These are the best gifts for baby boys and girls, according to child development experts. To quickly jump to the category you’re looking for, click on the links below or keep scrolling to see all 41.
- Best sensory toys for babies
- Best teething toys for babies
- Best activity toys for infants
- Unique baby gifts for boys and girls
- Best play gyms, mats and tables for babies
- Best books for babies
Related
Still shopping? We have plenty more gift guides for everyone on your list!
Best sensory toys for babies
Oball Rollin’ Rainstick Rattle
Rollin’ Rainstick Rattle
The holes in this rattle make it easy for tiny hands to grab.
Skip Hop Bandana Buddies Stroller Toy
Bandana Buddies Stroller Toy
Crinkly textures and teething spots on this toy were made for tiny gums.
Manhattan Toy Classic Baby Beads
Classic Baby Beads
Colorful beads can be twisted, turned and gummed for extra interest.
Edushape Sensory Balls
See-Me Sensory Balls
$19.80$19.95AMAZON$19.80TARGET
These are easy to grab and come in bright colors and spiky shapes that feel great on the hands or tongue.
PlanToys Sensory Blocks
Wooden Sensory Blocks
$20.00$25.00AMAZON$20.00$25.00THE TOT$20.00$25.00WALMART
These wooden blocks use nontoxic paint and stimulate all of the baby’s senses.
The Learning Lovey
The Learning Lovey
Babies and toddlers love to feel different textures, so “taggies” toys or blankets with tags sewn around them are perfect, Conti said. These beribboned sensory blankets have different textures and crinkle sounds, and a portion of proceeds go to Starlight Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit for seriously ill children.
Best teething toys for babies
BPA-Free Calmies Teether for Babies
Teether for Babies Without BPA
Babies put just about everything in their mouth, but you won’t mind when they chew on this. The teething toy is made from sustainable, natural rubber without BPA.
Fat Brain Toys Ringlets
Fat Brain Toys Ringlets
These gummy rings are delicious for little teethers and can link other toys to items — like a high chair — to keep them from falling.
Sophie La Giraffe Teething Toy
Teething Toy
$24.99NORDSTROM$26.00POTTERY BARN KIDS$26.99BUYBUYBABY
Sophie is pliant, she squeaks and she’s easy to wash. She’s also universally delicious to babies.
Related
We asked parents for their nursery must-haves — here’s what made the cut
Best activity toys for infants
Manhattan Toy Skwish Classic Rattle
Skwish Classic Rattle and Teether
This rattle is easy to hold, responds to a baby’s movements and uses the primary colors they see best.
Baby Einstein Take-Along Musical Toy
Take Along Musical Toy
$9.99$10.49AMAZON$9.99WALMART$10.48BUYBUYBABY
Give baby their own boom box with this little musical toy that can travel with them.
Hape Wobbling Melody Penguin
Wobbling Melody Penguin
$12.99$16.99AMAZON$12.99TARGET
This cute lil’ wobbler is musical and shakes and waddles when babies swipe at it.
Lovevery Montessori Rolling Rattle
Montessori Rolling Rattle
This rattle comes from an expert-designed toy line, developed to improve coordination while exploring different senses.
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby
Wee Gallery Black and White Art Cards for Baby
Infant eyes are best at seeing contrast. They love symmetry (like the human face), so black and white patterns are great for stimulating their senses.
Hape Elephant Wooden Pull Toy
Elephant Wooden Pull Toy
$15.06$17.19AMAZON$29.99WALMART
As baby starts to crawl and then walk, a pull toy encourages mobility and interaction. The hollow center allows little fingers to easily grasp it.
SmartNoggin NogginStik Developmental Light-Up Rattle
NogginStik Developmental Light-Up Rattle
$23.99AMAZON$24.99BUYBUYBABY$24.99BED BATH & BEYOND
This rattle responds to a baby’s movements by lighting up in three different colors.
Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
Mozart Magic Cube
Babies can make all the sounds of a symphony by hitting just a few buttons on this toy.
Fat Brain Toys Tobbles Neo
Tobbles Neo Infant Toy
$28.95FAT BRAIN TOYS$28.99BUYBUYBABY
These stacking toys work whether they are in the “right” order or not.
Green Toys Shape Sorter Dump Truck
Green Toys Shape Sorter Truck
This dump truck and shape-sorter is great for older infants and all kinds of play for years to come.
Granpa Penn Rainbow Stackers
Granpa Penn Rainbow Stacker Toy
Bright colors are great for babies’ eyes, and easy stacking toys like this one help develop motor skills as they grow.
Unique baby gifts for boys and girls
Moon and Back Baby Romper
Baby Romper (Pack of 2)
Never underestimate how frequently babies need to be changed. These Hannah Andersson rompers for Amazon come in many colors.
Rockets of Awesome Mini Bomber
Rockets of Awesome Mini Bomber
Rockets of Awesome is bringing its cool kid style to babies, with items available as a subscription box that grows with your baby or an a la carte mini version of their signature bomber jacket.
