a cute caterpillar on the band in the center for the child to look at. The material is flexible and aids with handling skills and finger dexterity.
2. Landfox Animal Puzzle Cloth Book
Includes durable material and strong stitching
Has bright colorful pictures, fabrics, and tabs
Includes a cute story with large easy-to-read print
Good for bonding with adults at story time
Infants will develop several skills with this item
Some buyers did not like the quality
May not be as pictured
Babies learn many skills from cloth books in their first few months of life. They try to grab the pages and the tabs exercising their motor skills, finger dexterity, and mobility. As they look at the printed words, cute pictures, and vibrant colors they practice their visual and comprehension abilities.
Read moreAge Range
Designed for ages 0 months and up, this cloth book is just right for little ones learning to grasp objects.
Safety
Non-toxic fabrics and strong stitching ensure that this baby book is safe for even little tikes! The pages are soft and won’t tear or cause paper cuts with clumsy little fingers turning them.
Educational Value
A simple cloth book teaches a child so much that they will need in the future. They will know how to turn pages, look at the pages, and know that there is content there to be understood and viewed.
Price Range
With a below-average cost, this cute fabric book has the unique features of being soft and colorful, full of bright pretty tabs, and containing a sweet story to be read aloud.
Materials
Cloth books for babies are fun for bonding with the parent or another adult during story time. The child can watch the adult turn the pages or do it themselves to be a part of the fun.
3. Sassy Wonder Wheel
Has a suction-cup base
Develops several important skills
Encourages tugging and reaching
Made in an assortment of colors
Includes multiple textures and beads
A few had problems getting the suction to work correctly
It is not waterproof and will take on water
The Sassy Wonder Wheel Activity Center has a suction-cup base to attach to smooth surfaces. This way it does not have to be held by the adult or the child for playing.
Read moreAge Range
The Sassy Wonder Wheel is appropriate for babies 6 months and older.
Safety
According to the company’s website, this fun little ferris wheel is both BPA and phthalate free. It also features a suction cup to help keep it safely and sturdily in place while Baby plays.
Educational Value
It develops hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and finger dexterity, plus encourages tugging and reaching. This terrific activity center includes plastic rings on the bottom and a spinning wheel on the top
Price Range
This cute activity wheel has a below-average cost. it derives its value from the ability to stick it to smooth surfaces, its colorful and textured form, and the many skills that it develops in the child.
Materials
Made in an assortment of colors to attract the child, it has multiple textured places on the toy and many, colored beads in the center of the clear wheel to watch
4. Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse
Has eight different sounds and soft lullabies
Toy has a gentle glow to it
Is soft and cuddly for napping and sleeping
Includes a volume control and on/off button
Helps the baby fall asleep quickly
Must open the back to turn the sound off
Music may not play long enough for the child to fall asleep
The Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse plays sweet music for as much as five minutes at a time and has eight different ocean sounds and soft lullabies. It has a gentle glow to it, is soft and cuddly for napping and sleeping, and teaches cause-and-effect.
Read moreAge Range
The Fisher-Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse is most appropriate for children between 0 and 2 years of age. This seahorse is a great cuddle buddy for little ones who have trouble sleeping through the night!
Safety
Soft and utterly squeezable, this seahorse is made with clean, nontoxic materials and is super cuddly with no hard surfaces or rough edges to harm sleepy babies.
Educational Value
Toys really don’t get much cuter than this little seahorse. It would be perfect if it were just a stuffed animal, but this one glows and makes soothing sounds and lullabies too. It helps teach cause and effect at an early age.
Price Range
This is the highest-priced item that is featured on this page. It is valued for its sounds and glowing abilities, a soft snuggly body, and ideal size that is great for an infant to befriend.
Materials
This toy is made of safe non-toxic materials so parents do not have to worry about if it is harmful to their child to play with. This toy is wonderful for any child having difficult napping or sleeping.
5. Manhattan Toy Atom Rattle & Teether
Very colorful and lightweight
Encourages reaching and grasping
Stimulates the vision of the infant
Is free of BPA and PVC materials
Stands up to even the toughest teethers
Can be a bit heavy for an infant
Must be hand washed (may melt otherwise)
The Manhattan Toy Atom Rattle & Teether is both a teether and a rattle that is very colorful and lightweight. It encourages the motor skills of reaching and grasping and is an ideal size for small hands.
Read moreAge Range
The Atom Rattle is best suited to children between 0 and 3 years of age. At 6 months, children love to grab and shake their toys, making this an ample time for such a toy!
