Baby Stocking Stuffers

Last Updated on October 13, 2026 by Jordyn Koveleski Gorman

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The holidays will be here soon, but you’re stumped on stocking stuffers. Especially when it’s stocking stuffers for an infant. Well, have no fear! We’ve stuffed our fair share of stockings for littles and have lots of ideas that are practical, fun, and cute. Read on for more!

How to choose stocking stuffers for an infant

Here are the things we focus on when choosing stocking stuffers for infants:

Think practical – What items will your baby actually use? Not every stocking stuffer needs to be fun and exciting, especially when it comes to infants. Many babies won’t even fully understand what’s happening as you unwrap their gifts, so practical items can be just as exciting for parents as toys are for little ones!

Consider age & developmental milestones – Is your baby approaching 6 months? That’s typically when babies begin exploring solid foods, making a fun bib or a set of baby spoons a great stocking stuffer. Maybe your infant is nearing their first birthday and beginning to develop finger isolation. A small Poke-A-Dot book could be a fun way to encourage this emerging skill!

Is it developmentally appropriate? – Choose items that match your baby’s current abilities and interests. We want gifts to encourage exploration and learning without overwhelming or frustrating little ones. Think about what your baby can do right now, what skills they’re working on, and what they might be ready to explore next.

Is it safe? – Safety is especially important when choosing gifts for infants. Avoid items with small parts that pose a choking risk. Consider the materials used in toys and accessories, too, and and opt for safer options like food-grade silicone, wood, or BPA-free plastic.

What does your baby love? – Maybe they have a favorite character, or their eyes light up whenever you bring out the farm animals. Let your baby’s interests guide you when choosing more playful stocking stuffers, like toys and books.

Top Picks for Baby Stocking Stuffers

Read on for our favorite stocking stuffers for infants, whether you’re shopping for a newborn or a 9 month old! These picks are practical, age-appropriate, and many encourage learning through play.

01. Baby Books

Baby Books as Stocking Stuffers

Price: $5-$15
Age recommendation: 0 months+

When looking for baby stocking stuffers, you know we are going to suggest books! Reading to your baby is one of the single most important things you can do for their language development. It provides a great bonding opportunity as well. There are so many baby books we love! When choosing books for babies, we recommend looking for options that have short and simple language to match your baby’s attention span. 

Look for baby books with touch and feel sensory elements, simple language, colorful illustrations, and opportunities to imitate. Small board books are great for little hands to touch. For young infants, look for high-contrast books or soft crinkle books you can fold and fit in the stocking! 

02. Tummy Time Toys

Favorite Tummy Time Toys

Price: $5-$20
Age recommendation: 0-5 months

Tummy time helps to strengthen baby’s head, neck, shoulders, arms, and core muscles. Building strength is essential because it helps baby prepare for future milestones like rolling, sitting, and crawling. So tummy time toys hit all the boxes for stocking stuffers for infants. They’re practical, focus on developmental skills, and foster playtime at a young age.

When baby does tummy time, they are building gross motor skills. Tummy time encourages reaching and grasping. It also encourages sensory exploration as baby explores their environment from a new perspective.

High-contrast toys for tummy time are easier for newborns to see and support visual development. They help strengthen eye muscles, encourage tracking, and hold a newborn’s attention more effectively than low-contrast items. Not only that, but they stimulate brain development as well. When babies look at bold, contrasting patterns, it activates neural pathways that support early cognitive growth.

Look for high-contrast rattles, crinkle toys, or toys that can be sat up during tummy time. Usually these options are compact enough to fit into a stocking. They’re developmentally appropriate and typically lower in cost!

03. Baby Cups

As your baby approaches 4-6 months, feeding tools are a practical stocking stuffer that you’ll definitely use. We have multiple baby cups we recommend that fit perfectly in any stocking.

Open Cups

Price: Under $10
Age recommendation: ~6 months

A small, open cup like these is a great choice for babies! They’re easy for little hands to hold and have a nice, sturdy weight at the bottom.

One of my favorite tips to share with parents is to fill the cup to the brim with a familiar purée that baby has already tried on a spoon. Bring the cup to baby’s lips so they can immediately taste what’s inside! This also means you don’t have to tilt the cup very much to help them get a sip.

