The Skill Building Guide
When your little one is working towards that next skill: sitting, crawling, walking, etc., it can be hard to know WHICH TOYS help the most with those skills! We created the Skill Building Guide to take the guesswork out! See each area below and a description of the toy and how to use it! Let’s build on those skills!
Crinkle Fish: This doubles as a book AND a toy! I love that it has little flaps to encourage reaching and grasping, a teether, a squeaker, AND a mirror. It’s a great toy for the car, tummy time, and while sitting on your lap! Put it out in front of baby as they lay on their tummy and watch them reach! Hold it up above their head a little so they lift their head (around 2 months we expect that head up 45 degrees or higher for short periods of time!)
Little Einstein Musical Toy: Perfect for 3 months and older, this rattle plays the best classical beats and motivates baby to keep hitting that big button to hear more! Great for a baby who has their head up more in tummy time and is looking to start pushing up on palms soon (expected around 4-5 months).
Rolly Poly Owl: We have this and love it to engage baby in sensory play with bouncy balls, glowing lights and fun songs and sounds. Put it out in front of baby and see their head lift high and as they get older they may push up on palms and try to reach out and smack it!
Contrast Book: A soft cloth book is a must have for baby. High contrast images are excellent to keep attention as baby’s eyesight increases, and you can machine wash it. Hold it up a little above baby’s head to they try to lift their head up. And move it left to right to help baby track (expected around 2-3 months in tummy time!)
Farmyard Tummy Time Book: This book folds into a three-sided tummy time toy! It has a mirror, soft pages to turn, and lots of bright colors! Books that double as toys are a great way to expose baby to even more reading time in fun ways! Great toy to put in tummy time from the start!
Don’t Tickle the Bear!: Sound books are so much fun to introduce early, as they keep baby’s attention and give them something to look forward to on each page! As baby can push up on palms (4-5 months), this is a great book to do in tummy time so baby can shift weight on palms.
Never Touch a Koala!: You can never go wrong with books! I love these because of the fun colors and the way it integrates sensory play while reading. Prompt your 5-6 month old to reach out and scratch the book in tummy time, and turn the pages.
Tummy Time Water Mat: This viral mat really does keep baby’s attention! As they move and lay on it, the pieces inside move around and keep baby’s attention! As they get older, they will tap and reach for the mat too. Great bang for your buck!
Crinkle Contrast Book: We know that babies cannot see so well early on, so the higher contrast the toys, the better! It keeps baby’s attention and helps them scan the pages. Soft books are also easier for baby to hold and explore. Put out in front of baby once they can get their head up some and see if they will try to reach for it to hear the crinkle sounds!
Kick and Play Gym: Yes, it busts out the most annoying tunes and it’s not aesthetically pleasing, BUT it’s a great toy! For tummy time, kicking those feet in the play gym, reaching for toys, you name it- it does it! It’s a registry staple and great for babies 0-6 months. Place baby on their belly with their head near the piano and see them try and lift to see the keys change color!
See Me Floor Mirror: This is my favorite floor time mirror for a few reasons! It has a little rolling ball at the bottom so when baby reaches for it, the ball spins! It also has crinkle components and the mirror is large, so baby can see themselves well. Great to use from the start!
Montessori Spin Drum: This toy prompts baby to reach out and touch/spin the spinner- so it’s great for keeping their attention and giving them something to watch. It can grow with baby, too, so you can use in tummy time first and then as they start working on sitting balance, as well as modeling words like “more, go, stop, spin.”
Nuby Teether: This is my favorite first teether for baby! It is easy to hold, doesn’t go back too far in the mouth, has subtle bristles that give some texture, and it comes with its own hygienic carrying case. Start using around 3 months!
Avocado Guitar: A FAVE! Baby will love to try and spin the avocado pit, push the light up buttons, and hear the riffs on the guitar. It’s been a favorite for my littles from 3-18 months!
Goodnight, Chameleon: Felt flaps, need I say more? Baby can’t rip them! I only wish there were more! Goodnight, Owl is another option, and each book is filled with colorful pages, big flaps for easy grasping, and fun animals hid beneath each flap. Perfect to introduce around 4-6 months and continue into toddlerhood!
