Introduction
Best Sensory Toys for Babies 6-12 Months
Babies aged 6-12 months rapidly develop their sensory and motor skills. Sensory toys play an important role in the growing stage of babies. This post will guide you through the best sensory toys for babies 6-12 months to engage and develop their senses of touch, sight, and sound.
Being a mother of two, I have given my personal use and suggestions in this blog post. What are the best things for babies and help to activate babies’ sense of interacting through toys?
Being parents, your babies must try to interact and learn through different stages. with the help of sensory toys, the age of 6 to 12 is important, and time to learn and interact with the world around the baby.
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In this blog post, I have given all of the details about my research-based approach to toys.
During my early childhood education research, I understood babies’ development stages. Therefore, I will discuss my theoretical knowledge, experiences, and expertise as a mother.
Why Sensory Toys Are Important for Babies 6-12 Months?
Engage a baby’s five senses
Sensory toys are designed to engage a baby’s five senses—touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell—encouraging them to interact with and learn from their environment meaningfully.
Babies undergo significant development between the ages of 6 and 12 months, and sensory toys play a pivotal role in helping them reach key milestones. At this stage, infants actively explore their surroundings, developing motor skills, cognitive abilities, and social interaction. Sensory toys are designed to engage a baby’s five senses—touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell—encouraging them to interact with and learn from their environment meaningfully.
Playing with different textures helps babies feel better and boosts their fine motor skills and coordination. Toys that make sounds help babies learn to recognize noises and understand how things work—like when they shake a rattle and it makes a sound. Brightly colored toys grab their attention and help them practice focusing and seeing things in 3D.
You know, sensory toys are just so important for little ones!
They help babies start to notice shapes, colors, and different patterns.
Moreover, things like stacking or sorting can boost their problem-solving skills. It is interesting, and kids are going to love and enjoy while playing. It will also increase kids’ sensory development while playing with these toys.
It’s amazing how much fun they have playing with these toys, and at the same time, it is very satisfactory for mommies that their babies are learning and learning with these toys at the same time.
It keeps them entertained and sets them up for success later on, both in thinking and socializing. I think these toys are a must-have in any baby’s playtime!
Top Picks for Tactile Sensory Toys for Babies
Builds their motor skills and coordination.
These are squishy and easy for babies to hold, which helps them practice gripping and squeezing. My little ones loved them because they were fun to touch, and they could roll them around or throw them.
As a mom of two, I know how important it is to give our babies toys that help them learn and grow. Tactile sensory toys are perfect for babies between 6 and 12 months because they allow them explore different textures essential for their development. These toys help babies to use their hands and fingers, which builds their motor skills and coordination.
One of the best tactile sensory toys is soft sensory balls. These are squishy and easy for babies to hold, which helps them practice gripping and squeezing. My little ones loved them because they were fun to touch, and they could roll them around or throw them.
Textured teething rings are also a great choice. Babies start teething around this age, and these rings help soothe sore gums. The different textures on the rings also give babies something to explore with their hands and mouths, helping them develop a better sense of touch.
Another favorite in our house is fabric sensory toys.
Fabric sensory toys
With these bean bag caterpillar, children can enhance their cognitive development by recognizing numbers, shapes, and colors. They can also improve their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as they manipulate and play with the bean bags.
These toys help babies develop a strong foundation for cognitive growth. it also helps teaching them to think, reason, and solve problems. They also support early learning by introducing basic concepts like shapes, sizes, colors, and numbers. are a complete packege of materials that they can touch and feel.
Some pages crinkle, while others use different fabrics, making the books both fun and educational. Not only are these books great for sensory development, but they also help babies learn about shapes and colors.
Sensory Toys for Baby’s Cognitive Development
As a mom of two, I’ve learned that sensory toys are not just fun for babies—they also play an important role in their overall cognitive development. These toys support physical growth by helping babies develop their motor skills, they also help babies understand the world around them. Sensory toys that promote problem-solving and early learning are especially helpful during the critical 6-12 month stage. Babies at this age are starting to grasp basic concepts like cause and effect, object permanence, and simple problem-solving. Sensory toys encourage them to think, explore, and learn interactively.
Shape sorters are one of the best educational toys for babies under 1 year. They’re an excellent tool for encouraging cognitive growth. These toys help babies develop problem-solving skills as they figure out how to fit different shapes into the corresponding holes.
