Choosing the right baby toys by age can make playtime more enjoyable while supporting the skills babies and toddlers are beginning to practise at each stage.
A toy that fascinates a 3-month-old may be far too simple for a 2-year-old, while a toy designed for an older toddler may contain features that are not suitable for a younger baby. That is why age recommendations, developmental stage and toy safety should all be considered together.
In this Australian guide, we look at some of the best baby toys by age from newborn to 3 years, including sensory toys, rattles, musical toys, bath toys, stacking toys and early learning activities.
Important: Every child develops at their own pace. Age ranges in this guide are general suggestions rather than developmental targets. Always check the manufacturer's age recommendation and supervise play where appropriate.
Baby Toys by Age: Quick Guide
| Baby's Age | What They May Be Practising | Toy Ideas |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 months | Looking, listening, tummy time | High-contrast toys, soft rattles, play mats |
| 3–6 months | Reaching, grasping, rolling | Rattles, textured toys, hanging toys |
| 6–9 months | Sitting, transferring objects, cause and effect | Sensory toys, musical toys, activity toys |
| 9–12 months | Crawling, exploring, object permanence | Stacking toys, rolling toys, interactive toys |
| 12–18 months | Walking, carrying, experimenting | Push-and-pull toys, blocks, shape toys |
| 18–24 months | Fine motor skills, pretend play, language | Sorting toys, musical toys, simple pretend-play toys |
| 2–3 years | Problem-solving, imagination, coordination | Puzzles, building toys, role-play toys, creative toys |
Best Toys for Newborns: 0–3 Months
During the first few months, babies are taking in an enormous amount of information through sight, sound and touch.
Newborn play does not need to be complicated. Simple interaction with parents and carers is often more engaging than an elaborate toy.
At this stage, consider toys that provide gentle visual, auditory and tactile experiences.
High-Contrast Baby Toys
Young babies can enjoy looking at bold shapes and contrasting patterns. High-contrast cards, simple patterned toys and visually interesting play-mat features can give babies something engaging to focus on during awake periods.
Position toys where your baby can comfortably see them rather than expecting them to reach or hold them immediately.
Soft Rattles and Gentle Sound Toys
A lightweight baby rattle can introduce sound and movement. At first, you may gently move the rattle for your baby to watch and listen to.
As babies begin attempting to grasp objects, lightweight rattles can become more interactive.
Always choose a rattle designed for the baby's age and check it regularly for damage or loose components.
Tummy-Time Toys
Tummy time can be an excellent opportunity for simple play.
Healthdirect advises that tummy play is important from birth and helps develop muscles in the arms, neck and back. Babies should be awake and supervised during tummy play.
A colourful toy, baby-safe mirror or interesting object positioned in front of your baby can make supervised tummy time more engaging.
Best Toys for Babies 3–6 Months
Between approximately 3 and 6 months, many babies become increasingly interested in reaching for, touching and holding objects.
Play can become much more hands-on.
Good choices at this stage include toys that are lightweight, easy to grasp and interesting to explore through touch, sight and sound.
Baby Rattles
Rattles remain useful during this stage because babies may begin holding and moving them independently.
Look for easy-grip shapes without small detachable pieces.
Textured Sensory Toys
Different baby-safe textures can make an ordinary toy fascinating.
Babies frequently explore toys with their hands and mouths, so always follow the manufacturer's age recommendation and cleaning instructions.
Sensory toys can include soft surfaces, ridges, flexible sections, crinkly materials or other age-appropriate textures.
Hanging Baby Toys
Hanging toys used appropriately with a play gym can encourage babies to look, reach and bat at objects.
Changing the position of toys can also give babies new reasons to turn their head or reach in a different direction.
Best Toys for Babies 6–9 Months
Around the middle of the first year, play often becomes more interactive.
Babies may enjoy discovering what happens when they shake, press, drop, spin or move something.
This makes cause-and-effect toys particularly interesting.
Musical Baby Toys
Simple musical toys can introduce babies to the idea that their actions create a response.
Pressing a large button might produce a sound. Shaking an object may create a rattle. Moving one section of a toy may activate another.
For battery-operated toys, parents should pay particular attention to the battery compartment.
Australian product-safety guidance warns that button batteries can cause extremely serious injuries if swallowed or inserted. Products containing button or coin batteries are subject to mandatory safety requirements in Australia.
