The best gifts and toys for 9-month-olds are entertaining but also developmentally appropriate. At 9 months, most babies still try to put everything in their mouths and may have a hard time staying upright—key points to remember when thinking about the safety of toys at this age. “The best toys are the ones that engage a baby’s creativity and build the skills that they are learning,” says pediatrician Dr. Melissa St. Germain.
The best toys for 9-month-olds encourage babies to explore new sensations, from movement to music to … [+] new textures.
Illustration: Forbes / Photos: Retailers
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. I’ve spent years testing and reviewing toys, and as a mom to twin toddlers, the challenge of finding toys and gifts for this age group is fresh in my mind. For fun and appropriate toys, read on for our recommendations for the best toys for 9-month-olds.
Editor’s Top Picks
Best Developmental Toy For 9-Month-Olds: Fat Brain Toys Innybin
Best Educational Toy For 9-Month-Olds: Banana Panda High-Contrast Baby Cards
Best Wooden Toy For 9-Month-Olds: Hape Pull-Along Wooden Frog
Best Music Toy For 9-Month-Olds: VTech Sort And Discover Drum
Best Sensory Toy For 9-Month-Olds: Edushape Sensory Ball
More Great Gifts For 9-Month-Olds: Cuddle + Kind Elliott The Fawn Doll, Foamnasium Blocksy Kids Couch
Editor’s Pick
Amazon
Fat Brain Toys Innybin
I’m a freelance journalist and product reviewer specializing in parenting and education. My writing has been featured by AARP, Scholastic, Insider, Yahoo, MSN, AAA and more. I spent six years as a high school English teacher, and then began writing full time after my daughter was born. I’m the proud mom to her as well as twin boys (and a fur baby). I have a bachelor of science in education from Penn State and a master of arts in education from Michigan State. You can learn more about me or connect with me on my website. “,”disableCanonical”:false,”disableDigest”:false,”embargo”:false,”enableContribContact”:false,”enableTwitterFeed”:false,”inactive”:false,”metaDescription”:”I’m a freelance journalist and product reviewer specializing in parenting and education. My writing has been featured by AARP, Scholastic, Insider, Yahoo, MSN, AAA and more. I spent six years as a high school English teacher, and then began writing full time after my daughter was born. I’m the proud mom to her as well as twin boys (and a fur baby). I have a bachelor of science in education from Penn State and a master of arts in education from Michigan State. You can learn more about me or connect with me on my website.”,”name”:”Alicia Betz”,”primaryBlogNaturalId”:”blogAuthorId/blog/author/blog-4983″,”primaryChannel”:{“id”:”channel_94″,”channelId”:”channel_94″,”channelName”:”Forbes Vetted”,”url”:”/vetted”,”showAds”:false,”showLicenseOptions”:false,”showSpreadsheetButton”:false,”enableComments”:false,”hexValue”:”#eb6262″,”secondaryHexValue”:”#ffa0a0″,”showQotd”:false},”primaryChannelId”:”channel_118″,”primarySectionId”:””,”profileUrl”:”/sites/aliciabetz/”,”showNoVestPocket”:false,”slug”:”aliciabetz”,”timestamp”:1707250738815,”type”:”Contributor”,”url”:”https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciabetz/”,”disabled”:false,”division”:”FC”,”shortBio”:”I’m a freelance journalist, product reviewer, mom and former teacher. “,”mediumAvatar”:”https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/63616ea34c9f6e101f15c836/62×0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=1080&cropY1=0&cropY2=1080″,”largestAvatar”:”https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/63616ea34c9f6e101f15c836/400×0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=1080&cropY1=0&cropY2=1080″,”displayType”:”Contributor”,”chanSecColor”:”#eb6262″,”showAuthorTypeDisclaimer”:true},”publication”:{“naturalId”:”blogAuthorId/blog/author/blog-4983″,”allowEmail”:false,”authorType”:”vetted”,”avatars”:[{“size”:136,”image”:”https://blogs-images.forbes.com/assets/images/avatars/blog-4983_136_6a35ad1b7db9ce9ac885b5f2de5c6338.jpg”},{“size”:40,”image”:”https://blogs-images.forbes.com/assets/images/avatars/blog-4983_40_6a35ad1b7db9ce9ac885b5f2de5c6338.jpg”},{“size”:400,”image”:”https://blogs-images.forbes.com/assets/images/avatars/blog-4983_400_6a35ad1b7db9ce9ac885b5f2de5c6338.jpg”},{“size”:62,”image”:”https://blogs-images.forbes.com/assets/images/avatars/blog-4983_62_6a35ad1b7db9ce9ac885b5f2de5c6338.jpg”}],”bvProgramTypes”:[],”contributorSince”:1493323500000,”description”:”Welcome to Forbes Vetted, your destination for discovering top-performing products that are worth the investment. Our expert editors give you straightforward reviews and recommendations on everything from home goods and tech to fashion, gifts and more, plus the inside scoop on what today’s leaders and tomorrow’s visionaries are using to step up their game.nnOur team is committed to transparency and journalistic integrity in our coverage, which is why all featured products and services on Forbes Vetted are independently selected by our editorial team. In order to test and review products, we may accept media samples from brands. Product samples are never accepted in exchange for coverage and are not a requirement for review. Samples are returned or donated if they are not kept for long-term testing and photography.nnWe are compensated by our brand partners, which can influence the order in which products appear. If you click on or make a purchase via one of our links, we may earn an affiliate commission from the retailer. At times, we showcase products or brands as paid placements on Forbes Vetted, but these features are clearly labeled and have been crafted by our dedicated branded content team.”,”disableCanonical”:false,”disableDigest”:false,”displayChannel”:”shopping”,”displaySection”:”shopping”,”embargo”:false,”enableContribContact”:false,”enableTwitterFeed”:false,”inactive”:false,”metaDescription”:”Welcome to Forbes Vetted, your destination for discovering top-performing products that are worth the investment. Our expert editors give you straightforward reviews and recommendations on everything from home goods and tech to fashion, gifts and more, plus the inside scoop on what today’s leaders and tomorrow’s visionaries are using to step up their game. Our team is committed to transparency and journalistic integrity in our coverage, which is why all featured products and services on Forbes Vetted are independently selected by our editorial team. In order to test and review products, we may accept media samples from brands. Product samples are never accepted in exchange for coverage and are not a requirement for review. Samples are returned or donated if they are not kept for long-term testing and photography. We are compensated by our brand partners, which can influence the order in which products appear. If you click on or make a purchase via one of our links, we may earn an affiliate commission from the retailer. At times, we showcase products or brands as paid placements on Forbes Vetted, but these features are clearly labeled and have been crafted by our dedicated branded content team.”,”name”:”Forbes Vetted”,”primaryBlogNaturalId”:”blogAuthorId/blog/author/blog-4983″,”primaryChannel”:{“id”:”channel_94″,”channelId”:”channel_94″,”channelName”:”Forbes Vetted”,”url”:”/vetted”,”showAds”:false,”showLicenseOp