Over time, you can gradually thin the purée with water, helping baby work toward drinking plain water. Learning this skill takes time, and independent drinking from an open cup isn’t expected until around 18 months. Starting at 6 months gives baby plenty of time to practice and build confidence!

Olababy Straw Cup

Price: Under $20
Age recommendation: ~6 months

I love that it’s made from silicone and has a straw stopper so your baby can’t pull the straw out. It has a weighted bottom so it’s harder to knock over, and it’s a great size for little hands. You can use it as a straw cup and an open cup.

My FAVORITE part is that it teaches straw drinking! Plug the hole in the lid with your finger and gently squeeze the cup so liquid goes up the straw and into baby’s mouth. They quickly learn that if they suck on the straw, liquid will come up. It’s a great option for water, smoothies, and milk!

Thermos Funtainer

Price: Under $20
Age recommendation: ~10 months

Our favorite water bottle for traveling and on-the-go. It’s easy to pop in the diaper bag and not worry about it spilling. The straw doesn’t have a valve, so it doesn’t make little ones suck too hard or use their teeth

This is my favorite travel cup for littles 10 months and older since it’s very easy to open and shut. The straw is skinnier, so not as much liquid can be sucked through! It also comes in lots of sizes and colors! Great for water and milk!

04. Teethers

Teething toys provide valuable oral sensory input as babies mouth and chew on them. They also give babies the opportunity to explore a variety of textures. This supports sensory development and body awareness. 

They’re small and low cost making them perfect stocking stuffers for infants. A bonus: they come in so many cute and colorful designs! This is a fun and practical option for stocking stuffers. 

Best First Teether

Nuby Silicone Teether

Price: Under $10
Age recommendation: ~3 months

This is my FAVORITE infant teether! It’s a product I recommend for baby registries, and I buy one for every new mom I know.

The bristles on this teether are soothing to a baby’s gums. It doesn’t go too far back in the mouth, and its ring shape makes it easy for your baby to hold and mouth. It comes with a hygienic carrying case so you can easily pop into the diaper bag for traveling.

Start offering this teether to your baby around 3 months of age. Continue to use it when their baby teeth start erupting around 6 months!

Favorite Overall Infant Teether

Comotomo Silicone Teether

Price: Under $10
Age recommendation: ~4 months+

This “octopus” teether is one of the best teething toys for baby because it’s easy to grasp and mouth. I recommend introducing this teether around 4-5 months of age. Continue to offer it during play as your baby nears 1 year old.

Best Firm Teether for Older Babies & Toddlers

Ark Y Chew Teether

Price: Under $15
Age recommendation: ~9 months+

This is a tough teether and great for building jaw strength. All of Ark’s teethers are designed to promote oral motor development and support sensory needs. The shorter ends of the teether are great for biting on both sides.

I recommend offering this baby teether around 9 months as chewing skills continue to build for harder foods. Keep offering it well into toddlerhood, especially if your little one likes to chew on things!

05. Baby Toys

Look for classic developmental toys for babies that are small enough to fit in a stocking. Consider the age of your baby and the longevity of the toy. For example, is it a toy that can grow with your little one? 

Here are some options for baby stocking stuffers that are smaller in size and affordable in price. They pack a punch with skill development, too!

If your baby is in the newborn stage, look for high-contrast books or toys to add. Consider high-contrast rattles, crinkle toys, or teethers. 

O-Ball

Price: Under $5
Age recommendation: 0-6 months

This is a classic gift for a little one under 6 months. It supports grasping which is a skill we expect to emerge between 3-4 months of age and refine closer to 6 months. Its colorful design is great for a little one’s eyesight. As your baby grows, you can use this as a ball to roll back and forth while practicing sitting up and balance.

Stacking Cups

Price: Under $10
Age recommendation: 3 months+

Stacking cups are an affordable, versatile educational toy that offers many ways to play as your child grows.

Stack the cups and encourage your little one to reach and knock them down. You can let your baby explore the cups and experiment with banging them together, or use them as bath toys. As your baby grows, they’ll experiment with stacking and nesting the cups which fosters problem solving and fine motor skills.