Safety
The Atom Rattle by Manhattan Toys is BPA-free as well as PVC-free and passes all strict ASTM, CPSC, EN71 and Health Canada codes. This means it’s internationally tested and safe according to American, Canadian, and EU standards.
Educational Value
Cause-and-effect will be in process when your child realizes that he or she can shake this toy and make it rattle. Babies love toys like this because they like to make things work.
Price Range
This cute atom toy has a below-average cost. it derives its value from the bright colorful knobs and rings, from being a teether and a rattle together, and from being free of harmful substances.
Materials
The rings of the rattle on each knob move back and forth but do not come off. It is flexible and durable, plus free of BPA and PVC materials
6. VTech Move and Crawl Baby Ball
Is self-rolling and motorized
Includes three character-shaped buttons
Teaches insects, animals, sounds, and numbers
Has over forty fun phrases, sounds, and songs
Exercises many skills and abilities
Makes plenty of noise as it rolls on its own
Some babies were not interested in this
The Vtech Move and Crawl Baby Ball is self-rolling and motorized, plus it includes three character-shaped buttons that light up. It teaches about various insects, animals, sounds, and numbers and has soft ribbons on the top for pulling and touching.
Read moreAge Range
VTech’s Move and Crawl Baby Ball is intended for children between 6 months and 3 years of age. All of the lights, sounds, and music stimulate young senses as they learn animal names and sounds, insects, and numbers!
Safety
This is a little heavy, so if you have a little one that likes to throw, maybe wait until they’re old enough to play gently. It’s made from safe materials and features no small parts or choking hazards.
Educational Value
This adorable ball exercises the skills of motor, social, audible, visual, cognitive, and language for the baby.
Price Range
This wonderful baby ball has an above-average cost. It is valued for its automatic rolling ability, spinning toy on top, and the many sounds and lights that it makes to entertain the infant.
Materials
This ball is made of safe non toxic materials that are also easy to clean.
7. Manhattan ToySkwish Rattle & Teether
Good clutching and squeezing item
Made of sustainable wood and a non-toxic finish
Has been a popular toy for many years
Is an award-winning design
Comes in a beautiful box for giving as a gift
Might be hard to keep clean
Some babies may not be strong enough to mash the toy
As a wooden rattle and teether toy for infants, the Manhattan Toy Skwish Classic Rattle & teether uses the basic colors for a beautiful rainbow mixture of fun. It is a good clutching and squeezing item that comes in a beautiful box that is perfect for giving as a gift.
Read moreAge Range
Manhattan Toy’s Classic Rattle and Teether is perfect for children ages 0 months and up! It isn’t a soft toy so make sure you keep an eye on infants when they’re playing with this in order to avoid accidents!
Safety
This rattle is constructed entirely from quality wood. The finish is water-based and nontoxic. The finish is also water-resistant and safe for teething tots and toddlers alike!
Educational Value
Not only can the child chew and suck on this teether toy, but it also makes noise as a rattle. The sliding beads on the dowels give it the added activity and cause-and-effect feature.
Price Range
This fabulous plaything has an average price. It has the wonderful features of bright colorful balls, dowels, and beads, stretchy elastic ties that allow it to be mashed, and an easy-to-grab structure.
Materials
Made of sustainable wood and a water-based non-toxic finish, it is an award-winning design that is loved by babies.
8. Fisher-Price Laugh & LearnSmart
Is soft and cuddly for naps and sleeping
Grows with your child as they age
Promotes sensory and fine motor talents
Is the ideal size for a small friend
Toy is easily manipulated by a baby
A few parents were not impressed by this toy
The heart button could be hard to press
With more than seventy-five sounds, songs, phrases, and tunes, the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis has an excited happy face. It is soft and cuddly for naps and sleeping and is the ideal size for a small friend to your child.
Read moreAge Range
This pup helps kids learn through multiple stages of development! The youngest recommended age for play is 6 months. At this age, babies can play with the ‘Stage 1’ function which helps tots stay stimulated with songs and simple phrases about body parts and color. Stage 2 directs children to identify some of the concepts they learned in Stage 1 all on their own and is intended for use by children 12 months and up. Finally, Stage 3 encourages pretend games in children ages 18 months and up by prompting them to ‘stomp like an elephant’ and other silly games!
Safety
With no removable parts, this is appropriate for babies. The material is a soft polyester that parents can spot clean and the stuffed toy makes a great cuddle buddy!
