Those sweet baby coos, and that baby smell! Whether it’s your friend’s baby or your own, there’s a magic about their sweet faces. It’s wonderful to watch them grow and develop during that first year. It’s amazing the strides they make from the first few days to that quintessential first birthday. A lot is going on in the first year of baby’s life. The best baby boy gifts and toys can play a significant role in how they develop. They need visual and tactile stimulation so that they form critical neural pathways. These toys don’t have to be complicated. Many of them are simple concepts that will keep babies occupied for hours.
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite toys for baby’s first year of life. We’ve also answered a few questions about what’s happening during this critical time. Let’s take a look.
Best Baby Boy Gifts And Toys Reviews
FunsLane Baby Rattle 4 Pcs Baby Wrist Rattles and Foot Finder Set Sock Toys
Depending on how old your baby is, he may not be able to hold on to toys yet. No problem. This combination pack of wrist rattles and foot finder socks is an easy fix.
The wrist rattles attach to baby’s wrists and produce fun noises. They are brightly colored and encourage focus and cognitive development. The foot finder socks are also brightly colored and encourage baby to explore the body by catching his eye.
Encouraging your baby to touch and explore helps build cognitive skills and aid in eye development. As you stimulate your baby’s attention, he’s more likely to respond to their environment and bond with caregivers around them. These stay in place so you can play with the baby, or allow him some time alone to focus.
Fisher-Price Kick & Play Piano Gym
Babies may not be able to walk or crawl yet, but even if they’re still working on sitting up, they can make music with Fisher Price’s piano gym. If the baby is on his back, he can kick the keys to make noise. If the baby is facing the other way, the keys are reachable above baby’s head.
If you’re working on tummy time, the fun designs keep baby’s attention and distract if he hates tummy time. The bar above also has bright, dangling toys to encourage baby to reach and focus.
It’s a durable floor piece that disassembles for travel or easy storage. It develops your baby’s understanding of cause and effect, exploration, and fosters a natural curiosity about the world.
Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
If your baby is sitting up and wanting more interaction with big brother or sister, a jumparoo can help him feel like he is more involved. The jumparoo keeps him upright with a bouncy seat. Baby can bounce and strengthen essential muscle groups in the legs and torso.
The Rainforest Jumparoo has a fun little piano toy on the front plus two overhead toys that encourage baby to explore and reach. He or she can jump while playing with all the pieces of the jumparoo, and because he is upright, he can feel like he’s “standing.”
Baby can activate the sounds and lights by spinning the drum in the front, or mom and dad can set it to four minutes of continuous play.
Sophie La Girafe – So Pure Teether Giraffe
Sophie the Giraffe, a much beloved teething toy, gets a makeover for smaller babies with this gripper version. Babies love the texture, and the teething toy withstands a lot of chewing. It’s safe for babies to chew on for hours.
The rings are easy for younger babies to hold on to and pick up. He can reach and chew to his heart’s content without getting too frustrated trying to hold on.
It’s made from 100% soft rubber, and the rings have a texture to provide tactile interest and relief when teething gets serious. It also squeaks for further focus and attention.
Teething is a huge part of baby’s first year. It can be a confusing and painful experience. Teething toys need to be durable enough that baby doesn’t tear them up, but soft enough not to cause injury to tender gums. Sophie satisfies these criteria perfectly.
Skip Hop Explore & More Follow-Me Bee Crawl Toy
Skip Hop’s Bee crawl toy is a three-stage toy meant to encourage crawling and exploring.
Before the baby starts crawling, this toy is an excellent and easy to hold rattle toy. The bee comes out of the base and makes fun sounds. When the baby shows signs of crawling, you can set it to roll in a slow circle to encourage him to get up and follow.
As baby gets more proficient with crawling, a third setting helps baby hone those skills. You can set it to roll faster and in a random pattern to encourage chasing.
It plays lights and sounds, plus has rubberized details for teething. It keeps baby’s visual interest and is one of the few toys for three stages of crawlers.
Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball
The Sassy Bumpy Ball is a tactile toy that’s easy for baby to grip and encourages curiosity. Each nub has a different feel or sound, so it teaches baby about variety. The sounds and tactile feedback encourages neural connections and fosters environmental exploration.
