Newborn baby toys (0 to 6 months)

Neurosurgeon-reviewed. Designed by Nikita Aakhade, Harvard-certified in Early Childhood Development.

A newborn sees best in bold black and white, about 20 to 30 cm from the face, so the first toys are high contrast cards and a cloth book. From 2 months add hanging balls or a ribbon teether to reach for, from 3 months a rattle and a wobbler for tummy time, and a neem teether once the gums start to bother.

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Toys for newborn to 3 months

In the first three months a baby is learning to look. The eyes focus at roughly the distance from your elbow to your wrist, bold edges hold attention far longer than pastel colours, and a face is the most interesting thing in the room. Toys for this stage are things to look at and, from about 2 months, things to swipe at: a set of high contrast cards propped where your baby lies, a cloth book with crinkle pages for tummy time, a baby-safe mirror, and light hanging balls or a ribbon teether above the mat. Around 2 to 3 months the reflex grasp starts to relax, so a slim rattle placed in the palm becomes the first toy a baby holds on purpose.

Toys for 3 to 6 months

Between 3 and 6 months the hands take over. Your baby reaches, grabs, brings everything to the mouth and, by 5 or 6 months, passes a toy from one hand to the other. Head control is strong enough for longer tummy time and rolling begins. The best toys for infants at 3 months are light enough to hold, safe to chew and rewarding to move: the rolling drum rattle in neem wood, with colourful balls inside, rolls away and asks to be chased; the egg shakers answer every shake with a sound; the banana busy beads rattle wobbles when it is pushed. Add the neem teether set from 3 months, when most babies start gnawing on whatever they hold, and the sensory texture mat, seven textures in one mat, for tummy time, back time and early sitting.

Tummy time toys and high contrast cards

Tummy time builds the neck, shoulder and core strength a baby needs for rolling, sitting and crawling, and most babies take to it far better with something worth lifting the head for. Stand the high contrast flashcards upright in front of your baby: the set has 16 double-sided cards, 8 simple patterns for the first weeks and 8 complex ones for when the eyes are ready, plus a baby-safe mirror and a play guide. Around 2 months switch in the colourful flashcards, 10 cards in red, blue, green and dark patterns for the stage when colour vision develops. The balancing wobbler rocks when it is tapped and rewards every lift of the head, and the hand mirror gives your baby the one face they find most fascinating: their own.

Newborn gym and hanging toys for a 3 month baby

A play gym is a bar or arch that holds toys above a baby lying on the back, and it earns its place between 2 and 5 months, when swiping turns into reaching and reaching turns into grabbing. What matters is what hangs from it. The hanging balls are rainbow wooden balls on a secure hanging attachment, set at graded heights so the first tap is easy and the next one asks for a bigger stretch. The rainbow ribbon teether, a beech wood ring with seven ribbons, hangs from a cot or a play gym and comes down later to be a handheld teether. Every hanging piece, with the cards and teethers that go with a gym, is in play gym attachments.

How to choose toys for a newborn

Four checks cover almost everything. Size: a newborn toy should be big enough to stay outside the mouth and light enough for a weak grasp, which is why our rattles and teethers are small wooden pieces with smooth, rounded shapes. Material: natural neem and beech wood with a smooth finish is safe to mouth and easy to wipe clean, and cloth pieces should be washable. Contrast: for the first 3 months choose black and white over pastels, then bring in strong reds, blues and greens. One thing at a time: a baby this age learns more from one toy offered for a few minutes than from a mobile of ten, so rotate three or four pieces through the week. Stay within arm's reach during tummy time and any play with a hanging toy.

Best toys for a newborn baby: 5 picks

  1. High Contrast Flashcards with Mirror: the first toy to buy, 16 double-sided cards that go from simple to complex as vision develops, with a baby-safe mirror and a play guide, from birth to 6 months.
  2. High Contrast Jungle Cloth Book: crinkle pages in bold black and white with a natural neem teether ring attached, so looking, touching and gum relief happen in one soft piece, from birth to 12 months.
  3. Hanging Balls: rainbow wooden balls at graded heights that clink when tapped, the piece that turns random swipes into aimed reaches, from 2 to 12 months.
  4. Balancing Wobbler: a wooden wobbler that rocks back every time it is pushed, the simplest way to make tummy time worth the effort, from 2 to 12 months.
  5. Neem Teether Set of 4: an interlocking disc, a ring, a hexagon and a classic teether in BIS approved neem wood, for sore gums and hand-to-hand passing practice, from 3 months.

Gifts for a newborn baby

For a baby shower, naming ceremony or godh bharai, the 0 to 6 Months Toy Box is one gift that covers the whole half year, built high contrast first and paired with a month-by-month guidebook, so the parents know what to bring out and when. The Reading Roots Kit puts a sensory cloth book, a board book set, flashcards with mirror and a parenting guide book in one box for a family that reads. For a smaller gift, pair the cloth book with the neem teether set. More ideas by age are in gifts for a 6 month old baby and toy boxes and kits.

Questions parents ask about newborn toys

What toys does a newborn actually need?

Very few. For the first 6 to 8 weeks a set of high contrast cards, a soft cloth book and your face cover everything a newborn can take in. Add a rattle and a hanging toy from about 2 months, and a teether from 3 months.

When can a baby start playing with toys?

Looking starts from day one, which is why high contrast cards work from birth. Swiping at a hanging toy begins around 2 months, holding a rattle around 3 months, and reaching to grab on purpose between 3 and 4 months.

Which toys help with tummy time?

Anything worth lifting the head for: high contrast cards propped upright, a hand mirror, the balancing wobbler and a crinkle cloth book. Start with two or three minutes a few times a day and build up as the neck gets stronger.

Are wooden toys safe for a newborn?

Yes, when the wood is smooth, the finish is natural and the piece is sized to stay outside the mouth. Our rattles and teethers are neem and beech wood, and the neem teether set is BIS approved. Wipe with a damp cloth and let the piece air dry.

Do newborns need colourful toys or black and white?

Black and white first. Newborn eyes pick up strong edges long before they pick up subtle colour, so bold patterns hold attention best for the first 2 to 3 months. Colour vision develops after that, which is when the red, blue and green cards and the rainbow ribbon teether come in.

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