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Not all toys are created equal. Some toys offer a bunch more benefits to baby and growing kids than others. Sensory toys are by far the most important of the playthings because they help to stimulate all of a baby’s five senses: touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. They are designed to engage a child’s attention both cognitively and physically, with lots of different, textures, colors, shapes, sizes and sounds in a plethora of baby activity toys. These items that include crinkle toys, sensory balls and therapy toys that are especially great for children with autism, as they tend to provide the particular sensory sensations that many kids with autism need.
As babies grow, so does their curiosity, which is why it’s so important to occasionally update and refresh the contents of their toy box to keep them entertained while expanding their knowledge and development. It’s a great time to pack away the most beloved toys for a future sibling to enjoy, donate them to a local women’s shelter or even make some extra money selling gently used items on community yard sale social media sites, to make room for some cool new educational baby toys as well as ones for baby stimulation.
It’s worth reevaluating your child’s sensory toys at each of these phases of development:
- Best Sensory Toys For Newborns
Manhattan Toy Winket Rattle And sensory Teether
Nearby Baby Teething Mittens
Musical Infant Stimulation Mobile
- Best Sensory Toys For Babies
Bumpy Ball
Animal Handbells
OBall Rattle & Roll Toy
- Best Sensory Toys For Toddlers
Squishy Sensory Fidget Spiky Ball
Fisher-Price Laugh And Learn Smart Stages Chair
VTech Smart Smart Shots Sports Center
- Best Sensory Toys For Preschoolers
Play-Doh Modeling Compound
Step2 Busy Ball Water Table
Leapfrong 2-In-1 Laptop Touch
Newborn
This is the phase from birth to about 6 months. During this time, baby shows interest in the most simple toys, like rattles, crinkle toys and mobiles.
Baby
From about 6 months old to their first birthday, a baby becomes fully aware and involved in their environment and benefits from stimulating toys like water play mats and sensory balls that are easy to hold.
Toddler
They’re crawling and walking and exploring everything they can get their hands on. This is the best time to introduce more interactive toys with basic teaching concepts. This is also the age when autism might be diagnosed, and there are plenty of therapy toys and autism toys to help soothe and stimulate those children on the spectrum.
Preschool
From age 3 to entering kindergarten, kids’ brains are like sponges, happy to soak up all the education and information they can get their hands on. This is a good time to start introducing technology and also more physical toys as well as educational baby toys.
Here are our top picks to keep your kids entertained while also helping them develop all of their sense.
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Best Sensory Toys for Newborns
Image Credits: Amazon
Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether
Infants don’t do much more than eat and sleep and poop and cry, but this amazing newborn sensory toy is guaranteed to be their first favorite. A marvelous maze of interlocking teething-friendly (BPA free) tubes are wrapped around a rattle cube, which is sure to stimulate every one of baby’s newly developing senses.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
My little guy has been looking at this since day 2! I don’t worry about letting him have it in the car seat for some easy entertainment with no worries that he will suffocate against it or chock on it in any way.
This is so easy for my three month old baby to hold. He loves it! I really like that it’s BPA free. I definitely recommend this toy!
Each of the rings are soft and pliable. They are easy for my son to put in his mouth to chew on. It also has a pleasant rattle in the center box. It looks large but is light enough for my 4 month old to easily pick up and shake around.
Image Credits: Amazon
Nearbyme Baby Teething Mittens
These multipurpose mitts serve a multitude of purposes. First of all, they have adjustable Velcro straps to help keep them secured to your little one and double as a crinkle toy to keep them entertained. But it gets better: Not only do these newborn toys keep a baby from self-scratching, but the silicone bumps (BPA free) also provide a safe first form of stimulation for tender gums and are a perfect way for baby to satisfy their need to suck without using a pacifier. They’re even FDA approved!
What Reviewers Are Saying:
This is the best teething toy ever.
These are perfect for my 3 month old because he loves to put everything in his mouth.
These are great! My little guy keeps chewing on his fingers so these have been perfect to stop that. They fit over his whole fist or he can have his thumb out. And they’re cute!
Image Credits: Amazon
Musical Infant Stimulation Mobile
Not every nursery needs to be full of cartoon jungle creatures and Disney characters. This mobile by Genius Baby Toys Inc. uses high-contrast fabrics in black, white and red and visually graphic patterns to stimulate baby’s vision. It also plays Brahms’ Lullaby to help lull baby into a peaceful slumber, and research suggests that classical tunes actually stimulate brain development. That’s music to a parent’s ears!
What Reviewers Are Saying:
My baby loves this toy and gets really excited when she sees it. It’s worth every penny!
My son loves to look at this. When he cries or fusses, I wind the crank and he’d stop crying. I love watching him follow the movements of the pyramids with his eyes.
It didn’t match out décor at all but since black, white and red are good for brain development, I got it and our son loved it. He was obsessed with this.
Best Sensory Toys for Babies
Image Credits: Amazon
Bumpy Ball
Little baby hands can’t resist grabbing for this brightly colored sensory ball by Sassy. The baby stimulation toy’s bold patterns and big bump make it especially easy for little ones to grasp. They’ll love to shake it and make the confetti beads rattle while the saturated colors help strengthen baby’s focus and eyesight.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
Smaller than expected, but the size is actually perfect. My niece has fun feeling all the different textures.