Sensory Activity Toys
Pulling, pressing, twisting and touching age-appropriate activity toys can provide plenty of entertainment at this stage.
The goal is not to find the toy with the most features. A relatively simple toy that responds clearly to a baby's actions can provide engaging play.
Bath Toys
Once bath time becomes playful, suitable baby bath toys can make the routine more enjoyable.
Choose toys specifically designed for water play, follow age recommendations and supervise babies continuously around water.
Bath toys should also be cleaned and dried according to their care instructions.
Best Toys for Babies 9–12 Months
Approaching their first birthday, babies can become increasingly mobile and curious about how objects work.
They may repeatedly put objects into containers, remove them, knock things over and investigate where objects have gone.
Stacking Toys
Large stacking rings, cups and similar toys introduce babies to size, position and coordination.
At first, your baby may simply knock the tower down and that is still play.
Over time, they can experiment with putting pieces together themselves.
Rolling and Movement Toys
Balls and other baby-safe rolling toys can encourage babies to watch or move towards an object.
For crawling babies, placing an interesting toy a comfortable distance away can create an opportunity for active play without forcing movement.
Interactive Cause-and-Effect Toys
Doors that open, large buttons that make sounds, spinning components and simple mechanical actions can hold babies' attention as they discover relationships between actions and results.
Keep the toy appropriate for children under 12 months and inspect it regularly for loose or damaged parts.
Best Toys for 1-Year-Olds: 12–18 Months
The first birthday does not suddenly transform a baby's play style. Development continues gradually.
Between roughly 12 and 18 months, many toddlers become increasingly interested in moving objects around, putting things together and copying everyday actions.
Push-and-Pull Toys
Once a toddler is confidently moving around, age-appropriate push-and-pull toys can add another element to active play.
These toys should be stable and specifically designed for the child's age.
Australia has a mandatory safety standard covering toys intended for children up to and including 36 months, including requirements designed to address hazards for very young children.
Large Blocks
Large blocks allow toddlers to experiment with building, stacking and knocking structures over.
For this age group, pieces need to be appropriately sized and designed so they do not create a small-parts hazard.
Simple Shape Toys
Simple sorting toys can give toddlers an early opportunity to experiment with matching objects and spaces.
Don't worry if your child initially ignores the intended way to play. Exploring, holding and moving the pieces is part of the experience.
Best Toys for Toddlers 18–24 Months
Between 18 months and 2 years, children may begin using toys in increasingly imaginative ways.
A toy phone might suddenly become something they pretend to talk into. A toy vehicle may travel around the lounge room accompanied by their own sound effects.
Pretend-Play Toys
Simple pretend-play toys based on familiar everyday objects can encourage children to imitate what they see around them.
Toy phones, play food, toy vehicles and simple household-themed toys can all create opportunities for imaginative interaction.
Sorting and Matching Toys
Large-piece matching and sorting activities become more interesting as toddlers gain greater hand control and begin noticing similarities between colours, shapes and objects.
Musical Toys
Music remains appealing well beyond infancy.
Toddler-friendly instruments and musical activity toys can encourage children to experiment with sound, rhythm and movement.
Electronic toys are not essential, however. Simple instruments and toys that children manipulate themselves can be just as engaging.
Best Toys for 2-Year-Olds: 2–3 Years
Between ages 2 and 3, play can become dramatically more imaginative.
Toddlers may create little stories, imitate adults and other children, solve increasingly complex problems and spend longer exploring a favourite activity.
At this stage, toys that allow children to decide how to play can be particularly useful.
Simple Puzzles
Start with puzzles designed specifically for young toddlers, using large pieces that are easy to handle.
Rather than immediately completing the puzzle for your child, give them an opportunity to experiment with different positions.
Building Toys
Large construction pieces and blocks allow children to create different structures rather than following one predetermined activity.
Today it may be a tower. Tomorrow the same blocks could become a pretend house, road or animal enclosure.
Role-Play Toys
Pretend kitchens, toy food, dolls, vehicles, animal figures and other age-appropriate role-play toys can support increasingly imaginative play.
Parents and carers can participate by asking simple questions and following the child's ideas rather than directing every activity.
Creative and Musical Toys
Age-appropriate drawing materials, simple musical instruments and creative activity toys give toddlers opportunities to experiment with making something of their own.
