The best toys for 9-month-olds are entertaining but also developmentally appropriate. Selecting safe baby toys is extra important at this age when they seem to put everything into their mouths—and might have a hard time staying upright.
I’ve spent years testing and reviewing toys, and as a mom to twin 1-year-old boys, the challenge of finding toys and gifts for this age group is fresh in my mind. In addition to my personal experience, I spoke to four baby experts for this story: a pediatric occupational therapist, a pediatric physical therapist and two pediatricians. Puffer Balls
The best toys for 9-month-olds encourage babies to explore new sensations, from movement to music to ... [+] water play.
“The best toys are the ones that engage a baby’s creativity and build the skills that they are learning,” says Dr. Melissa St. Germain, vice president and medical director of Children's Physicians and Urgent Care at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Of course, it doesn’t take as much to entertain a 9-month-old as it does say, a 6-year-old child. Your car keys and the dog’s water bowl might be quite interesting to these newly mobile babies—but those items may not be safe or help them build skills. For toys that are both, read on for our recommendations for the best toys for 9-month-olds.
Traditional shape sorters can be frustrating for 9-month-olds in my experience. This one is a bit easier for their little hands to manage, and it helps develop their pincer grasp and fine motor skills. Plus, kids this age tend to adore container play. It goes in, it comes out, it goes in, it comes out! Pack this toy along on your next outing to keep them engaged.
What parents say: “My son loved this toy as a 9-month-old. At that age, he had the most fun when I would set up the shapes in the bands and he could push them in,” says Vetted commerce editor Margaret Badore. “Now that he’s almost 2, he still likes to play with it—and we practice saying names of the shapes and colors.”
The Follow-Me Bee has been a major hit with all three of my kids. To encourage crawling, “give babies lots of opportunities to practice. Get down and play on the floor and place toys (or yourself) a little out of reach to encourage movement toward a fun object,” Dr. St. Germain says. This toy does the work for you as it meanders around the floor.
Recommended by Dr. Regan, these soft pull-back cars from Melissa & Doug are fun for babies. They’re so easy to operate, even a baby can do it (literally). There are four vehicles in the set, and the wheels come off if you just want them to play with the soft car.
You really can never have enough ball toys for babies. With this one, you can practice words like “down,” “in” and “up” as you and your baby watch the balls spin down this tower. This toy can also help physical development, too. Your baby will work on reaching and scooting as they pick up balls, and hand-eye coordination as they place the balls at the top of the toy (although it may take them some time to master that skill). The 17-inch toy comes with four balls and is rated for ages 9 months and up.
There’s nothing cooler than your own car, especially when you’re only 9-months-old. Pretend they’re cruising around town in this car that includes a shape sorter, a steering wheel on an interactive dashboard, a ball ramp and more. At this age, many babies begin to imitate adults, so use this toy as an opportunity to wave bye as they get in the car or pretend to buckle their seatbelt.
Around 9 months of age, babies are working on their pincer grasp, which is important for many areas of development, including self-feeding. This toy can help them improve the finger strength they need to master the pincer grasp. Plus, it’s fun and satisfying to pop the button and to bat the toy down then watch it pop back up again.
Pediatric occupational therapist and founder of Thrive Little, Marielle Marquez recommends this push walker, and explains that it can be a fun way for babies to build their walking skills. “Therapists discourage use of traditional walkers babies sit inside of because they don’t encourage typical walking motor patterns. Push walkers, however, encourage the baby to walk in a normal pattern, just with support,” she says. If they’re not yet ready to take supported steps, kids can also practice sitting while they play with the toys on the front of the walker.
Beautifully illustrated, this book makes reading fun and engaging for babies. Don’t be afraid to just listen to the sounds and point out pictures. At this age, babies might not be ready to listen to the whole story. As they grow a bit bigger, they’ll eagerly try to push the buttons to play the various sounds and music, too.
Most 9-month-olds aren’t learning about traditional educational topics just yet. Instead, they’re exploring their world and learning things like object permanence and cause and effect. “Pop-up toys are great for working on cognitive and fine motor skills as baby practices twisting, turning and pushing buttons,” says Marquez. The buttons and knobs are irresistible to little ones, too.
