Must Have! Great Newborn Toys

Activity Mat/ Play Gym

Get something that has toys hanging above, and the mat below is interesting to look at to. This is great for early back and tummy time. It also encourages so many developmental milestones such as reaching, grabbing, hitting, shaking, etc. A must for ages newborn to crawling/scooting. One that has some sort of integration of lights or movement is great too to encourage tracking etc.

Lamaze Musical Inchworm

This is a super colorful, flat-ish toy that was wonderful for tummy time. My son could also grab/ hold this earlier than most other things because it was just a good size and shape for that. The big featured face was also very entertaining to him! It makes different noises in every section and has different textures for the baby to explore. Our's was named "Agoo."

Floor Mirror Easel

You can find little cute things like this all over. They are usually plush but they can sit on the floor for the baby to look at themselves during tummy time. Babies are obsessed with faces and seeing their own helps them develop a sense of self and recognition of the control they have over their features.

Hanging Toy

There are many toys with clips attached to them. One of these with lots of different tactile and colorful activies on it. Lamaze makes a bunch of options with these. I have a ton of them- one in each car and in each room of the house because if I ended up anywhere with the baby, there are so many things for him to hold, look at, make noise with, etc that it was like several toys in one. Plus, the handy clip keeps it from ending up on the floor. Early on this will just be something you shake in front of them and rub their hand on- later it will be something they explore themselves.

Swing

This gives you somewhere to clip the baby in while you get stuff done. Some babies love swings so much that they sleep in them all the time. You can get small collapsible ones that don’t take up too much room all the way up to those Roo things that move in different motions- I kind of want an adult size of one of those.

Rattle with a slim grip

Something that is colorful that you can shake for them but that they will also be able to grip themselves when they get to that point.

Rings/ Links

These are great to hang toys from car head rests, carrier handles, swing poles, etc. Also, being colorful and easy to grip- this becomes a fast favorite for babies to carry around.