By 7 months previous, infants are mastering developmental milestones like sitting up on their very own and reaching for toys. Whereas all infants develop at their very own tempo, infants at this age are a lot busier than earlier than. It is a nice time to introduce enjoyable, new toys on your infant to assist them proceed to develop their expertise and study concerning the world by way of play. When looking for toys for 7-month-olds, take into account that they like to discover utilizing their mouths, which implies any small components pose a choking threat.
To search out out what to search for when looking for secure and developmentally acceptable toys for 7-month-olds, we first consulted an professional and reviewed toy security tips. With this skilled steering in thoughts, we assessed dozens of toys primarily based on their security, design, worth, developmental milestones, and ease of cleansing. We additionally surveyed 875 mother and father and caregivers to seek out out which toys 7-month-olds really love and examined a number of of them at residence with our personal infants. A pediatric neurologist from our Knowledgeable Board additionally reviewed the contents of this text for accuracy about one of the best methods to guage secure and age-appropriate toys for 7-month-olds.
Typical Developmental Milestones: 7 Months Outdated
In the course of the first yr of life, infants develop at unbelievable charges and are engaged on mastering a number of milestones concurrently. Whereas each child develops at their very own tempo, toys supply a enjoyable approach to apply and strengthen expertise. Some widespread milestones for 7-month-olds embody:
- Transfers objects from hand handy.
- Makes use of a raking grasp, which implies grabbing an object utilizing their complete hand, usually holding or shaking it as soon as they’ve efficiently grasped it.
- Exploring completely different shapes and textures with fingers and mouth.
Our Favourite Toys for 7-Month-Olds
Manhattan Toy Put and Peek Birdhouse Mushy Exercise Toy
Properly-designed and thoughtfully crafted, this comfortable birdhouse supplies limitless potentialities for little ones. Open the Velcro roof or door to peek on the 4 plush birds or put them out and in of the home. The birds and home have a great deal of materials, colours, and textures. This cute set might be a giant hit, good for a vacation, birthday, or anytime reward.
Whereas expensive, we consider this toy is value each penny, given how a lot our personal infants cherished it and the way lengthy it saved their consideration. It is one of many first toys they go for. They like carrying the birds round, feeling their textures, and chewing on them.
Skip Hop Discover & Extra 3-Stage Observe-Me Bee
This cute little bee presents three levels of play and is secure for infants beginning at 5 months previous. Every stage encourages sensory play, motor ability improvement, and basic exploration. The toy lights up, makes sounds, and finally encourages infants to begin crawling by rolling round for them to chase. It additionally options beads to play with (and chew on), transferring components, and a sensor to assist it keep away from obstacles when it’s buzzing round on the ground.
The First Years Stack Up Cup Toys
Endlessly enjoyable, these inexpensive stacking cups assist infants hone superb motor expertise, find out about steadiness and trigger and impact, colours, and way more. We love that the BPA-free supplies are secure and waterproof, so these cups are as pleasant in or out of the bathtub. Small holes on the bottoms make water play much more intriguing.
Our infants actually loved these easy and efficient cups and got here up with every kind of artistic methods to play with them.
Fisher Value Rock-a-Stack and Child’s First Blocks Bundle
We love this inexpensive bundle of two toys that may present years of enjoyable. It features a stacking rings tower and a form sorter with 10 blocks in varied colours and shapes. Each toys are nice for serving to children work on motor expertise, additional their cognitive improvement, and get conversant in colours, shapes, and trigger and impact. These basic toys are secure for little ones between 6 months and three years previous.
Child Einstein Take Alongside Tunes Toy
Infants love this little transportable music participant, which options seven classical melodies, shiny colours, and enjoyable lights. It’s made for infants as younger as 3 months previous and designed in order that it’s straightforward for little fingers to seize and faucet on. The toy additionally options little beads alongside the facet for sensory play and a few further enjoyable.
Manhattan Toy Cactus Backyard
These comfortable cacti are secure for infants from delivery to 4 years previous and have magnets for enjoyable stacking. It comes with three teams of three stackers that may be combined and matched into varied combos. The stackers are made with comfortable materials and high-quality embroidery and vary from 4 to six inches in top when stacked.
