Your baby is leaving his newborn days behind and looking at the world around him with a great, expansive, passionate vision. Now is the time when turning over becomes fun, sitting up has either started or is coming, and soon the day will be when your child will start crawling. When they start eating real food, (hopefully) sleep longer at night, and Xi learn all these new “tricks,” their brains and bodies are changing rapidly. This month is a great month to introduce some new stimulating toys to help your baby grow and have a lot of fun at the same time.
Six-month-olds are practicing Xi fine motor skills, such as grasping and lowering objects, passing things from one hand to the other, and early practice Xi forceps grasping (something 9-month-olds need to be aware of). At this age, gross motor skills are thriving, including carrying weight on the arms and legs while lying on their stomach and supporting games, if they have not yet learned to roll, and kicking with their legs while lying down or sitting. Cognitively, your little boy or little girl is struggling to develop early problem-solving skills, understand cause and effect, follow light and shapes with their eyes, discover new textures, and understand the uses of different objects (e.g. rattles shake and make noise).
You want to help your child master these skills and move on to the next step over the next few months, and the right toys and activities can help. Smart game ideas at this age can be as simple as singing or reading a book to your baby, dancing with them, or playing peek-a-boo type games. But there are also new toys to discover together.
Stacking Toys
Your baby is working on their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, even if they don’t know it yet! This is a developmental moment that will help them in the future, so make the most of this opportunity to provide your child with helpful toys. The stacking rings (pictured) are great for babies to pick up and drop objects, pass from one hand to the other, and put objects in their mouths Xi.
They may not be ready to stack the rings of the rainbow on poles at 6 months of age, but their interest now will lead them to master it in the next few months. Also consider stacking cups. When playing with smaller handheld toys, Xi keeping them within your baby’s reach, but not directly in front of them, so your child can exercise their near and distance comprehension. Another fun way to play is to put all the rings or cups in a container and gently pour them onto the floor. What may seem unnecessary chaos to you, to the baby, is the early discovery of the process of taking things apart and putting them back together.
Prone Time Toys for Babies
You don’t have to use flashing lights and loud music to make tummy time fun. At this age, your baby needs to strengthen their arms, shoulders, and neck to prepare them for crawling, so time on their stomach is still important, but it also ends up being fun because most little ones prefer to be on their tummy at 6 months than at 6 months.
A folding mat with bright colors and moving objects will attract your baby and allow them to interact with the environment. When he presses down on the mat and sees suspicious behavior, this provides important visual stimulation and early causality Xi.
Baby Teething Toys
If those first pearl whites haven’t broken through the surface yet, they may soon do. Painful gums need stimulation, and babies discover texture and density by exploring with their mouths anyway. It’s a good idea to choose toys that are specifically designed for chewing.
The $7 mushroom teether is now popular with new parents because it acts like a hand-held pacifier that soothes the mood and relieves teething problems. If you choose traditional cold keys that your baby has loved for generations, such as this Nuby set, you can cool them down first to make them more comfortable. But stick to the refrigerator for optimal comfort, freezing them can make them too cold for those sensitive gums.
Hand-Held Toys
For cognitive development, the glitter handheld toy is perfect for 6-month-olds. We really like the SmartNoggin Developmental Rattle, it can boost your baby’s development in so many ways. The top will light up to encourage your child to follow it with their eyes, they will learn Xi cause and effect when they hit the toy and rattle when they shake it, there are multiple textures to feel and a mirror to admire their reflection, and they can use the sturdy handles to work on their grip.
It’s a baby favorite, but any rattle and glowing toy that a baby can hold on their own is a win for this age. We love this colourful weave made from organic cotton, which doubles as a teether, and Little Einstein’s classic baby handheld music maker.
Plush Toy
It’s important that your 6-month-old child still lies on his back in his or her sleeping space without toys or blankets. Supervised daytime cuddling and Xi how to “take care” of their stuffed toy buddies can now begin! Find lovers, stuffed animals, or stuffed dolls with silky textured ears or elsewhere, even better if they have bumpy noses or toes. The variety of textures is perfect for sensory awareness, and the silky texture is especially pleasant.
Learning Cube Toys
It’s always a good thing when you find a toy that will last for a while, like a learning Xi cube, that will accompany your baby’s growth from 6 months old to early childhood and beyond. This product from Best Learning stimulates your baby without frustrating them because they are easy to stick with even at 6 months of age. The twinkling lights and music are fun right now, and as they grow, they’ll love learning Xi animal sounds and then learning Xi letters and numbers with this equally smart toy.
Sensory Toys
Sensory boxes and sensations stand not far off in your future, as this skill is still important in preschool and beyond. However, it is easy for small babies to put things in their mouths, which can quickly become very dangerous. Therefore, for babies as young as 6 months old, you need to prepare some age-appropriate sensory toys that will allow them to Xi different textures and exercise their curious little brains without the risk of choking.
Mirror Toys
Mirrors are important for your baby’s cognitive development. Your child won’t recognize their face until they’re close to 18 months old, but now the friendly face they see in the mirror looks like an exciting new friend. Placing a mirror where your 6-month-old is lying on his stomach will also encourage them to lift their head for long periods of time, which will strengthen their head, neck, and forearms. Mirrors promote eye development, so you can buy any toy with a mirror for your baby.
Exercise Center Toy
Some of your baby’s favorite toys at rest are the ones that move their little ones. To develop gross motor skills and give yourself a break, heat up coffee for the 30th time or go to the toilet, exercise stations are fun for 6-month-olds. The hopping activity center shown encourages your baby to put some weight on their legs, kick their legs, and press the music button with their toes. There are flashing lights and cause and effect toys at the top that can be spotted with the eyes and hands. What’s really interesting about this product is that once they grow up and stop using it as a baby bouncer, you can transform it into a cool toddler table. It is not recommended to leave your child in a rocking chair or exerciser for long periods of time, but these are great for you for short moments of fun and hands-free moments.
Another way to exercise gross motor skills in 6-month-olds is to use toys that are sturdy enough to encourage them to pull up.