Educational Value
This wonderful item promotes sensory abilities and fine motor talents.
Price Range
Just above the average of our calculated average for this toy category, this adorable Fisher-Price toy has the great features of plenty of sounds and songs, a cute snuggly stuffed body, and soft body parts that can be activated by the infant easily for extended fun.
Materials
The toy body parts are easily manipulated by a baby, plus a hand, a foot, and an ear are labeled for the baby to see and learn. All materials used for this toy are made of nontoxic materials making it 100% safe from harmful chemicals.
9. Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack
Includes two playthings in this set
Baby’s First Blocks is in a storage and travel bucket
Teaches colors, numbers, counting, and shapes
Promotes many skills and talents needed
Begins problem-solving and put-and-take for babies
Some people had trouble with the bucket top fitting on
Material was thinner than a few expected
Including two popular playthings in this set, the Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack begins the concepts of problem-solving and put-and-take for babies. The Rock-a-Stack has five colorful plastic rings to put on the base in order of size and the Baby’s First Blocks comes in a nice storage and travel bucket.
Read moreAge Range
Recommended for children between 6 months and 3 years of age, these stackable rings are bright, soft, and easy to clean. They help teach children about size and color in a fun, simple way!
Safety
All Fisher-Price toys are CPSC safety certified. Any product that will be mouthed, that will touch food, or that is intended for children under the age of 3 is also manufactured without BPA.
Educational Value
Each one promotes the skills of cognitive, visual, recognition, sorting, thinking, motor, hand-eye coordination, and finger dexterity when the child is engaging in working with the playthings.
Price Range
With an above-average price, this cute set of two incredible toys has the great qualities of bright colorful pieces, two fun concepts to teach, and many skills that the infant will gain.
Materials
This toy is made of nontoxic materials making it safe for your baby to chew on if they get their hands onto it.
10. Edushape See-Me Sensory Balls
Teaches reasoning and logic talents
Brightly colored, rubber, and textured
Promotes motor skills and tactile functions
Aids hand-eye coordination and visual abilities
Has an easy grip for babies
Some parents experienced deflating of these
A few infants not interested in them
The Edushape See-Me Sensory Balls set contains four plastic colorful balls that are used worldwide as a therapeutic toy for babies. This ideal toy teaches reasoning and logic and promotes motor skills and tactile functions.
Read moreAge Range
Edushape recommends these fun, textured balls for children who are six months of age or older. They’re a great size for little hands to grab and come in bright, pleasing colors.
Safety
These Sensory Balls measure 4” x 4” x 4” and are made with BPA-free and phthalate-free plastic.
Educational Value
Each is a bright bold color with tiny bumps on the surface providing an easy grip for babies. The texture is rubbery, so they can be kicked, thrown, rolled, and squeezed by infants as they aid the child’s hand-eye coordination and visual abilities.
Price Range
With an above-average cost, these amazing sensory balls are valued for their bright bold colors, rubbery bumpy textures, an ideal small size that an infant can handle well.
Materials
All materials used for this toy are non toxic and safe for your infant to play with.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Age Range
This age of infant is more active than before and more inquisitive about their surroundings. They have more strength in their bodies and hands to manipulate toys better than even the previous month. These toys will all enhance the skills of the child with their many colors, textures, sounds, lights, phrases, rattles, stuffed animals, and flexible surfaces. As you will notice as the months go by, the toys get more detailed and involved. This is necessary to keep the baby progressing and growing both mentally and physically.
Safety
All of these playthings listed in this fabulous buying guide have plenty of bold and bright colors, interesting textures to feel and chew, pictures to look at, and soft plush bodies to squeeze and snuggle. Many hours will be spent playing with these incredible toys as the child absorbs the concepts they are meant to teach. They will have fun in doing so because they think it is just playing. As they enjoy, they learn. The six-month-old child is very involved with their toys now and ready for almost anything you get for them.
Educational Value
Babies are really involved in cause-and-effect at this stage of life. This is because most of what they do in life will fall back on this basic principle. When they do one thing, it causes something else to happen. As adults, we do this all day every day without even thinking about it. This ability is learned at this infant stage and practiced many, many times over and over until it is done without thinking about it. A simple rattle gives the infant this concept in an easy form. They shake the toy and the rattle makes noise. They will catch on to this quickly and want to try it out on other things. Every one of these playthings gives them the opportunity to expand on this basic concept.