Rattle Teether Toy: With so many different loops, this toy is great for grasping! It shakes and rattles to keep baby engaged. Great for 3 months +
Hedgehog Grasping Toy: A great first rattle and has pointed teether parts on top that are great for mouthing! I recommend introducing around 2-3 months once baby starts reaching for items in the play gym. Bringing a toy like this to their mouth is usually the first step for self-feeding (already, I know, how cool right?!)
Spaceship Teether: A toy and teether all in one. The silicone strings have bumpy textures on the ends that provide some texture, and they are easy to hold and mouth! This is a great toy to keep hands busy in a restaurant or in the car, too! I recommend for 6 months +!
Baby Banana Brush: A great first toothbrush for baby before their first tooth erupts. It’s easy to hold as it has two little handles, and the bristles provide nice texture to baby’s oral sensory system. I recommend introducing around 3 months of age, help baby hold at first, and then let them play and mouth it!
Comotomo: My all-time favorite teether! It is easy to hold and has finger-like stubs that are great for baby to chomp on, without them going too far back to constantly gag! I recommend introducing this one around 4-5 months of age and continue to offer in play as baby nears 1.
O-Ball: This is a classic gift for a little one under 6 months. It supports grasping (a skill we expect to emerge between 3-4 months of age and refine closer to 6 months), and it’s colorful design is great for a little one’s eyesight. For just a few bucks, it’s a great toy!
Don’t Tickle The Hippo: Touch-and-feel mixed with sound books are great, as baby can imitate by reaching and touching the spots you touch AND by trying to imitate the sound on each page! There are several books in this series and this is one of my faves!
Lalo Play Gym: This play gym is very lightweight and can go wherever you are easily! The black and white links are very durable, high contrast and motivate baby to reach and grab them. Plus they are nice and thick silicone for grasping and using as a teether. Hang other faves from the bar for variety. “EATPLAYSAY” saves 10%.
Sticky Spinner: Great for the high chair or when you’re out at a restaurant to keep hands busy. Reach and spin the spinner to hear it jingle. Reaching while sitting is a great precursor skill for self-feeding!
Musical Learning Table: Perfect for a new sitter to explore - flip the pages, push buttons, listen to music and more. It can be placed on top of a couch to be used while standing, too!
Activity Cube: We LOVE this cube- perfect for a new sitter, stander, walker, and toddler, too! Spin the sides while sitting, push the beads on the track while standing, and label the animals, too.
Tissue Box Toy: This is such a great toy for a new sitter, and for baby practicing pinching skills, too! Baby can reach in and take out a colorful “tissue.” Put it on your head and “sneeze” it off, too as a fun game.
Bongos: Another musical toy that Penelope loved! Model words like “bang, boom, tap.” A fun toy for learning cause and effect, and engaging baby. Great way to get those arms moving while sitting!
Suction Spinner Toys: We love these! Fun for the bath, or suctioning on a window or the high chair. Good for busy hands on a flight or at a restaurant too!
Farmyard Cube: My daughter really liked this one! Baby can do hands-on play with crinkle pages, mirrors, and listen to melodies. Plus the big cube is great for new sitters as they find their balance. They can lean a little on the cube if they need help getting back into a fully upright position.
Pop Up Toy: This is a great toy for baby who has started sitting up with support or who is pushing up high in tummy time! They can easily push down the pop ups and you can model functional words like “up, down, more, pop” and signs like up and down and clapping, too!
B Toys Musical Instruments: Musical toys are a fun way to engage with your child and make different sounds! Work on sitting with or without support and model words like, “bang, boom, shake, tap.”
Pounding Bench: This was one of Penelope’s favorites and Paul still plays with it, too! Great for functional play, practicing and developing fine motor skills.
Ring Stacker: Lay the stacker on its side and let your little sitter pull the rings “off”, then model placing them back “on”.
Make a Noise!: One of my faves and only $5! It prompts imitation through sounds. Baby has so much fun imitating and making animal noises together! Plus this is a great book to model page-turning as it’s small and the edges are easy to grab and turn.
Melissa & Doug Pull-Back Cars: These were a huge hit with Paul and continue to be. Pull them back and watch them go - a great motivator for littles learning to crawl. I love these because they grow with your little one!
