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November 26, 2018 5:50 AM   Subscribe

What are some solid toys for the six- to twelve-month-old set? We need some ideas to advise eager grandparents!

Child Rattery will be six months on Christmas Day (and, you'll just have to take my word for it, she is perfect and adorable). Interested grandparents are wondering what to get her for Christmas. Now, on the one hand we don't want a lot of stuff because she is, after all, a baby and we are trying not to overload on toys. We have some hand-me-downs (see list below) and try to let her play with everyday objects. However, I don't want to rob doting grandparents of the opportunity to give a fun gift. Plus, I'm aware that over the next six months there might actually be some good toys or activities that would either be developmentally appropriate, or just super awesome to play with. Can you share some of the things your kids love and that have stood the test of time? Thanks!

Some things we have:
- many board books
- 4,000 stuffed animals (most of them, embarrassingly, belonging to her parents!)
- an exersaucer
- lots of little rattley, chewy thing-a-ma-jigs
- some sort of animal sound whirligig
- a stacking ring tower
- two different "dentist's office toys" (those weird wire sculptures that you move beads along)
- some sort of ladybug on wheels
posted by Mrs. Rattery to Shopping (19 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Manhattan Toy company has lots of great stuff. The Winkel and Skwish are particularly popular standouts.

The Tegu magnetic wooden block system is also very nice, super expensive though. My hope is to get a few small pieces given as gifts each year so we have a nice big set when kiddo is 6.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:19 AM on November 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Ours loves this musical instrument set. It's well made and doesn't sound obnoxious.
posted by beyond_pink at 6:19 AM on November 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


A gift certificate to the zoo or children's museum is great at that age. And you can send pictures throughout the year to the gift giver.
posted by dawkins_7 at 6:45 AM on November 26, 2018 [5 favorites]


At that age, these stacking bowls were a huge huge hit. And once Soren Jr. begin to be able to stand with support, a busy box was also a very popular item.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:46 AM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: My baby is almost a year old right now. I'm jealous of your accuracy in separating Christmas and her birthday!

His number one favorite thing to do is push things, which started around nine months. We have this little tikes push walker, which he uses a ton and the wheels work well on hardwood but he can't really turn it and the disco ball on the front is bizarre. I also just bought this lion because I wanted a ride on option too and, in retrospect, I should have got this one first. I was confused because I'd heard walkers were bad but a PT told me the ones they push are great; it's the ones that are exersaucers on wheels that are dangerous.

Teething toys are very popular, as are balls. He's not able to really use the stacking cups or sorting toys yet but he likes to hold them. Bath toys because he started using the whole bath tub at 8 months. Touch and feel books, crinkly books and lift the flap books and books with holes in them are all extra fun.

Six months is when we started eating so there's a whole world of fun things to get for that. I really like the Feeding Littles website and they have an Amazon store with their recommended products. We get a lot of use out of the smock bibs that cover their whole top.
posted by carolr at 7:01 AM on November 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


As a grandparent, for that age, it's very fun to just walk into a toy store and buy something. Last year, I got my youngest granddaughter, who was that age, a little aquarium with stuffed fish, which she loved (can't find it online - but I fell in love with it while browsing).

Also, I'm very aware that my daughter doesn't want millions of toys in her house, and I'm respectful of that. If you haven't discussed that openly with the grandparents, it might be a good idea. I always get my grandkids subscriptions to Ranger Rick (and its associated magazines for younger kids) for their birthdays. They love it. One of them thought I was sending him a magazine every month.
posted by FencingGal at 7:08 AM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Seconding a busy box like the one soren_lorenson linked to. At 6 months it won't get much use, but by 9 or 10 months it will be part of the regular rotation.

If you don't already have one, a jumper / excersaucer is a great thing to keep baby entertained so you can do grownup stuff.
posted by Mchelly at 7:28 AM on November 26, 2018


Wooden puzzles! Like such and such. This one gave my kid a great mental workout.

Have the grandparents spring for the puzzle rack, because you will end up with a lot of them and it's easy to store them in the rack.
posted by Liesl at 8:26 AM on November 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


The next couple of years you'll be entering peak bath toy time. Anything that sprays is good. (Avoid rubber duckies that squirt water, as they are impossible to drain completely and you end up spraying your child with moldy water. Actually, avoid anything that's difficult to get completely dry.)
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:27 AM on November 26, 2018


If you don't otherwise have one, a yoga/exercise ball is super fun at that age. It literally adds a whole new dimension to tummy time! And my kiddo at least thought that watching such a big ball bounce was just hilarious. A smaller ball the baby can hold on to easily is also nice, like the O-ball. We found one at Target that's basically that outside structure but with an inflated playground-style ball inside, so it's grippy and bouncy.