Price Range
To give you a sense of the value of a product for the cost, we calculate the average of items on this page and use it to compare each price with it. We list the cost in each individual Cost and Value section as either below-average, average, or above-average. The best qualities or features are also listed in this area to give the basic advantages of the item. We do not list the online prices of the products because they change so frequently, and we do not want to give false information to you. Please keep in mind that these great toys vary greatly in materials used in their creation, abilities they give to the child, their size, and the skills that they teach the infant. this is important when comparing the prices of each one. The toy with the highest cost on this list is the Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse, and the least in price is the Bendy Ball Rattle. Both are excellent toys, but they vary in the mentioned areas above.
Materials
All of the materials used for the items on our list are BPA free and made of non toxic materials. Parents won't have to worry about any harmful chemicals used on these toys. They are all 100% safe for your child to enjoy.
Age Range Safety Educational Value Price Range Materials 
These toys are extremely beneficial to your six-month-old. All of these toys teach your child about cause and effect. his is the concept of cause-and-effect that was introduced in toys for younger ages. All of these featured toys give the child much practice with this basic concept, so they can understand and perfect it. Even just a simple rattle gives them the chance to try cause-and-effect.
They shake the toy and make it rattle, thus they caused the toy to make a noise. Once they understand this, there will be no stopping them. This is the exploration and discovery stage where they want to dive into everything and experience it all. Give them all of the opportunities to do that for proper mental and physical development.
Other Factors to Consider
Brand
As the most-reviewed and the best-rated toys online by satisfied customers, these playthings we feature in this informative buying guide are the best that manufacturers are offering currently. We compile them into one beneficial page for you to use in your search for that perfect gift or toy for your own child. Our summary sections give you all of the details of each item that we could find to help you in your decision-making.
We scan the feedback from online consumers and the product details from the makers to make a concise summary section for you. The toy highlighted here that has the most reviews is the Bendy Ball Rattle with almost 2,400 reviews. There are two products with the highest rating, and those are the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart stages Sis and the Landfox Animal Puzzle Cloth Book.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: What type of toys appeal to a six-month-old baby the best?
Infants at this age love toys with sounds, music, moving parts, rattles, lights, and pieces to work with. They are beginning to like puzzle-type playthings and cloth books to enjoy. They are more active now and reaching for and grabbing things just out of their reach. Babies this age have the cause-and-effect concept down and want to try it out on everything to see what they can do. Most of these feature toys allow them plenty of opportunities for that.
q: What is the most common complaint about these toys from online customers?
Most of the complaints are not really complaints about the toys themselves, but just that they did not excite or interest the child. Babies at this age usually have plenty of toys to choose from and will tend to stick to their favorites. It is hard to introduce new playthings that will be as accepted and treasured as the ones they have already deemed as ideal and perfect. It is a parent’s job to keep trying though because they will need more challenging toys periodically to keep growing mentally and physically.
q: How many months should a child play with these toys, as they are specific to age in months?
Most of these items will be favored by the infant for many months and even years. They are toys that satisfy more than one need, such as a cuddly toy and an activity item. The stuffed animals will be enjoyed for naps and bedtime as a trusted friend for safety and security.
q: Are any of these toys good for traveling or when away from home?
All of these items are perfect for traveling to keep the baby occupied and happy. They all give the child something to do in a car seat or stroller, and they pack away in small spaces easily.
q: Which toys on this list would make the best baby shower gift?
All would be ideal for gifts to new parents for their new babies. The bigger items are the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis, the Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack, the Vtech Move and Crawl Baby Ball, and the Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse.
q: Do you have any size or color choices for any of the toys, or is there only one type?
The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis also comes in a puppy form also for those that would like a choice. The Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse comes in a pink or blue version. All other toys do not have choices for colors, styles, or size.
q: Are any of these specifically for a boy or a girl baby?
No, both boys and girls can play with any of these playthings. While some may consider the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis to be a toy for a girl, the manufacturer does show a picture of a little boy enjoying this toy. It does come in a puppy form for those that are more comfortable with another animal type. The Fisher-Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse is offered in a pink or blue version to accommodate those who would prefer one over the other. All other toys listed have just one model style and no choices for variation.
q: What skills will a child at this age learn or gather from playing with these toys?
Besides increasing the visual, audible, tactile, and motor skills already in place, the infant will continue to work on their understanding of pick-up-and-put-down and cause-and-effect. These are important to their understanding of many concepts in life, and they can be exercised with these incredible toys.
Sources
- , 6 Month old baby Development, Online Article
- , Your baby at 6 months, Online Article
- , Toys for 3- to 6-month-olds, Online Article
