The 21 Best Toys for 6-Month-Old Babies Though your baby still seems really little, he's ready to play! Try these top toys to keep him entertained. At 3 to 6 months, your child is no longer content to just lie there and gaze at your loving face. He wants to move! What are the best toys for 6-month-old babies?"What we grown-ups call 'play' is the basic human learning drive," points out childhood expert Sue Palmer, the author of "Toxic Childhood." This stage is all about discovering how things work. "Early learning is all about exploration and experimentation," says Holly Homer, a blogger and co-author of "101 Kids Activities."Since play is so important, choosing the right toys for your baby may require more than just an impulsive stroll down the toy aisle.Check out the best toys for 6-month-old babies: TeethersLong before you spot that first tooth, your baby will need a teether, like this one from Apple Park, to bite and chew. Mr. WhoozitThis crinkly, squeaky stuffed toy has been around for 20 years and engages your baby's sight, sound, texture and taste, making Mr. Whoozit one of the best toys for 3-month-old and older babies.
Linking RingsThese rings from Bright Starts are easy to keep in a purse or diaper bag for a quick playtime. Activity GymArched gyms, like this one from Skip Hop, can be used early and are one of the first toys for 3-month-old babies. The soft blanket base ensures a clean, safe place for your baby to play while the hanging toys give your baby something to look at and reach for. MirrorThis child-safe mirror from Sassy gives your baby her first image of herself and helps to develop her sense of individuality and self. Open BallThese balls from Oball are easy for babies to grasp and throw or roll as they learn to push themselves up and sit. RattleThis toy has been around for all of human history for good reason. Rattles, like the ones from Apple Park, give children a chance to act and have a reaction. BlanketWhile you may not think of a blanket as a toy, it is an important plaything for babies. Whether you want to play peek-a-boo or hide a toy, blankets like the ones from Hudson Baby help children develop the idea that things continue to exist even when out of sight.
Bath ToysFloating, squirting, squeaking bath toys give children a chance to practice those developing motor skills as they try to grasp these floating toys from Munchkin. Stacking RingsWhether he is pulling the rings off the central pole or chewing on the rings themselves, your baby will be working on motor skills and exploring his own abilities with this toy from Melissa & Doug. BallUnlike the open ball, a larger rubber ball requires your baby to use both hands to catch or roll it back to you. Look for a ball like this one from Edushape, which has texture to help your baby hold the ball more easily. Bounce SeatAs your baby sits and bounces in this seat from Evenflo, she exercises her leg muscles, shoulders and back. Board BooksThese sturdy books are your baby's first foray into the wonderful world of literature. Try a kiddie version of "Pride and Prejudice" to keep you entertained, too. BlocksAs your child stacks one B. Toys block on another, he practices his fine motor skills. Blanket ToyComforting toys, like the ones from Baby Aspen, are a combination of a stuffed animal with a short blanket attached.
Ballyhoo BallTuck the mini balls into the larger ball with this Battat toy, or use them individually. Rattle BallsEach with their own sound, these little balls from Baby Einstein are great to tuck in a diaper bag. Stuffed ToysSometimes as big as baby, stuffed toys give your child the chance to explore facial features and strength. babyGund sells a cute soft lamb. High-Chair ToysWith their suction cups and engaging tops, high-chair toys give you the chance to finish your meal while your baby is occupied. Try this spinning Sassy version. Water WheelsNot just for the bathtub, try using water wheels in the sandbox. Gowi has a great version. Stacking CupsThese Nuby cups are great for pouring, stacking and chewing. Shellie Braeuner, is an award-winning children's author. She earned an M.Ed from Vanderbilt in human developmental counseling and has worked as a nanny for more than 25 years. Like what you see here? community for free and meet others like you.The grandparents are joining you and your family for dinner tonight and everyone is really looking forward to the delicious pot roast they’ve smelled cooking all day long.