Green Toys Dump Truck: I absolutely love the durability of Green Toys. These trucks can go indoors or outdoors! Model words like “bumpy, scoop, dump, go!” Model pushing it while crawling!
Step Stool: You may be thinking: “this doesn’t look like a toy.” But it’s super functional to help baby get into a side sitting position and to get on their hands and knees. Then use it in toddlerhood to reach the sink or go to the potty!
Piano Mat: A fun musical toy that gets babies motivated to crawl as they hit, crawl, or walk on the keys the piano plays!
Press & Go Toy: This is a great motivator to get baby on hands and knees and moving!
Lalo Play Tent: The play opportunities with the tent are endless. Play peekaboo or hide and seek to motivate baby to crawl and find you! Then use for pretend play in toddlerhood and make the tent into a grocery store, car wash, or movie theater! “EATPLAYSAY” saves 10%.
Collapsible Crawling Tunnel: It fans out to be a big toy, but folds up to fit in the closet! This is a great indoor play toy to motivate baby to crawl. Pop some toys in there and encourage baby to get them and “bring them back.”
If You’re Happy and You Know It: The big green button is a huge motivator! Put this book on the floor and press the button to hear the song! Then wait and see if baby will try to make their way over to you to press it themselves! Then work on gestures like clapping, stomping feet, and putting arms up!
Frog Pull Toy: Hape toys are great quality and this “pullfrog” (get it?!) is great to use as you motivate your little one to crawl. Pull it on the floor in front of them and let them watch the frog open and shut his mouth as he catches flies. Model language like, “stop, go, open, shut” as well! They can start pulling this along with them as they start to walk, too!
Skip Hop 3-in-1 Crawling Toy: This buzzing bee is a 3-in-1 toy that starts as a rattle and then turns into a musical buzzing bee that moves in circles and lights up. Once your little one gets confident crawling, the third setting moves the bee in random patterns that encourage more crawling and chasing after it!
Shaking/Dancing Ball: This bouncy, jumping ball moves all over the place and catches baby’s attention. The bumps on the ball make for easy grasping and also provide different textures for sensory input.
Busy Ball Popper: Great for practicing functional language! Use for requesting more, practicing early sounds, and working on fine motor skills. The balls pop out and go different directions. Encourage your little one to crawl to get the balls and bring them back to you and do it all over again!
Hape Wooden Bead Maze/Activity Table: So fun and colorful, your little one can work on standing and putting weight on their feet while playing with the bead maze and jungle train on this activity table.
Wiwiurka Kids Bench/Table: A 2-in-1 table and piece of climbing furniture. In climbing mode it’s great for littles learning to pull to stand as the rungs are different heights. Put something on the top to tempt your little one to pull up and grab it. Then use as a desk in toddlerhood for snacks and more climbing adventures.
Baby Einstein Musical Activity Table: These are great for a little one just starting to stand. Baby can reach the piano and other buttons on their knees and then move to standing and weight-bearing.
Baby Sit-to-Stand Walker: This toy is a 3-in-1! It can be a walker, an activity table to stand at and play, or it can convert to a drawing board.
Wooden Activity Cube: Another fun toy that can be moved from the floor to a couch for baby to stand and play with it. While standing, baby is working on balance and developing confidence to cruise eventually.
VTech Activity Table: This activity table has lots to see and do, including a xylophone for your little one to work on pounding. As your little one develops strength from standing, you might see them start to cruise and work their way to different sides of the table to reach different lights and buttons!
Wooden Bead Maze: I like this one because it’s portable and you can move it from the floor, to the table, or even sit it on the couch. Baby can practice standing at the couch and using fine motor skills to move the beads. We know confidence with standing helps lead to cruising, too. So when baby is confident standing and playing at the couch, move it to the other side of the couch to encourage them to cruise!
Radio Flyer Push & Play Cube: This one is so cool - an activity cube on wheels that can be used while sitting, learning to stand, and practice walking. It grows with your child! I love the built-in storage and the other activities on it that strengthen fine motor skills.
Baby Einstein Curiosity Table: This table is unique because it includes STEAM activities like gears and color circuits. It has tons of musical melodies and is a good size, so multiple little ones can play together.