Inbeby Baby Tummy Time Mirror Toys
The tummy time mirror toys features exquisite patterns with rich colors and high-contrast black and white designs to attract your baby’s attention and promote vision development. The teether included provides comfort and meets your baby’s needs during the teething period. The ribbons and rabbit ears on the mirror are made of different materials, offering varied tactile experiences for sensory development and all-round growth.
My babies loved watching as I showed them how to put the shapes in; over time, they started figuring it out independently. Shape sorters promote hand-eye coordination and teach babies about spatial relationships, such as fitting objects together. They also introduce important concepts like matching, sorting, and categorizing, foundational skills for later learning.
In addition to being fun, shape sorters encourage babies to use their logic and reasoning skills.
At first, babies may try to fit a square into a round hole, but as they continue to play with the toy, they begin to understand that each shape has a specific place. This type of problem-solving boosts cognitive abilities and provides a sense of achievement when babies finally figure it out.
It’s also a great way to introduce them to basic shapes and colors, helping them learn to recognize them in everyday objects.
Another fantastic toy for promoting cognitive development is stacking blocks.
These simple toys are a favorite in many households because they can be used in so many ways to stimulate a baby’s brain. Stacking blocks helps babies understand concepts like size, order, and balance.
As babies stack the blocks, they start to recognize the difference between large and small, and they begin to practice their hand-eye coordination as they try to stack the blocks on top of each other without making them fall.
Stacking blocks also help babies develop their problem-solving skills. If a block keeps falling, babies will experiment with different ways of stacking them, encouraging critical thinking and patience. Stacking blocks is a great way to introduce early learning concepts, such as counting and sorting. You can talk to your baby about the different colors, shapes, and numbers on the blocks as they play, helping them connect words with objects and develop language skills.
As your baby is in the stage of growth and develeopemnt, you can add more advanced challenges.just like stacking blocks in a specific order or creating towers with multiple blocks, further enhancing their cognitive abilities.
Both shape sorters and stacking blocks are excellent examples of interactive sensory toys that encourage babies to engage with their environment actively.
Foundation for cognitive growth.
These toys help babies develop a strong foundation for cognitive growth. it also helps teaching them to think, reason, and solve problems. They also support early learning by introducing basic concepts like shapes, sizes, colors, and numbers.
These toys help babies develop a strong foundation for cognitive growth. it also helps teaching them to think, reason, and solve problems. They also support early learning by introducing basic concepts like shapes, sizes, colors, and numbers.
As babies interact with these toys, they’re not just playing—they’re building the skills to help them learn and grow. Providing these types of sensory toys gives our babies a head start on their cognitive development while making playtime fun and educational.
Overall, sensory toys that promote cognitive development, like shape sorters and stacking blocks, are entertaining for babies and crucial for their early learning.
These toys help babies strengthen and sharpen their minds. it also improve their problem-solving abilities, and prepare for more complex learning as they age.
It’s amazing and interesting as well to see how something as simple as stacking blocks or sorting shapes can have a powerful impact on your baby’s cognitive development!
Conclusion
Sensory toys are an incredible tool for helping babies aged 6-12 months develop their cognitive, motor, and sensory skills. As we’ve explored, toys like soft sensory balls, textured teething rings, fabric sensory books, and stacking blocks are not only fun but also essential for promoting early learning and development. These toys encourage babies to explore textures, sounds, shapes, and colors, all while supporting their growing brains and bodies.
Incorporating a variety of sensory toys into your baby’s playtime can provide the stimulation needed for their cognitive growth. Educational toys that promote problem-solving, like shape sorters and stacking blocks, help babies build critical thinking skills while also improving their hand-eye coordination and fine motor abilities. These toys lay the groundwork for important developmental milestones that will serve as the foundation for more complex skills in the future.
As a parent, it’s exciting to watch your little one interact with these toys and see them reach new milestones each day. Sensory toys don’t just offer entertainment—they help babies make sense of the world around them and give them the tools to grow and thrive. By investing in the right toys, you’re supporting your baby’s development in a fun, engaging, and educational way.
If you’re also considering other products that can contribute to your baby’s well-being and comfort, check out our best air purifiers for babies in 2025 to ensure a clean and safe environment for your little one, or explore our guide on the best baby cribs for 2025 for the perfect balance of comfort, durability, and safety. For additional protection, you can also check out our post on the best baby car seat protector to keep your car seats in top condition as you travel with your baby.
Remember, every baby develops at their own pace, so feel free to explore different types of sensory toys to see which ones your baby enjoys the most. As your baby continues to explore, grow, and learn, sensory toys will remain an invaluable part of their journey.
Happy playing and learning with your little one!