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Don’t tell Rigel, he’s busy making his Christmas list for Santa but Santa has enlisted me to find the perfect gift for him this year. While I looked for the perfect gift for my curious little guy, I stumbled upon quite a few toys that would be wonderful gifts for the littlest member of your family. Most of these toys would be great for a baby between 3 to 12 months old. A couple of them can stay with them and be enjoyed well into toddlerhood. Rigel already has and loves a few of these.
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Graco Bumper Baby Jumper (Walmart $28.88) – Rigel got this jumper as a gift and he’s absolutely obsessed with it! It helps him work on strengthening his legs and is great for working off all that excess energy that he has. He’s been known to fall asleep on the tray once or twice. It fits over any door frame and can be easily moved from one place to another around the house.
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Bright Starts Activity Center 2-in-1 Laugh & Lights (Target $79.99) – Rigel’s also been lucky enough to play with this activity center. This is a lot of bang for your buck and great if you don’t want to spend extra money on a floor play gym. The sun light-up portion of the activity center can be removed and placed on the floor like a typical play gym. Rigel really enjoys that he can spin around to play each activity.
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La Maze Play and Grow Mortimer the Moose (Kohl’s $15.00) – This is probably Rigel’s favorite toy thus far and something that he’s been playing with since he was about four weeks old. It’s a great sensory toy with crinkles, teething parts, different textures, high contrast, and even a noisemaker. He also has a firefly made by the same company that has those same parts. As he grows he discovers different aspects of it. Right now he’s particularly happy about the teething parts.
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Baby Einstein Explore & Discover Soft Blocks (Target $11.99) – Rigel got these around the time when he started getting more comfortable with extended tummy time, around six weeks old. Initially, he just looked at the blocks but as he’s gotten older he now inspects the individual blocks, moves them to activate their individual toys. For example, one of the blocks has a noisemaker, another one has a flap that opens. Each block has a texture on it, as well as a high contrast side. The blocks will help your baby work on their sensory and spatial skills.
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Skip Hop Explore & More Follow-Bee Crawl Toy (Target $22.99) – If your little one is getting ready to crawl then this is the gift for them! It’s a little contraption with lights that encourages crawling. With three stages you can start using it just before they start to crawl when they’re showing signs of getting on all fours. As they start to crawl they can chase it around the floor. We’re probably going to get this for Rigel who’ll be crawling any day now.
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Infantino Go Gaga! Spin & Slide DJ Panda (Target $14.99) – If you think your little one is musically inclined but you’re not sure you want them banging on a keyboard just yet this DJ toy might be the move. Needless to say, we’re intrigued by this one. I’m sure my husband secretly hopes that Rigel will grow up to become a DJ so anything that will push him in that direction he likes. Your baby can slide the turntable to activate music and lights. They can even work on fine motor skills on the DJ Panda’s headphones.
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Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks (Target $6.99) – Nothing beats sorting some blocks to help a baby improve their fine motor skills. I like this block sorter in particular because it can be moved around easily with the bucket’s handle. Sometimes a great toy not only helps baby learn and have fun but also is easy on Mom and Dad.
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Radio Flyer, Tinker Truck, Ride-on and Push Walker (Walmart $29.92) – Everyone’s got an opinion on push walkers. I think if you’re going to get a push walker then get one that’s also a cool truck. This ride-on truck is amazing. It has 18 features that include numbers and letters. It has a horn that your baby can honk and even storage under the seat for them to hide their other favorite toys.
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Fisher-Price Little People Music Parade Ride-On (Target $29.99) – This is another push walker with a ride-on feature that has a musical theme. Again, I think the two-in-one aspect is great as it cuts down on the toy clutter around the house. Plus this push walker can teach your baby about music while they ride through the house.
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Melissa & Doug Take-Along Farm Baby Play Mat (Target $19.99) – I really like this toy for igniting a child’s imagination as well as teaching them about the different farm animals. It’s a farm scene playmat and several plush figures. The plush figures that come with this playmat crinkle, squeak, and rattle.
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Sassy Teeth and Twirl Sensation(BuyBuyBaby $9.99) – I desperately need this as a mother of a teething child. Pretty much all of Rigel’s toys have turned into teething toys. This toy comes with teething parts but it also twirls. It has a rattle and other soft surfaces that are great for a baby who’s gumming everything. It can be suctioned to a table, a high chair tray, or an activity center tray.
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Jellycat Jungly Tails Cloth Book (Nordstrom $16.50) – I think books with textures are so fun. Rigel received a plush puppy that’s made by the same company as this cloth book that he absolutely loves, so I’m sure this is something he would enjoy as well. This cloth book features different animal tails that your baby can grab and feel as you turn the soft cloth pages. This one will be sure to get smiles from your little one.
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Elegant Baby Squirtie Bath Set (Nordstrom $18.00) – Lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to make bath time more exciting for Rigel. He’s getting close to sitting up on his own, so I figure that any bit of encouragement to get him sitting up is a good thing. I thought this bath toy set was just too cute to pass up and will make a great gift for the baby who seemingly already has everything.
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Melissa & Doug Fill’n’Spill Fish Bowl Game (Nordstrom $24.99) – There is no such thing as too much fine motor skill development. With that in mind, this fill and spill game is a great way to help your baby learn how to use those little hands effectively. Plus they’re going to love the bright colors. Each of the fishes crinkle, rattle, and squeak, so every grasp will be a joyful surprise.
Ultimately, Christmas is about spending time with family and showing our little ones about the true meaning of the season. However, if you can use the holiday as an excuse to buy them something that will help them grow, I say do that. I hope this list helps take a little bit of the pressure off figuring out what a little person who can’t talk yet might want. I’m always interested to hear from other parents what their kids like so let me know in the comments if there are any toys that your baby just loves.
Still just winging it,