Baby dolls are one of my favorite gifts to give babies and toddlers. They’re great for teaching life skills like brushing hair or getting dressed. Most babies tend to be drawn to playing with them as well. While they might just snuggle or even chew on them at first, eventually they’ll likely tote their favorites all over the house.
This soft book is ideal for interactive storytime with your 9-month-old because your curious baby can’t rip the pages or otherwise destroy the book. Books such as this help introduce baby to reading while also stimulating their tactile and auditory sensory systems, according to Marquez. Interactive features include a peek-a-boo flap, a light and a button that plays the song.
I like using Banana Panda cards when my kids are babies, because they are thick and durable and seem to help children to learn their first words. This set includes sounds that are typically easy for babies and young toddlers to replicate, such as “moo moo” and “woof woof.” The printed words on the cards also help parents think of things to talk about during playtime while babies enjoy the pictures.
Babies and toddlers are drawn to these squeaky eggs. They’re fun to play with, and they provide opportunities to learn about shapes, colors and simple words. Expose your baby to practical language like “in,” “out,” “open” and “close” as you play with these toys.
This finger puppet board book series easily engages little ones in story time. They’ll giggle to see the animal—an elephant in this case—appear and disappear while you read it to them. Young children might also reach for and grasp the puppet, engaging additional senses and skills.
The wooden Mini Flip is part push walker and part ride-on toy for kids just finding their walking legs, so ages 9 months up to about 3 years old. They can even rock on it. It transforms from rocking to riding with an easy, non-tool flip adjustment to the base. It’s just right for kids testing out standing up and getting their balance, but keep in mind that it may be a little advanced for some 9-month-olds. It has two height adjustments, to grow along with your child.
Dr. Victoria Regan, a pediatrician at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, recommends pull toys, and this is a colorful one with some fun traits. The frog’s mouth opens and closes when you pull him along. My twins are mesmerized by pull toys, and I like to use these toys to encourage them to crawl.
This toy comes with a bead maze, clutching toy and board book. My twins were very into bead mazes when they were 9-months-old. In addition to being mesmerizing to babies, moving the beads along the maze also helps develop the pincer grasp they need for self-feeding.
At 9 months, almost everything goes right into the mouth for many babies. Not only are they possibly working through teething, but they’re also using their mouths to begin to explore the world around them. This silicone and wood teether provides your baby with multiple ways to soothe their sore gums. It’s made of smooth organic maple beads, food-grade silicone, organic beeswax and organic coconut oil, so you can feel better about your baby putting it in their mouth. It can be washed with soap and water, but it’s not dishwasher friendly.
This wooden shape sorting puzzle lets babies know immediately when they’re successful by popping up a matching shape with a painted-on face. You’ll probably have to put the shapes in yourself at first but before long, your little ones will sort the shapes themselves. Your baby will develop their fine motor skills as they pick up and place the blocks, and they might even stack their first block tower.
This colorful wooden stacker from Manhattan Toy challenges little ones to get the magnets facing the right way in order to be successful. It teaches them a bit of cause and effect and might even strengthen their reasoning skills and hand-eye coordination—even if they’re spending a plenty of time mouthing the pieces, too.
As 9-month-olds begin to grasp object permanence, they’ll enjoy watching this ball disappear and then reappear through the door. Playing with this toy can help babies learn that when things or people go away, they come back. All three of my kids were mesmerized by object permanence boxes around this age.
This ball popper plays music when the balls pop out, which is hilarious but also encourages babies to dance. “Ball drop toys like this are fun for working on baby putting things into a target (important for learning to clean up in the future),” Marquez says. “This skill is called controlled release because they learn to open their hand on purpose with the right timing.” This toy comes with four lightweight balls, but the required 4D batteries are not included.
Is your 9-month-old already banging his or her hands on everything in sight? Foster that developmentally appropriate desire to hit and pound with this sweet wooden drum set. Kids can choose to hear pre-recorded melodies or to tap out their own tune. The friendly and colorful animal faces that adorn the drum act as happy music ambassadors.