Always follow age and supervision recommendations for creative materials.
How to Choose Safe Baby Toys in Australia
Safety should come before colours, sounds, price or how entertaining a toy looks.
Australian parents should pay particular attention to the manufacturer's stated age range and warnings.
Australia has a mandatory safety standard for toys designed or clearly intended for children up to and including 36 months of age. The requirements address hazards associated with toys used by very young children.
For babies and toddlers, check toys regularly for damage, loose pieces, exposed batteries or components that have become detached.
Be Careful With Small Parts
Children under 3 frequently explore objects using their mouths, which makes small components particularly important to consider.
Product Safety Australia specifically provides guidance about choking and ingestion hazards for children under 3.
Follow age warnings and stop using damaged toys that could release small components.
Check Button-Battery Compartments
Pay extra attention to toys that light up, make sounds or move because they may contain batteries.
Product Safety Australia warns that swallowed or inserted button batteries can cause serious injury or death.
Make sure battery compartments remain properly secured and follow the manufacturer's instructions for replacing and disposing of batteries.
Be Cautious With Magnets
Small high-powered magnets can also present a serious ingestion hazard.
Australia has mandatory requirements covering toys containing certain magnets, designed to reduce the risk of children accessing dangerous small magnetic components.
Keep Play and Sleep Environments Separate
A toy that is suitable for supervised daytime play is not automatically suitable for a baby's sleeping space.
Red Nose advises against soft toys and comforters in the sleep space during the critical early months and says they are ideally kept out of the sleep environment for the first 12 months.
Follow current safe-sleep guidance rather than using toys to entertain a sleeping baby.
Does My Baby Need Lots of Toys?
No.
Babies do not need a room filled with toys to enjoy meaningful play.
A smaller selection of age-appropriate toys can provide many different activities depending on how they are used.
For example, stacking cups might be used for stacking today, filling and emptying tomorrow and bath play another day if they are designed for water use.
Parents can also rotate toys rather than presenting everything at once. An older toy may become interesting again after it has been out of sight for a while.
Most importantly, toys complement interaction with parents and carers rather than replacing it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Toys by Age
What are the best toys for a newborn?
Newborn play can be very simple. High-contrast visual toys, soft age-appropriate rattles, play mats and toys used during supervised tummy time can provide gentle opportunities for looking, listening and interaction.
Always follow the manufacturer's age recommendation.
What toys are good for a 3- to 6-month-old baby?
Between 3 and 6 months, babies may become increasingly interested in reaching and grasping. Lightweight rattles, textured sensory toys, hanging play-gym toys and other easy-to-grasp baby toys can work well.
What are good toys for a 6-month-old baby?
For babies around 6 months, consider sensory toys, rattles, simple musical toys and cause-and-effect activities appropriate to their exact age.
As every baby develops differently, choose according to both developmental stage and the manufacturer's age recommendation.
What toys are suitable for a 1-year-old?
Popular options for children around 12 months can include large stacking toys, blocks, simple sorting toys and age-appropriate push-and-pull activities.
Avoid giving children under 3 toys intended for older children when those toys contain small pieces or other unsuitable features.
What are the best toys for a 2-year-old?
Many 2-year-olds enjoy simple puzzles, blocks, pretend-play toys, vehicles, sorting activities and musical or creative toys.
Open-ended toys can be particularly enjoyable because toddlers can use the same toy in different ways as their imagination develops.
How do I know whether a toy is safe for my baby's age?
Start with the age recommendation and warnings supplied with the product.
Check the toy for small detachable components, accessible batteries, damaged sections, loose magnets and anything else that could become hazardous. For Australian safety information, parents can also consult Product Safety Australia.
Finding the Right Toy for Every Stage
The best baby toy is not necessarily the biggest, most expensive or most complicated.
A good toy is one that is appropriate for your child's age, safe for their developmental stage and interesting enough for them to explore.
From simple newborn rattles and sensory toys to stacking toys, musical activities and imaginative toddler play, children's interests will continue changing throughout their first three years.
By selecting baby toys by age rather than simply choosing whatever looks exciting, parents can build a toy collection that grows alongside their child.
At Aussie Baby Toys, we're focused on helping Australian families discover baby and toddler toys for different ages and stages.
Explore our baby toy collection to find toys for your little one's next stage of play.