Vibrant Begins Oball
This Oball is fantastic for infants of all ages and toddlers as much as 3 years previous. It’s designed to be straightforward for little fingers to seize onto and options three little rattles so as to add some shaking enjoyable. What makes it even higher is that it’s freed from lights and noises and permits varied play varieties.
Sassy Tummy Time Ground Mirror
Tummy time might be much more enjoyable with this ground mirror that includes a comfortable, plush body and black and white patterns, that are nice for growing eyes. Constructed to face by itself, the mirror consists of two attachments: one flower and one bumblebee, including pops of shade and completely different textures for much more enjoyable.
Infantino Pat and Play Water Mat
Children’ water play would not need to be messy with this cute sensory mat. Simply fill it with water and let your infant take pleasure in patting, squishing, and manipulating the little toy animals inside it. This toy lays flat, so it can be utilized on the ground or a desk, and is very nice for top chairs. This decide is appropriate for infants 3 months previous and up.
Loulou Lollipop Bubble Silicone and Wooden Rattle
This little rattle is handmade from beech wooden and BPA-free, food-grade silicone rings which might be nice for massaging sore gums. Infants can take pleasure in some sensory play with this rattle, too, due to the clean really feel of the beads. The rattle is offered in a wide range of colours, and it is usually examined at an accredited lab to make sure it meets security requirements.
Lily & River Little Climber
Infants can use climbing toys to strengthen their gross motor expertise, use them as help when pulling up, and do some enjoyable exploring with grownup supervision. This Lily & River Pikler triangle is made out of bamboo wooden, so it’s sturdy sufficient to final for years. As your child will get older, you possibly can put money into equipment, too, like a reversible slide and rock climber to pump up the enjoyable. This toy is advisable for infants 6 months previous and up.
HABA Whirlygig Wood Rattle & Clutching Toy
Good for infants who’re engaged on their grasps, this wood toy is particularly designed for small fingers to seize. It’s secure for little ones 6 months previous and up and options a number of brightly coloured beads, that are hooked up to the middle with elastic bands, permitting children to twist and switch each. This toy is made out of beech wooden and is secure for infants to chew on. The jingly bell on the heart provides some sensory enjoyable to assist littles find out about trigger and impact.
Skip Hop Child’s Exercise Heart
This exercise heart is designed for infants as younger as 4 months previous and has three completely different levels—sit, swivel, and bounce and play—so it grows with the newborn as they develop and grasp new expertise. Every stage presents enjoyable options which might be designed particularly to help in infants’ improvement. Since it may be used into toddlerhood, we consider it is a worthwhile funding.
Melissa & Doug Seaside Sidekicks Squirters Water Toys
With this pack, you get 4 bathtub toys formed like completely different underwater animals, together with a turtle, octopus, crab, and fish. These toys squirt water with slightly squeeze, making them excellent for infants mastering their raking grasp. Every squirt toy is made out of secure, high-quality supplies, is formed to suit little fingers, and is secure for infants as younger as 6 months previous.
Infantino Textured Multi Ball Set
Sensory play is one of the best as a result of infants genuinely take pleasure in it and it’s nice for his or her improvement. This sensory set comes with six balls with completely different shapes, colours, and textures. Every ball is made out of BPA-free, phthalate-free plastic. What’s actually nice about this toy set is that as your child continues to develop and develop, they’ll discover new methods to play with them past sensory exploration. They’re designed for little ones ages 6 months to 2 years previous.
Sassy Uncover the Senses Reward Set
Every of the toys on this four-piece set is ideal for infants from delivery as much as 3 years previous. It comes with a hoop of hoops in various colours and textures, a butterfly teething ring, a bumpy ball, and a “fishy fascination station.” The toys supply infants a number of methods to play and discover with their fingers and mouths. Critically, you possibly can’t go flawed with this set.
Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle & Sensory Teether Toy
The Winkel must be a staple in any residence with infants as a result of it presents so some ways to play and may be loved from delivery to toddlerhood. It options a number of little plastic loops hooked up to a small central block that rattles when shaken. It’s nice for infants studying to know and shake or engaged on hand-eye coordination. As a plus, it additionally works nice as a teether and might even be put within the freezer to make it further soothing.