Everyone finally gathers at the table and before the first roll can be passed, your 18-month-old decides it would be much more fun to hurl his potatoes at Grandma’s head. His aim is pretty good and he not only hits her, the gravy that was once clinging to the potatoes is now spattered on your 4-year-old’s brand new dress. Sigh, here we go again. Toddlers may not say a lot, but they sure do know a lot, and one thing most have in common is testing the waters! Food throwing is not something they decide to do just to get you aggravated or to make a mess. No, they have much smarter reasoning—they want to see how you will react after it is done. Keep in mind that when they test you with any annoying behavior, such as throwing food or throwing a tantrum, you need to teach them that there are limits and consequences for these actions and then follow through on your words. If you are tired of your toddler turning mealtime into a food throwing Olympic event, you are definitely not alone.
This veteran Mighty Mommy has been there and done that 8 times over. So here are the 5 things I’ve learned along the way that can help your child keep food on their plate, rather than on your ceiling: When food throwing becomes a definite pattern at mealtimes, take a good look at how much food you are placing in front of your child. Is he faced with a giant pile of stuff that’s just begging to be tossed? If so, place just a few bites on her plate and encourage her to eat by sitting down next to her and modeling how you eat. Be simple and direct. You might say “Mommy loves her chicken,” then place a piece on your fork, eat it and smile and say “Yummy.” See if your child will imitate you. This may take several or more tries, but eventually kids get curious and want to parrot what they parents do. I noticed a pattern with my children who were the food throwers in our family—they weren’t hungry. Because we have a large family, it was hard to get the toddlers to want to eat at our regular family dinnertime.
The food throwing became a means of entertainment because they just had no desire to eat. So to counteract that, I started feeding my toddler-aged kids an hour after our family dinner and this cut food throwing down by nearly 75%! Sometimes there was absolutely no rhyme or reason as to what food my kids would throw. Most times it was a vegetable or something they were not interested in, but other times it was one of their favorites like macaroni and cheese. So I figured out a way to alter the trajectory. I put two empty plastic bowls on the high chair (or at the table) and when I saw my son pick up an item that I knew he was going to hurl, I tried to redirect the throw by showing him the empty bowls and saying “Connor, you don’t need to throw the food, put it in the bowl instead.” This took a few meals and my modeling it to teach him, but having two empty bowls gave him a choice as to which one he was going to put his unwanted food in, and within a couple of weeks, it worked like a charm.
(A few of times he did throw the bowls on the floor, and then I simply removed him from the highchair or table and told him that mealtime was now all done.) Try letting your child play with a spoon or child-appropriate fork when they are eating a meal. Learning to use cutlery certainly has its own challenges, but a new experience like learning to lift some yogurt or pasta from plate to mouth can temporarily take your little darling’s mind off of throwing the food and shift his attention to doing something different with it—feeding it to himself by means other than fingers. Kids love to model what they see and when they see the rest of the family using silverware, they are interested in giving it a try themselves. If you have older children, let them help your younger child learn the ropes of eating, not throwing. It helps build your older child’s self esteem because you are counting on them to be a role model, and your younger child now has one more reason to look up to his older brother or sister.
If you’ve tried any of the suggestions above and the food throwing continues, you need to take a tougher stance. When your gentle reminder that mealtime is for eating, not playing, goes unheeded, it’s time to end the meal. Clear your child’s place and remove him from the high chair or table. You can lovingly but firmly say “We eat our food, we don’t throw it. You must not be hungry right now so we’ll wait until dinner to try again.” Only do this, however, if you plan on being consistent. Don’t remove her from the table and then bargain with her that if she doesn’t throw the food, she can sit back down again. You are not going to starve her or cause physiological damage by doing this a few times until she gets the message. Kids are much smarter than we give them credit for. Once they see that you mean business, they will eventually stop the bad behavior (until they find something else to test you with) and you’ll be enjoying meals together in no time.