Sassy Stacking Toy

Price: Under $15
Age recommendation: 6 months+

A ring stacker like this is a fun toy that can be played with differently as your baby grows. When your little one starts to sit, lay the stacker on its side and let your new sitter pull the rings “off”. Then model placing them back “on”. As they grow, they can work on stacking from biggest to smallest and more!

06. Baby Spoons & Utensils

Baby Spoons for Starting Solids

Price: $5-10
Age recommendation: ~6-9 months+

If your baby is approaching 6 months, they’ll be starting solids soon! Baby spoons and other feeding utensils are practical stocking stuffers for infants. They’re inexpensive and provide tons of value because you’ll be using them every day!

Favorite Baby Spoons

Lalo Little Spoons

Price: Under $10
Age recommendation: ~4-6 months+

This is one of the best baby spoons because of its small size and soft silicone. It’s a great first spoon for babies starting starting solids. The scoop of the spoon is more shallow. This makes it easier for babies to close their mouth on it and get good lip closure.

07. Bibs

Bibs for Babies & Toddlers

Price: $10-20
Age recommendation: 3 months+

The ultimate practical stocking stuffer for an infant that truly benefits the adults, too. There are so many cute options! Whether you’re dealing with constant drool, starting solids, or navigating full-on toddler self-feeding adventures, choosing the right style and material can make a big difference! We broke down our favorite baby bibs and smocks to make life a little less messy.

08. Baby Snacks

If your baby is around 6 months of age, stuffing some yummy snacks in the stocking is a great idea! Think: yogurt melts, pouches, and dissolvable snacks like puffs. Here are some of our favorite baby snacks made with real food ingredients.

Serenity Kids Organic Pouches

Price: ~3.50/pouch
Age recommendation: 6 months+

When in doubt (or in a hurry!) grab a pouch. I like Serenity Kids pouches because they’re made with real, clean ingredients and they focus on meats and vegetables. It’s a hydrating snack that packs a nutrient punch.

Pro tip: use one of these pouch holders so your baby doesn’t squeeze everything out on themselves!

Mission Mighty Me Nutty Puffs

Price: ~$6/bag
Age recommendation: 6 months+

These baby puffs are one of the best ways to introduce peanuts to babies. Made with minimal ingredients and part of the Clean Label Project, these nutty puffs are over 50% peanuts. Research shows early, regular peanut exposure can cut the risk of peanut allergy by up to 80%.

Amara Smoothie Melts

Price: ~$5/bag
Age recommendation: 9 months+

I love Amara smoothie melts because they only have four simple ingredients. They’re gluten free and dairy free snacks that babies (and toddlers) will love! They melt in your little one’s mouth, so they’re perfect for new chewers. Their small size is great for babies working on their pincer grasp, too.

09. Pajamas

When choosing baby pajamas, go with 100% cotton when you can. It’s a natural fiber that’s soft and breathable for a baby’s delicate skin. We love Burt’s Bees baby pajamas, but there are so many cute baby pajamas to choose from!

Burt’s Bees Baby Pajamas

Price: Under $20
Sizes: Newborn+

We love the playful prints Burt’s Bees offers for boys and girls. They also have great gender neutral options as well! I keep coming back to these time and time again because they’re made of organic cotton and wash and wear super well. They’re a family favorite and the size range allows you to do sibling matching pajamas, too!

10. Bathtime Essentials

Bath Favorites

Price: $10-30
Age recommendation: 0 months+

Bathtime essentials and hygiene products are essential and practical. Some great baby stocking stuffers include a set of new washcloths, hooded towels, new mold-free bath toys – or go super practical and buy some baby wash!

11. Baby Socks & Accessories

Baby Accessories

Price: $8-20
Age recommendation: 0 months +

Don’t forget about things like cozy baby socks and slippers, or some baby accessories! These are practical, inexpensive options that can fill those stockings. Baby sunglasses are another good option to give your little one the sun protection they need. When the warm weather comes, you’ll be prepared!

Looking for more?

Find gift ideas for baby’s first Christmas!

Looking for stocking stuffers for yourself? Send our favorite stocking stuffers for moms to whoever will be filling your stocking this year!