Litand Mushy Stacking Blocks
Infants as younger as 6 months previous can safely play with these comfortable stacking blocks. The set comes with 12 blocks that function completely different colours, shapes, designs, and textures, in order that they’re excellent for play and exploration. They’re made out of sturdy silicone that infants can squeeze (and squeak), shake, and chew on. These blocks are BPA-free, non-toxic, and may be loved properly into the toddler and preschool years.
Manhattan Toy Skwish Traditional Rattle and Teether
This toy is a basic as a result of its distinctive design is good for growing infants beginning at 3 months previous. It options wood beads in varied colours which might be strung along with rods and elastic strings. Infants can seize onto it, twist it this fashion and that, and safely chew on it. One necessary observe—this toy have to be spot-cleaned, as submerging it in water can injury the wood beads.
Mushie Stacking Rings Toy
This stacking toy comes with seven rings and a spherical topper which might be made out of comfortable, squeezable plastic that is BPA and PVC-free. Every ring is a special measurement and shade, permitting for exploration. This basic toy is easy and secure for infants of all ages.
How We Chosen the Finest Toys for 7-Month-Olds
To decide on one of the best toys for 7-month-olds, we researched dozens of toys in the marketplace, evaluating them for security, worth, age-appropriateness, and the way they assist infants apply expertise and attain developmental milestones. We additionally appeared for toys that encourage a wide range of forms of play.
The most effective toys are those children will play with probably the most, so we requested 875 mother and father and caregivers about their infants’ favourite toys, how they interact with them, and the way lengthy they maintain their consideration. Lastly, we put our choice to the check with our personal children to verify our suggestions are sensible and supply good worth to caregivers.
Our Consultants
To study extra about what to search for in secure and developmentally acceptable toys for 7-month-olds, we reviewed steering from the American Academy of Pediatrics and consulted an professional:
Elements to Think about When Searching for Toys for 7-Month-Olds
- Security: Remember the fact that 7-month-olds like to discover utilizing their mouths, so keep away from something which will pose a choking threat. Moreover, whereas many infants can roll over by this age, there should still be a threat of suffocation. On the whole, toys for infants ought to have clean edges, be freed from small components that may come free or pinch little fingers, and be made out of unhazardous supplies which might be secure to chew on.
- Forms of Play: Whereas a toy with flashing lights, digital noises, or music might seize a child’s consideration, there are different methods for a child to have interaction with toys. Encourage them to discover their bodily atmosphere by providing plenty of ground play time with comfortable toys, and provides them alternatives to apply their superb motor expertise by offering chewable toys they’ll decide up and manipulate themselves. Infants study greatest by watching and fascinating with different individuals, so one of the best toy is a mum or dad or caregiver. Studying to your child can assist develop their communication and social expertise.
The most effective toys for 7-month-olds are ones that encourage infants to discover the world round them whereas strengthening their superb motor expertise. A number of the hottest embody rattles, comfortable toys, teether toys, sensory toys, and stacking rings. Since 7-month-olds like to put objects of their mouths, their toys must be freed from small components that pose a choking threat and must be made out of a cloth that’s secure to chew on.
Whereas there’s not a set quantity to stay to, you must have toys to assist your 7-month-old discover ultimately. It is extra about high quality than amount. A handful of toys is all you want, so long as the toys interact your child’s pursuits and permit them to construct and apply new expertise.
A 7-month-old child is beginning to take curiosity on the planet round them and is usually drawn to issues like shiny colours, faces, and any toys they’ll safely decide up, shake, and discover with their fingers and mouth.
Who We Are
Ashley Ziegler is a employees and freelance author who covers life-style, residence, parenting, and commerce content material for a wide range of platforms. She’s a mother to 1-year-old and 4-year-old daughters and an aunt to a few nieces and two nephews starting from 5 to 11 years previous. Along with usually scouring the web to seek out one of the best issues for herself, Ashley spends a number of hours per week researching, evaluating, and writing about merchandise particularly for teenagers and households.