RyAndCoKids Gender Neutral Baby Gift Set Box
Gender Neutral Baby Gift Set Box
Gift them a little bit of everything with this specially curated gift set for babies. It comes with sneakers for ages 0–6, a swaddle blanket and a snap-closure bib. You’ll even get to include a handwritten message up to 350 characters to make it feel extra personalized.
Cuddle + Kind Avery The Lamb
Avery The Lamb
$62.00AMAZON$62.00CUDDLE + KIND
Every child needs a friend to snuggle, and the adorable hand-knit Cuddle + Kind dolls also give back by providing 10 meals to children in need with every purchase.
Artifact Uprising Baby Book
Baby Book
This photo baby book gives parents spots to write down small milestones, precious memories and other firsts.
Monti Kids Montessori Newborn Kit
Montessori Newborn Kit
This beautifully crafted kit includes toys that stimulate baby’s senses and educational guides for parents.
Related
Shop our favorite kids and baby products!
Best play gyms, mats and tables for babies
Fisher-Price Kick & Play Piano
Deluxe Kick ‘n Play Piano Gym
Put your baby down on the mat for tummy time and let them tickle the musical buttons with their toes.
Skip Hop Explore & More Activity Table
Explore & More Let’s Roll Activity Table
$54.99$59.99AMAZON$60.00DILLARD’S
With squeaky, spinning and rolling elements, this activity table provides two stages of play (for babies and toddlers) and starts out on the floor before the legs pull out to raise it up for when baby begins to stand.
Skip Hop Reversible Play Mat
Reversible Play Map
$77.99$120.00AMAZON$77.99$119.99TARGET$119.99BUYBUYBABY
The colorful side of this play mat is perfect for tummy time and reverses to a more decor-friendly “adult” pattern when not in use.
Lovevery Play Gym
Play Gym
$140.99TARGET$140.99BUYBUYBABY
This Montessori-guided play gym includes grow-with-baby activities that help them focus, make sounds, explore touch and color and hide and find objects.
Best books for babies
“Indestructibles: Baby Faces,” by Amy Pixton and Kate Merritt
“Indestructibles: Baby Faces”
$5.95AMAZON$5.95BARNES AND NOBLE
Babies love looking at faces, and the material of these books allows them to withstand chewing, ripping and whatever other havoc only a baby could create.
“Curls,” by Ruth Forman and Geneva Bowers
“Curls”
$8.36$8.99BOOKSHOP$5.15$8.99AMAZON$5.15$8.99TARGET
This sweet board book celebrates all kinds of curls and Black hair.
“Woodland Dance,” by Sandra Boynton
“Woodland Dance”
$6.70$7.95AMAZON$6.70$7.95TARGET$6.70WALMART
Sandra Boynton flips her classic “Barnyard Dance” on its head for a more sleepy, rhyming bedtime story about the creatures outside the barn. (They’re more into classical than square dance.)
“Global Baby Bedtimes,” by Maya Ajmera
“Global Baby Bedtimes”
“Babies love looking at faces of other babies,” said Nina Lindsay, president of the Association for Library Service to Children, adding that it’s particularly important to look for diverse faces because kids learn bias from a very young age. “It’s really important for all children to see children like themselves and different from themselves in books on a regular basis.”
“You’re My Little Baby,” by Eric Carle
“You’re My Little Baby”
$7.18$7.99AMAZON$7.99BARNES AND NOBLE
This touch-and-feel book from the author of countless classics ends with a mirror — a baby’s favorite.
“Families Can,” by Dan Saks and Brooke Smart
“Families Can”
$7.99AMAZON$7.99BARNES AND NOBLE
Families come in all different flavors. This board book shows different kinds of families, all of them beautiful.
“You Are Light,” by Aaron Becker
“You Are Light”
$11.99$15.99AMAZON$15.99BARNES AND NOBLE$11.99$15.99TARGET
With beautiful die-cuts and spare text, Becker’s board book is a tribute to illumination and the light within children.
“In My Mosque,” by M. O. Yuskel and Hatem Aly
“In My Mosque”
$15.99$17.99AMAZON$16.73$17.99BOOKSHOP
All are welcome in this mosque, reflecting the diversity of the religion it celebrates.
“All of Us,” by Kathryn Erskine and Alexandra Boiger
“All of Us”
$11.39$17.99AMAZON$15.99$17.99BARNES AND NOBLE
This lyrical trip around the world shows how “me” can become “we,” no matter how far-flung or different we may be. Beautiful illustrations give the spare text a classic feel.
“What Would You Do in a Book About You?” by Jean Reidy and Joey Chou
“What Would You Do in a Book About You?”
$17.66$18.99BOOKSHOP$9.69$18.99AMAZON$9.69TARGET
This book invites little listeners to think of their lives as a story to tell. They’re just getting started in telling it.
Literati Gift Box
Baby Shower Book Gift Box (Ages 0-3)
The subscription book box lets you sign up for a monthly subscription, a gift certificate or a themed box like this one, perfect for the new baby in your life.