The high contrast colors help baby develop focus and strengthen vision. It’s a simple toy that doesn’t require batteries, nor does it have flashing lights. It’s highly interesting, but still a calming toy that baby can have without causing mom and dad huge headaches.
The material is a durable polyester that can be spot cleaned easily. The seams are well secured, and the toy is safe for baby to chew on.
Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBo
Fisher-Price created another excellent interactive toy with this Dance and Move BeatBo. It’s a figure with a bright LED grid tummy. He dances and makes little movements, encouraging baby to hit buttons and manipulate the music.
It has three play modes that grow as your baby does. The first mode is just music and dancing and encourages baby to dance with it. The second one begins teaching numbers and letters while the third deepens these concepts.
Both mom and baby can record sounds and remix them into songs. It’s the kind of toy that baby can continually experiment with. It helps baby develop critical thinking skills and focus, but also makes sure that baby always has fun.
Manhattan Toy Classic Baby Beads Wood Rattle, Teether, and Clutching Toy
Sometimes the simplest toys are the best. This classic baby toy from Manhattan Toys is a jumble of brightly colored wooden beads strung together with elastic. As baby manipulates the beads, they slide around and make rattling noises.
The beads are a variety of colors for visual stimulation. As baby manipulates the beads, he is developing crucial fine motor skills. The beads are large enough not to be a choking hazard, but they are safe for teething babies to chew on.
Baby wants to hear the fun clacking sounds, and so he begins to experiment with the beads, he learns cause and effect and the beginnings of problem-solving. They are easy to spot clean and qualify as an open-ended toy. Even better, there’s no need for batteries.
LAIMALA Baby Teething Cloths Teething Blanket with 2 Pacifier Clips
Babies need comfort toys that are soft and promote soothing tactile sensations. They also benefit from toys that have interesting tabs and textures. A ribbon teething toy is the perfect mix of both.
Babies this age need soft toys because they help give the baby a sense of comfort. When they manipulate the textures, it’s both comforting and interesting.
Babies also need a variety of textures and things to manipulate to help them focus and develop crucial hand-eye coordination. It stimulates their vision helping it to develop. As they manipulate the different taps, it encourages curiosity and exploration.
It’s machine washable and hypoallergenic. It also has two pacifier clips to attach it to a pacifier if the baby has one. It’s gentle on the gums, and the stitching is secure so baby won’t accidentally swallow any of the pieces.
Wee Gallery Art Cards
High contrast black and white images are critical for baby’s developing eyes. These Wee Gallery art cards have interesting pictures of jungle life rendered in black and white photos perfect for helping develop the vision.
They’re laminated and have rounded edges. They’re a great size for baby to hold and they’ll love flipping through the stark images. They’re durable and can withstand your baby playing with (and occasionally biting) them.
The colors and patterns inspire early color recognition, patterns, and awareness of shapes. Although baby won’t master those concepts for a while, he can begin to notice things about the environment and develop his curiosity.
Best Baby Boy Gifts And Toys Buyer’s Guide
Babies make leaps and bounds during their first year of life. They transform from little inert bundles to nearly walking and talking children. It’s amazing progress.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing toys and gifts for babies. A few critical aspects of development can help you pick the best ones.
Vision
During the first few months, your baby doesn’t do very much. They eat and sleep for most of their time. At this age, they’re learning to focus and see things in their environment. Your face is the most important thing they’ll see, but toys that help them develop focus are excellent.
The first few months, they’re unable to hold things on their own. Hanging brightly colored things above their heads or positioning pictures where they can see is all you can do. Make sure the colors are bright and have high contrast.
When they begin to hold things, toys that have patterns and contrast help them further develop their vision and inspire curiosity about their environment.
Sound
Sounds are also critical to their development. It doesn’t have to be loud or obnoxious. Simple noises like rattles and crinkles are enough to provide interest and inspire them to manipulate their surroundings. It encourages early problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Textures
The third piece of this is the texture. Interesting textures provide tactile sensations. The stimulation encourages baby to branch out and explore. It’s good for the baby to discover that there are many different kinds of textures. Giving baby the chance to explore all these different avenues encourages early critical thinking.