Some music featured in baby toys is quite catchy, so much so that you wish you never bought the toy once the tune is stuck in your head. The music in this one, however, features eight Mozart masterpieces, meaning you might enjoy listening to the songs just as much as your baby. It has five instrumental sounds on each side of the cube, too, and they’re easy for little ones to tap (er, bang). It does require batteries, so that’s something to keep in mind.
I’m not sure exactly what it is about this shape sorter compared to others we have, but my twins were drawn to this like moths to a flame when they were babies. It plays sounds as they drop the shapes into the holes, and it doubles as a drum. Pediatric physical therapist Kaitlin Rickerd recommends problem solving toys such as shape sorters like this one for babies. While your 9-month-old might not be able to get the correct shapes in the holes independently just yet, they’ll enjoy the sounds, and you can model sorting until they pick the skill up themselves.
With a drum, piano and tambourine, this set introduces your baby to three different instruments that are easy for them to grasp and figure out. Because there are multiple instruments in the set, it invites siblings and caregivers to join in and create music together. The instruments allow baby to explore sounds themselves, or they can play pre-recorded songs.
Looking for something that will entertain your baby but that might also put them to sleep? Check out this lullaby squirrel that plays Cradle Song by Brahms. The song plays when your baby pulls the squirrel down, and they’ll delight in watching the squirrel inch its way back into the acorn. When my kids were babies, we often used soft musical toys like this one in the car to both entertain and soothe them.
It’s well-known that babies enjoy a good game of peek-a-boo. They can play over and over again with this jack-in-the-box inspired by the popular book Guess How Much I Love You? Toys like this can help books come to life for kids. This can also help support language development as babies see the picture of the rabbit in the book and play with the three-dimensional rabbit in the toy.
Blocks are almost always guaranteed to be a hit, and they’re a toy with longevity. This particular set offers an interesting texture with the bristles, which also allow the blocks to interlock for building exploration. “Babies can learn to pick up these smaller (but not choking hazard small) toys and then learn to pull them apart and eventually put them together. Toys that can grow with your child as they develop are always ideal,” Marquez says.
Rickerd recommends toys that move away from babies as they crawl toward them to support that developmental milestone. Marquez explained that balls also help babies work on bilateral coordination skills like moving both hands together. Most importantly, balls are fun—and every kid should have a few in their toy box.
If you’ve never heard a baby squeal with glee on a swing, take this as a sign to buy a swing for the 9-month-old in your life. Swings activate the vestibular system, which is part of the sensory system that gives babies input about where their bodies are in space. It also helps develop their balance, which is important for motor development.
This toy comes highly recommended by many parents I’ve spoken to—as well as my own children. As babies learn about object permanence, it’s fun for them to put the scarves in the box and pull them out again. I also like to use the scarves to play peek-a-boo. It’s soft, too, making it more gentle for a little one to toss around. I’ve found it can keep their attention for a long time as you continually stuff the scarves back in the box.
Water play is engaging to many ages, and it’s such a rich sensory experience for babies. Additionally, many 9-month-olds love to be outside as they become more aware of their surroundings, according to Marquez. This splash mat makes it simple to get your baby outside to enjoy some fresh air and water play as it includes a little backrest to support them, as well as a bit of shade.
Toys that have longevity save money and resources for parents. For example, this clever submarine boat will delight babies who enjoy fidgeting with the propeller. As they get older, they can use it for imaginative play in the bath or out, making engine noises, spilling water from it and playing make-believe with it. This toy is dishwasher safe as well, making it easier to keep it clean and mold-free.
Often the simplest toys are the most engaging. Babies can stack these petite boats, float them or sink them in the bath. They’re just the right size for little hands to hold. I love the open container aspect, which allows for a better grip, as well as more play options such as towing rubber ducky friends.
This toy is a ball pit, a basketball hoop, a ball popper, and more all in one. It comes with 30 balls. It’s also helpful to contain your baby a bit as they probably won’t be able to step over the wall of the ball pit just yet. It also has an electronic panel that plays songs and phrases.
