24 Best Gift Ideas for 6-Month-Olds, According to Experts and Reviews
Featuring a breakdown on why shopping for this age is a bit more complex than you’d think.
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When you’re a new parent, you typically receive an endless amount of cute shoes and clothing… only for your baby to surely grow out of it all at the snap of a finger. It’s unfortunate, but it happens, and like clockwork, it’s the gift idea most people turn to when a milestone occurs, such as, say, turning 6 months old.
Beyond just clothing, we’d like to suggest you turn to more thoughtful gifts that support the developmental stage that comes with meeting the halfway point of their first year on earth (Exciting! Fun!). At 6 months old, they’re probably teething and grabbing everything in sight all the time (and therefore, putting things in their mouths that should absolutely not be in their mouths). Aside from that, they’re simply just curious little creatures wanting to learn about the world they live in.
So what exactly are the best baby gifts for 6-month-olds then? We tapped in two experts: Lovevery Cofounder & CEO, Jessica Rolph and Dr. Patricia Cantor, a professor of early-childhood education at Plymouth State University, to break it down for us.“Consider what’s happening with a 6-month-old’s developing brain at this stage and what they're naturally hungry to learn as a result,” Rolph tells Cosmopolitan. “This is a time of many changes, cognitively and with their fine and gross motor skills.” Although it may be overlooked by those, ahem, presenting presents to the bundle of joy’s family, the needs of a 6-month-old significantly differ from younger and older children.
“Younger babies aren't yet able to reach and grab—they may follow objects with their eyes or swat out at them, but aren't usually able to intentionally grasp an object,” Dr. Cantor notes. “Older children can reach and grab and will crawl or scoot to go seek out objects they're interested in. Six-month-olds typically are dependent on adults to put objects within their reach. Many toys that interest babies at six months will continue to interest them when they're older; children will just use them in different ways. That's why it's important to select toys that will ‘grow with’ the child.”
Rolph further explains that while there’s a wide range of where a 6-month-old can be developmentally at this age (i.e. experimenting with sitting, banging objects on surfaces, rolling over, or even starting to eat solids), “anything that supports their developing skills through play and connection with their caregiver makes a thoughtful gift for a 6-month-old.”
Additionally, Dr. Cantor and Rolph point out that by the time a baby is 6 months old, they can see in color and three dimensions—making it ideal to introduce high contrast images. “Until about 12 months, babies take in more information through their mouths than they do through their fingers. Give 6-month-olds safe toys to explore with their mouths,” Rolph says, while Dr. Cantor adds, “Six-month-olds are usually not able to get themselves into a sitting position, but they enjoy sitting on adult laps and holding objects in their hands, or lying on their backs and reaching up or to the side for toys. When lying on their stomachs, they can reach out to the side to grab objects.”
In an effort to help make your quest for the best gifts for 6-month-olds easier, we’ve compiled 24 totally safe and helpful products that both the baby and parents will appreciate.
Below, check out even more great gift ideas that are appropriate for a 6-month-old.
“Six-month-olds enjoy lying under these frames and looking up at the toys and reaching for them,” says Dr. Cantor. “They will be especially interested in reaching for toys that make noise or can be grabbed and mouthed.”
Improving motor skills is the name of the game with this toy that encourages crawling and grasping. Additionally, it aids in the little one’s balance and coordination.
Babies like looking at other babies, it’s just a fact! This book shows classic expressions they’ll learn to imitate, such as pouts, wrinkly noses, and more.
Need more of a reason why this is a great buy? According to Dr. Cantor, “Babies are never too young for books, and 6-month-olds love looking at and holding small books. They are mostly interested in books as objects—seeing that the pages move, holding the books, mouthing them, and looking at the colors/illustrations. Sometimes they may be interested in being read to, but probably won't make it through a whole book.”
So you’ve got facial expressions down, now it’s time to take things a step further. Clap Hands has simple pictures and actions that adults can do with babies.
This motorized crawl toy challenges and encourages babies learning to crawl by using colorful lights, energetic tunes, and buzzing sounds.
If you want to make things a bit more personal, this photo book gives you the option to load it with family pictures and other memorable moments parents can look through with their child.
“Six-month-olds are several months away from being able to actually stack cups, but they're very interested in picking up, mouthing, and banging brightly colored cups of varying sizes,” says Dr. Cantor. “As they grow, babies will nest the cups inside each other, use them to fill and dump, and then begin stacking them. Stacking cups have many uses and will interest children for years.”
Teething is not a fun period for anyone (parents included). This pacifier is made with 100 percent soft silicone and textured with patented BerryBumps to soothe sore, swollen gums.
Ensure the little one always gets put down to sleep in the sweetest way with this lullaby tool that projects images and has sounds and lullabies. Lullabies include: Heartbeat, Gentle Rain, Ocean Waves, Twinkle, Twinkle, Rock-A-Bye Baby, and Cradle Song.
Having a soft frame mirror of their own will let them see themselves in a new light. As an extra baby-friendly feature, this mirror has a rotating clicking bee.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I have a vivid memory of my mom reading Rainbow Fish to me as a child. The vibrant, vivid colors stuck with me, and this bath book is sure to bring them joy while they’re scrubba dub dubbing!
Baby Einstein Cal's Smart Sounds Symphony Magic Touch Wooden Electronic Activity Toy
At this age, hearing a new sound is everything. This toy will make it so Baby can play around with the different modes (instrument, color/animal, and freestyle) and lean into their musical side.
Don’t underestimate the power of purchasing some plain and simple, colorful blocks as a gift. These 10 baby blocks are soft, squeezable, and have hand-sculpted designs that elevate the experience of discovering colors and numbers.
It’s never too early to learn how to take a selfie—or at least attempt to. This toy phone has a mirror-like surface where they can add some goofy glasses or dog ears to their own face.
Not the most glamorous or traditionally fun gift, but this will be one present they’re sure to enjoy—and by that I mean enjoy so much, they’ll fall right to sleep.
I know I mentioned kids grow up so fast it’s almost pointless spending tons of money on clothes. But this one is just too cute not to grab, plus it’s only $5 rn!
Another option to soothe the painful teething process are these ice gel teether keys. For an added bonus, put them in the fridge to give that extra cool feel.
Made specifically for children of this age, the Senser Play Kit from Lovevery picked out items that meet the developmental stage they are in. It comes with a spinning rainbow, magic tissue box, magic tissues, play socks, time wobbler, organic cotton rainbow ball, and the Parts of Me book.
Transitioning out of crawling is made easy with this walker. It has lights, songs, and sounds that will stimulate the baby's senses as they learn to put their feet to the ground when moving around.
Squares, triangles, circles, and more. Getting familiar with the different types of geometric figures can be done by tapping in this friendly butterfly toy.
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