A safe mirror can also be terribly intriguing.

If they're up for a more expensive gift, those wooden rocking boats that flip over to be climbing structures are lovely and very open-ended.

I also agree that this is a great chance to ask for early eating supplies. Tiny plates, cups, and utensils are adorable, and they'll help Child Rattery learn to feed herself far sooner than you might think.

PS, so you're prepared: next Christmas, what you definitely want is membership to an ASTC Passport participant. Officially it's good for free admission (usually) to places >90 miles away, but ours has been accepted a bit closer than that, and anyway it's just magic for traveling and having somewhere to go with the kid but not feeling obligated to stay all day since the ticket cost so much.
posted by teremala at 8:50 AM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Oh! You're also coming up her beginning to be able to appreciate a baby doll. Get a little one with a soft body for hugging; I'll leave the rest of the materials to your/their discretion. It doesn't need to be anything fancy or have a bunch of accessories, just be recognizably human.
posted by teremala at 8:58 AM on November 26, 2018


Best answer: We got my daughter these Hide ‘n Squeak eggs when she was about six months old. We noticed how much she loved the set that our friends had gotten their daughter. And after we bought them and friends would visit our house with their babies, it was easily the most popular toy in the basket. I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re a massive hit.
posted by fso at 8:59 AM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


I know ‘experience gifts’ are super popular, and here you are suggesting gift options, not buying for others.

But before you go that route, make sure that’s what you really want. I personally intensely dislike those gifts, and I know I’m not alone. I’ll buy my own museum pass if I want one, but if someone buys me a pass or voucher for something, it’s not a gift, it’s an obligation to either haul myself/family out to something I may not want to do, or explain to someone that no, I never did use that gift certificate, because I didn’t really want to do that thing, even for free.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:39 AM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Get the grandparents started on giving great books that will be read aloud. Maybe make audio of the grands reading the books. Great music. Disney is all well and good, but there is fantastic music for babies and kids, and music primes kids' brains for growth and probably for joy, also dancing.

Push toy for when she wants to start standing & walking. Toys with figurines that can get put in and taken out. Sorting, stacking.

Contributions to her college account.
posted by theora55 at 9:46 AM on November 26, 2018


Best answer: Baby banana is 12 months old. Specific favorites in the past six months include:

* Stacking cups and stacking rings
* Boon Jellies for the bath (anything by Boon for the bath is probably great)
* Egg shakers and a drum (if your kid loves the drum, you can blow her mind with an electronic drum kit, which is loud but quite entertaining)
* Lift-the-flap books with sturdy flaps he can lift himself like Who's Hiding? In the Wild, Who's Hiding? In the Ocean, and the Can You Say It, Too? books
* Interactive books with things to touch and pull like Color Dog and the Bright Baby Touch and Feel books
* Small trucks/cars to push around like from Duplo or Green Toys
* As mentioned above, magnetic building toys - we have Magna-Tiles. Right now he likes chewing on them/throwing them/putting them in containers, but I expect them to be fun for building soon and for quite a while (hopefully!)

Yay babies!
posted by bananacabana at 10:17 AM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: A little early, but my go to gift for 1 year olds is a Rody horse or other inflatable animal.

My almost 5 year old was gifted a Rody at 1 and she still plays with it.

Another fun thing grandparents can do is start a collection. Maybe every year they buy a piece of a nativity scene. Maybe a special ornament every year. My grandma bought me a precious moments ornament every year. It was nice to move into my own house and put them all on my tree.
posted by MadMadam at 11:21 AM on November 26, 2018 [3 favorites]


My kiddos LOVED latch puzzles like this one. Bonus! If Grandparent is into crafting or woodworking, they can make their own (my husband made one for our boys).

A quiet book is also a good idea (it doesn't need to be Star Wars themed :)

Also, blocks/anything building related are always loved. My mom got my kids these blocks at age 2, and now at 10 and 13 they still play with them!.
posted by alathia at 2:36 PM on November 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Your babe will soon be at the point where they are more interactive and begin to understand the rules of cause and effect.
Different textured Balls great for rolling back and forth, and starting to throw.

A ball run- my kids got so much use out of this type of toy.

Animals to start teaching animal sounds. These ones are bath toys, but they can do double duty.
posted by momochan at 5:19 PM on November 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


My now-9 year old STILL loves his Magna-Tiles.

Also, the classic Fisher-Price toys: such as the telephone, or the popcorn popper. Fun to pull or push as walking skills develop. Our son also had a bubble mower, and he used it for ages. Once he outgrew it we donated it to his old daycare, because the one they had was so heavily used by the toddlers!
posted by caution live frogs at 5:39 AM on November 27, 2018


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