Cuddle + Kind dolls are hand knit and oh so cuddly. With the purchase of a doll, the company also donates 10 meals to hungry children, so you can feel good about your purchase. Elliott the fawn is filled with polyfill. For now, it’s a cuddly stuffie, and it the years to come, it will likely be a starting point for imaginative play.
Toys that grow with your child like this 4-in-1 tricycle help you make the most of your money. At 9 months old, you can buckle your baby in and push them. As they grow, they’ll learn how to pedal and ride the tricycle themselves. As a parent, I really appreciate the tray that allows you to bring snacks and drinks on your walks around the neighborhood.
It’s never too early for a play couch. At 9 months, I like to use them to start to teach my kids how to safely get down steps and elevated surfaces (backward and belly down). My babies have also enjoyed crawling through forts and tunnels we create with our play couch. This couch will likely last you until your kids outgrow it, so it’s another one that you can feel good about spending your money on. It’s available in six pastel colors.
This new board book quickly became a favorite in my family, and it’s ideal for babies and young toddlers. The pages are full of fun verbs you can act out with your baby, such as hoppy, slithery and of course wiggly. It also features a lot of repetition, which helps language development. At the end, there is a fun twist involving a mirror where babies can see who is wiggliest of all.
I owe many successful doctor visits and restaurant trips to Whirly Squigz. These toys attach to flat surfaces with a suction cup, and they’re mesmerizing to kids. They’re one of the best toys to keep in your diaper bag so you have something to pull out whenever your baby needs to sit and wait somewhere. My favorite part is that the suction cup ensures the toys are not dropped on the floor when we’re out and about.
This taste-safe paint made out of vegetables is designed for babies who just can’t keep their fingers out of their mouths. If your 9-month-old baby hasn’t created any works of art yet, the time is now. Let them explore these safe finger paints with the included paper.
Forbes has extensive experience reviewing and testing baby and kids toys and gear, including everything from swaddles to swing sets. When it comes to recommending products in the parenting category, we always make safety the top priority, making sure that the products we’ve selected follow safe age recommendations, for example.
I also interviewed several experts for this story: Dr. Melissa St. Germain, vice president and medical director of Children's Physicians and Urgent Care at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska; Dr. Victoria Regan, pediatrician, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston; Marielle Marquez, pediatric occupational therapist and founder of Thrive Little; and pediatric physical therapist Kaitlin Rickerd, PT DPT. The experts also helped answer some of the most commonly asked questions about toys for 9-month-olds.
As parents, we also used our firsthand experience to select toys and gifts that our own children have liked. I drew on my own experience as a mom to three and product reviewer specializing in parenting to select the toys for this story. I spent hours researching, talking to experts, playing with toys and collaborating with the Forbes Vetted baby and kids gear editor, Rose Gordon Sala. She also relied heavily on her background in education when selecting products for this guide.
This article is regularly reviewed and updated. It was last updated in November 2023.
With three kids under the age of 5, I’ve spent years using baby toys at home. I’ve also researched, tested and reviewed countless baby toys as a product review writer. To compile a list of the best toys for 9-month-olds, I used my own experience, researched the best baby toys and I reached out to four baby experts. They provided information on why it’s important for babies to play, what milestones 9-month-olds are working toward and what toys are best for 9-month-olds. I looked at costumer reviews before including a toy and considered the developing skills and interests of young babies, too.
“The best toys are the ones that engage a baby’s creativity and build the skills that they are learning: blocks and cups that can be stacked, bright colors and patterns, soft baby books with pictures of familiar items,” says Dr. St. Germain.
Further, Rickerd recommends toys that support gross motor skills, such as sitting, crawling, passing toys between hands, banging toys together and pulling themselves up to stand.
Your 9-month-old baby likely adores interacting with caregivers. Even the most exciting toy can get boring quickly if babies don’t have somebody with which to play. Dr. St. Germain suggests playing peek-a-boo, reading books together, practicing waving and passing toys to practice turn taking as fun activities to do with a 9-month-old baby.
Sensory Chew Toys For Toddlers You can also help your child develop language skills by talking to them about their toys. Try naming the shapes, colors, textures and sounds of toys as they play.