VTech Learning Walker: My favorite walker. Great for the sitting baby to learn and explore the board in the front, and then it transitions to a walker that they can use as they get more stable!
Melissa & Doug Chomp & Clack Walker: A great wooden walker option that makes fun noises as baby pushes it forward!
Playskool Walk & Ride: This walker can also be ridden on, too! Another great option that your little one can use more than one way.
See Kai Run Sneakers: Paul has these and I love them! A great shoe for toddlers with a wide toe base and flexible sole. A perfect first walking shoe. They are also very easy to practice putting on and taking off for older toddlers, as it is one Velcro strap across.
Melissa & Doug Shopping Cart: A great addition to any play kitchen or pretend play with food. Practice going to the grocery store, start labeling foods and more. Use it as a walker first and then in pretend play!
Fisher Price Corn Popper Push Toy: A total classic! This encourages little one to walk and can also start to teach them cause and effect with the popping balls.
VTech Sit to Stand Alphabet Train: This is such a versatile toy! The blocks go down the shoot and into the back of the train, and you can push them into the side of the train, too. Label the common objects on the blocks, follow directions for “in, on, down” and also ride on the train as a fun gross motor experience!
Step2 Shopping Cart: Another shopping cart to couple with a play kitchen, or just practice everyday routines like going to the store. Use it as a walker and then for pretend play!
Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Vacuum: Perfect for the little one who loves to help around the house - and musical fun, too. Love how it can be a walker first and then a great pretend play toy for toddlerhood.
VTech Pop-a-Balls Push Bulldozer: As your little one pushes the bulldozer, balls pop out and land in the scooper! Then as they keep pushing it, the scooper lifts up and dumps the ball back in the shoot! So much fun to see the balls “pop” out and “scoop” back in. The language and movement opportunities are endless!
See and Say Musical Toy: One of my favorite toys for imitation! Have fun with mimicking animals noises and sounds, and pair signs with spoken language.
Fisher Price Shape Sorter: This toy can be used for multiple purposes! Model words like “in” and “out” as you load the shapes in and out of the bucket. Stack the shapes and build a tower, label shapes and colors, and then move on to sorting the shapes and putting them through the matching holes.
1, 2, 3 Do The Shark: This cute book is full of movement and prompts your little one to move their body and imitate! You sing a cute little song throughout that your little one will want to hear again and again.
Squawk, Toucan!: One of my most recommended books, this short board book has a moving mouth at the end that helps you really emphasize the animal sounds! Your little one will love the moveable mouth and be more motivated to imitate as it moves!
Maracas & Shaker Egg Set: A colorful musical toy that your little will love! Model the word “shake” and “dance” as you make music. As your little one grows into toddlerhood they will continue to play, too! Take turns making music back and forth.
Animated Flappy Elephant: Meet Flappy the singing elephant! This little guy is great for interactive play. Flappy plays peekaboo behind his ears and sings along with your little one. Play peek-a-boo with your little one after playing with Flappy!
Spinner Toy: Stack the discs by color or size, model “ready, set, go” and watch the discs spin down the pole. This toy builds anticipation and littles get so excited playing with it! As they grow, they put the pieces on themselves!
Animal Babies Sound Book: This is great for modeling and mimicking animal sounds! Plus it’s only a few bucks!
Xylophone: Another fun musical toy! Model words like “bang, boom, tap.” As your little one grows into toddlerhood they will continue to play, too!
Farm Animal Sounds Puzzle: Perfect to motivate your little one to imitate! Remove the puzzle piece and put it back to hear the sound! Also great to work on pinching (15 month milestone)!
See, Touch, Feel: One of my favorite books for incorporating sensory play. It has raised textures, finger trails, and more. Take turns scratching the ribs on the xylophone or banging the drum. Super interactive!
Soft Blocks w/Silicone Inserts: Stack a tower and watch it fall down. As you stack the blocks, model the word “up” or “on top,” then when your little one knocks it down model words like, “down, crash.”
This toy gets a special shout out because it is so engaging and helpful for little ones! Your baby can imitate body movements like “putting in” or “feeding” the pelican and imitate noises like “yum! Mmmmm!” while feeding him!