My baby has loved this toy since she mastered using both hands. She picks it up with no problem and plays with it in her car seat, swing and while laying around on the floor.
Very cute ball! I love that every part is different. It keeps baby occupied and it’s very colorful! I love Sassy’s toys!
Image Credits: Walmart
Animal Handbells
Baby’s first band! Each one of these adorable animal bells makes a different sound. The five-piece set is suitable for kids from 6 months to 7 years old. The bright colors entice babies to pick them up, and the metallic sounds keep them coming back for more while stimulating their hearing and fine motor skills. These cute handbells are the perfect baby activity toy and especially great for families of multiples since there’s plenty to share!
What Reviewers Are Saying:
My baby got these from a friend who also loved them. They’re a hit in our house!
Image Credits: Walmart
Oball Rattle & Roll Toy
This baby activity toy takes the checkered flag! The toy is a ball, a car, a rattle and a teether, which makes it a must have in every toy box. The snazzy car is easy for chubby baby hands to pick up and push around, and it really gets their motor (skills) racing while encouraging them to get moving! Plus, it wipes clean and dries quickly, so it’s never out of the race for too long.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
It’s so cute. Very easy for my baby to hold on to.
Very durable product and great visual input for my grandson.
My daughter loves this toy!
Best Sensory Toys for Toddlers
Image Credits: Amazon
Squishy Sensory Fidget Spiky Ball
These soft yet spiky hedgehog balls are a hit with the whole family. While parents might find them to be a perfect form of stress relief, curious toddlers will delight in dropping and picking up the bouncy balls as well as squeezing them between their fingers. They help teach cause and effect and are excellent autism toys as well as therapy toys.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
Wonderful tactile ball. Both of my sensory kids like the way these balls feel in their hands and against their skin.
My kid loves these, he has ADHD and sensory toys help with his fidgeting.
They’re very cool. I love the colors. They are fun to play with!
Image Credits: Walmart
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Chair
After toddling around, baby has a place to sit and learn about so many things! The cheerful ABC seat comes to life when a kiddo sits on it, and it starts singing and talking. It comes with a light-up remote, and there are even more fun surprises hidden under the seat. Parents love that the ultimate educational baby toy has three different levels of Smart Stages Technology, so it grows up along with their kid and satisfies their curious nature.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
I really love this chair. My grandsons play on it all the time.
My 15 month old grandson loves this. The size of the chair is just perfect for him.
Bought this for my 23 month old niece. She loves it! She sits on it every chance she gets and even learned all she really has to do is push the seat down to activate the music. I love that the programming can change as she grows older.
Image Credits: Walmart
VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
Your little one will be the MVP of the preschool after playing with this high tech toy that actually stimulates every part of a little person. They get to work on their gross motor skills with tossing and kicking at the balls, while the knobs and buttons help with fine motor skills and the sounds and lights are eye-catching enough to keep kids entertained for hours. Sing-a-long songs and the introduction of shapes and numbers and counting make this a sensory toy superstar.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
My 16 month old loves this. She enjoys the lights and sounds and loves playing with the balls. She definitely likes the basketball hoop more than the soccer goal and tries to do jump shots. I have a future b-ball player!
My nephew loved it. He chases the balls like nobody’s business. I think it’s a good toy to keep kids active when stuck inside.
My twin boys loves this toy. It definitely gets the most attention out of all their thousands of toys even after two months!
Best Sensory Toys for Preschoolers
Image Credits: Amazon
Play-Doh Modeling Compound
The old-school, non-toxic stuff is still the best for young creators. This 10-pack of assorted, vibrant colors will keep busy builders happy for countless hours. It stimulates their imagination as well as hand-eye coordination and helps with touch sensory issues.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
I loved it when I was little and my 3 year old grandson loves it now. The texture the color and even the smell bring back great memories. These are the perfect size for his little hands. Play-doh should be a part of very kid’s childhood.
My grandson gives this five stars! He’s four and was thrilled to find this gift. It’s perfect for his small hands to maneuver and the inspirations are endless!
The Play-doh was very soft and easy to mold and all the kids loved it. This is a great classic toy.
Image Credits: Walmart
Step2 Busy Ball Water Table
This is the perfect sensory play water table. Kids can’t resist the bold colors, even if it doesn’t have water in it, and they have a blast watching the balls roll down one of three possible paths. It encourages hand-eye coordination and cause and effect theories. And it’s bound to keep your kids occupied for hours at a time, which makes it priceless to parents.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
I gave this as a gift to my granddaughter. She is having fun playing with it.
This is incredible and so much fun. All three of our little ones love playing with this even without the water! It’s a creative toy for hours of enjoyment.
This was super easy to set up and keeps my 1 year old and 4 year old busy for hours. Highly recommend!
Image Credits: Walmart
Leapfrog 2-in-1 Leaptop Touch
It’s the best of a tablet and a laptop in one, and it’s the perfect way to introduce a young child to the concepts of technology. Kids learn about numbers, letters, music and so much more on this touch-screen tablet that also transforms into a laptop with a full keyboard. Kids have fun pretending to email, playing games and practicing typing on this sturdy educational toy.
What Reviewers Are Saying:
My four year old really loves it. It’s a great buy. Very educational and the front part is a touch screen which is pretty neat.
I love how toddlers will learn their alphabets and much more at an early age with the Leap Frog Touch!
My kids love it and I enjoy that they’re learning something new every day.
