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The Tot Guide to Sensory Toys & Play for Babies – Birth to 12 months

When it comes to a baby’s cognitive and physical development, sensory play is an integral component. In this guide, we look at the benefits of sensory play, outline important developmental milestones and share our favorite non-toxic sensory toy picks!

A baby playing with the Hevea sensory rubber star ball

Elisse Gabriel Senior Writer & Editor

If you’re looking for ways to help your baby’s cognitive and physical development, then sensory play is something you’re going to want to know about!

To help you fully understand the concept and find the right non-toxic toys for your tot, we’ll go over:

What sensory play is
The benefits of sensory play for babies
Sensory play & developmental milestones – The First Year
The best types of sensory toys for babies by age

Scroll down to learn more!

What is Sensory Play?

Wee Gallery Bath Book

While sensory play will look different as your baby gets older each day, it’s essentially any type of play that helps a baby develop their eyesight, hearing, touch, taste, smell and sense of balance.

Examples of sensory play with a baby include:

Playing peekaboo. (This shows a baby that even though they can’t see something, it still exists aka object permeance.)
Encouraging them to touch and explore a multi-textured teether. (This helps them prepare for trying solids.)
Filling up and dumping cups of sand. (This allows them to have a tactile experience with nature, while also honing their hand-eye coordination.)
Dribbling water onto a color changing surface. (This demonstrates cause and effect.)
Climbing on a Pikler Triangle. (This is important for developing a sense of balance.)
Smelling scented play dough, flowers or food. (This provides a pleasurable or calming aromatic experience.)

All of these types of activities are designed to help your baby understand the world around them while helping their physical and cognitive development.

The Benefits of Sensory Play for Babies

Wee Gallery Fox Rattle

The benefits of sensory play include, but are not limited to:

Building important nerve connections between the body and the brain
Developing both fine and gross motor skills
Developing a sense of self and relationship with the outside world
Ability to focus on an object and concentrate for a longer period of time
Building confidence and problem-solving skills
Demonstrates opposites such as: wet vs dry, smooth vs rough and hot vs cold
Can be calming for anxious kids
Can help a fussy eater overcome food texture issues

When done alongside active and open-ended play, sensory play will be an integral part of your child’s early learning and development.

Sensory Play & Developmental Milestones – The First Year

While it’s important to show your baby high contrast illustrations and help them touch and explore a range of textures and sounds from Day 1, babies don’t usually start grasping objects until around three months of age.

In the first few months of your baby’s life, it’s best to stick to lightweight toys (like a crocheted rattle) that your baby can easily handle and explore. You can also hang a mobile or toy over their play area for them to look and bat at.

Because it will take some time for your baby to gain the strength needed to reach for, grasp, shake, and bring an object to their mouth, it may not be until 6 or 8 months that they’ll be able to play with toys like balls, blocks and shape sorters, which allows them to use their imaginations and problem-solving skills.

Below is a breakdown of infant developmental milestones and when you can expect your baby to start hitting them.

By 3 months, your baby may reach the following developmental milestones:

Stretch out their arms and legs
Open and close their hands
Raise their head and shoulders 45 to 90 degrees when lying on their tummy
Support their upper body with their forearms
Bear some weight on their legs and push down with their feet when held in a standing position
Bring their hands to their mouth
Swipe at objects
Grasp and shake toys (but no reaching yet)
Follow objects 180 degrees with their eyes
Lift their head to look for sounds
Begin to babble, coo, squeal and make simple vowel sounds such as “ooh” and “ah”
Begin to imitate sounds, facial expressions and movements
Smile at the sound of a parent’s voice

By 6 Months

Hold their head steady
Lift their chest and part of their tummy off the floor by bearing weight on their hands
Roll over in both directions
Sit with their back straight when propped up or begin to sit unsupported
Bear most of their weight when held upright and they may even bounce
Rock back and forth when lying on their tummy and they might start to push themselves backward
Grasp and study small objects
Be curious about objects around them and try to grab things that are out of reach
Respond to their name
Respond to sounds and express their emotions by making sounds
String vowels together such as “oh” “ah” “eh” or try to copy your speech
Enjoy playing, especially with their parents

By 12 Months

Stand alone and attempt their first steps alone
Walk with only one of their hands being held
Sit down from standing
Use their hands and fingers to feed themselves
Explore objects in many ways, including, shaking, banging, throwing and dropping
Start to use objects correctly, such as drinking from a cup or brushing their hair
Turn book pages and recognize some pictures when they’re named
Put out an arm or leg to help when getting dressed
Follow fast-moving objects with their eyes
Find hidden objects easily
Say a few words, such as “mama”, “dada” and “uh-oh!”
Try to imitate words you say
Use simple gestures like shaking their head “no” and/ or waving “bye”
Respond to simple verbal requests such as “pick up the toy”
Repeat sounds or gestures to capture attention
Be fearful in some situations
Show affection
Show a preference for some people and toys

The best types of sensory toys for babies by age

At The Tot, we never use or recommended anything that hasn’t passed The Tot Safety Test. This means we’ve looked deep into third-party testing, examined ingredients lists and asked in-depth questions about a product’s composition.

When it comes to toys for babies, we always avoid the following chemicals because they have been suspected to cause a variety of health concerns such as cancer, endocrine disruption, allergic reactions, brain damage and behavioral issues.

Bisphenols (BPA + BPS)
PVC
Harmful Phthalates
Added formaldehyde
Pesticides + Herbicides
Carcinogenic and allergy-inducing dyes
Heavy metals

Click here for the full list of ingredients we avoid and why.

Scroll down to see our favorite Tot Tested and approved sensory toy picks for babies by age.

0 – 3 Months

Monti Kids Activity Gym Lifestyle Image with Baby

PlanToys Mobile

Made from solid and sustainable rubber wood, the PlanToys Mobile is a great way to add style to your tot’s play space while allowing them to strengthen their eyesight and learn to focus on an object.