Brown Bear, Brown Bear Slide and Find: The book is great for finger isolation (15 month milestone)- work on using the pointer finger to slide the flaps and find the animals.
Bubble Machine: We love this bubble machine! When Paul was 15 months we would go outside and use pointer finger to pop the bubbles!
Slide and See Nighttime: A great interactive book for toddlers! Slide a picture on each page to watch the animals move!
Peekaboo Farm: A cute book with lots of fun sliders for your little one! There’s something to push, pull, or turn on each page.
Dimpl Popping Toy: Each “dimple” is a different size and color so you can use pointer finger on the small ones or push and grab the larger ones!
Hoppity Frog: Push the sliders on this book until you find Hoppity Frog!
Bubble Wands: Affordable and great for finger isolation - blow bubbles and pop them together! Take turns popping them, too, modeling “your turn, my turn.”
Pop Its: I like this set because it can work on fine motor skills and also be used as pretend play food in the play kitchen. Model the words, “push” and “pop.”
Pop It Ball: This one is fun because you can push some buttons in and then hear other buttons pop! Great for busy hands.
Hear Bear Roar: With 30 different buttons to push and different animal sounds for each, this book is awesome for finger isolation and imitation. Label animals as you read, too!
Fingerwiggly Worms: Your finger is a part of the book! Stick it in the holes to help make the book come to life! Really fun for little ones to read!
Poke a Dot Book: These books are great for promoting finger isolation and pointing. Label what you see and prompt your little one to imitate you!
Road Rug: Great for the transportation enthusiast. Use functional language like “stop, go, around” and practice driving to the store, school, home + more.
Lalo Play Kit: If you’re looking for a toddler table for your little one to sit and play, this is our favorite! Plus, you can get the coloring sheets that stick to the table and fully cover it, so no marker or crayon on your table! “EATPLAYSAY” saves 10%.
Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Barn: A barn with a handle and folds up! A barn is a fantastic pretend play toy, and since pretend play skyrockets around 15 months and onward, this is a great toy staple. Label the animals, prompt your toddler to imitate animal noises, and create play scenes together.
Plush Baby Doll: Perfect for pretend play for a newly one-year old- feed baby, put baby to sleep, play with baby! These dolls are plush and can be machine washed.
Melissa & Doug Smoothie Maker: One of Paul’s all-time favorites is this toy smoothie maker. I bought this for him at 16 months and he’s still playing with it now. Endless pretend play! Talk about what foods go in and model words like “mix, spin, pour!”
Melissa & Doug Dust, Sweep, Mop!: Great for realistic pretend play, and for the toddler who loves to help! This toy provides excellent opportunities to model fun verbs like “sweep, mop, wipe, brush” and “clean/dirty.”
Lalo Play Kitchen: A Play Kitchen is a pretend play staple! Practice putting food in the oven to cook, turn the knobs to practice cooking, and store food items in the cabinets! I love this one because it’s the perfect small size for any space, and it’s made from sustainable materials. “EATPLAYSAY” saves 10%.
Green Toys Tea Set: This has been one of Paul’s favorite toys. I love Green Toys because they’re so well made! A great set for pretend play! Don’t forget to “cheers!” while you drink!
Melissa & Doug Birthday Cake: We love this one and it’s on frequent rotation at our house. Paul practices serving us slices and pretends to blow out the candles. This one is great for practicing social routines and more pretend play!
Melissa & Doug Coffee Set: I love this for acting out routines and taking turns. Paul loves to make my coffee in the morning! Another great toy to model “pour, drink, in, out, more.”
Play Sink: Paul has this and LOVES it. Can wash dishes for hours. Plus, it comes with food and plates and the plates will change color when the water gets warm so you can check the temperature. GENIUS.
Melissa & Doug Slice & Bake: Practice serving cookies to family members, cooling them off by blowing on them, dunking them in a pretend cup of milk and so on! Any pretend play food item comes with endless opportunities to play.
You can check out my Amazon Storefront for tons of more ideas- everything in there is organized by ages and categories! Remember that toys are great, but how YOU play with your little one is actually what matters- littles learn best from playing with YOU.
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