The 8 Best Infant Toys of 2020

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

Our Top Picks

Best for Music: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy at Amazon

"Provides baby with seven classical music tunes (including Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin, and Rossini) at the touch of a button."

Best for Sensory Development: Winkel Rattle and Teether at Amazon

"Continuous tubes promote clutching and two-handed play, while the middle cube provides a pleasing rattle sound that babies love."

Best for Teething: Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys at Amazon

"The Nuby PurICE technology provides gentle cooling to sensitive baby gums."

Best for the Stroller: Skip Hop Rattle Moon Stroller Toy at Amazon

"Kids love the neon rattle beads that stimulate their auditory and visual senses."

Best Classic: The First Years Stack Up Cups at Amazon

"Eight brightly colored nesting cups are fun for kids to fit together, stack up, or turn over to hide things underneath."

Best for Travel: Sassy Wonder Wheel Activity Center at Amazon

"Centerpiece spinners enhance visual tracking and strengthen fine motor wheels."

Best for Motor Development: VTech Sit-to-Stand Walker at Amazon

"The early learning center of the toy has five piano keys that play music and encourage creativity."

Best Bath Toy: Munchkin Bath Essentials Set with Bonus Wind-Up Swimming Penguin at Amazon

"The easy-to-use wind up penguin encourages imaginative play, audio, and visual stimulation, and helps develop hand and eye coordination."

Our Top Picks

Best for Music: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy

baby-einstein-music-player — Courtesy of Amazon

4.7

Some experts believe that listening to classical music can do a world of good for your baby, including making your baby smarter and happier. As if that isn’t good enough reason to add a little classical listening to your baby’s playlist, think about what a nice change of pace a little classical music will be from the usual “The Wheels on the Bus” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” that you likely have on heavy rotation.

The Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy is great because it provides baby with ten classical music tunes (including Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin, and Rossini) at the touch of a button, but there’s more to love about this toy than just the tunes. Baby’s senses will be delighted as she watches the lights dance with each note and as she learns to grip the toy with its easy-to-hold (and adorable) giraffe sidebar.

It includes a volume button and requires two AA batteries, which come included. The toy is recommended for three months and up.

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy Review

Best for Sensory Development: Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Teether Toy

4.8

This infant toy may seem simple, but its benefits for your baby are many. The mesmerizing maze of safe, BPA free, and soft tubes are great for teething kids, but more than that, the continuous tubes promote clutching and two-handed play, while the middle cube provides a pleasing rattle sound that babies love.

The Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy is the winner of multiple newborn toy awards, including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Award. This toy is recommended for kids from zero to 24 months.

Manhattan Toy Winkel Review

Best for Teething: Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys

4.6

The Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys are the optimal toy for your teething baby and a must-have for thousands of parents. Multi-surface teething makes the toy perfect for assisting in the eruption of the front, middle, and back teeth, and when placed in the refrigerator, the Nuby PurICE technology provides gentle cooling to sensitive baby gums.

The easy-grip design is ideal for tiny hands and helps with coordination, while the overall product provides combined exercise for hands, gums, and teeth. This product is BPA free and recommended for kids three months and older.

Nuby IcyBite Keys Teether Review

Best for the Stroller: Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Rattle Moon Stroller Toy

4.7

A toy that attaches easily to your child’s stroller is a genius way to keep your kid occupied and happy while out and about. The Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Rattle Moon Stroller Toy is great because kids love the neon rattle beads that stimulate their auditory and visual senses, as well as the textured, cloud-shaped teether. This toy is recommended for kids zero and up, although four to 12 months is ideal.

Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Rattle Moon Stroller Baby Toy Review

Best Classic: The First Years Stack Up Cups

The First Years Stack Up Cups provide multiple ways for your baby to play, all while building skills like hand-eye coordination and problem-solving. The eight brightly colored nesting cups are fun for kids to fit together, stack up, or turn over to hide things underneath.

Each cup has large numbers embossed on the base so as your kid grows he can continue to use this toy to practice counting and begin building number recognition skills. They’re fun for bath time play, as well. This toy is recommended for kids six months and up.

Best for Travel: Sassy Wonder Wheel Activity Center

Besides the diaper bag and stroller, nothing is more important when traveling than bringing along some entertainment for the baby. The Sassy Wonder Wheel Activity Center provides just that, and is so easy to throw into a bag and then find at a moment’s notice amongst the diapers, wipes, backup outfit, and breastfeeding cover.

Simply stick the suction cup to any flat surface and watch your child become mesmerized by the spinning wheel. The centerpiece spinners enhance visual tracking and strengthen fine motor wheels, while also encouraging your baby to reach, tug, and bat, which helps develop hand-eye coordination. The colorful beads within the clear structure of the toy also help baby connect the idea of sound to sight. Multiple texture points are optimal for baby’s developed play, as well. This toy is recommended for kids six months and up.

Best for Motor Development: VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker

Once your baby starts learning to sit up and crawl, a whole host of new toys can enter the scene. The VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker is recommended for kids from nine months to three years of age and comes with all the bells and whistles to keep him occupied for hours at a time while also developing important sit and stand skills.

The early learning center of the toy has five piano keys that play music and encourage creativity, while the wheels work on both carpeted and hardwood floors. Additional areas of interest for your kid include the two colorful spinning rollers, three shape sorters, and three light-up buttons that develop motor skills.

There is also a pretend telephone handset and mechanical elements to enhance pretend play, and over 70 sing-along songs, music, sound effects, and fun phrases. The play panel is detachable for young children to play with on the ground, and it can be reattached to the walker as your baby grows and learns to move along with the toy.

Best Bath Toy: Munchkin Bath Essentials Set with Bonus Wind-Up Swimming Penguin

Keep things fun and organized for your kid during bath time with the Munchkin Bath Essentials Set. It includes a suction-cupped Super Scoop Bath Time Organizer for all of baby's toys and a rinse bath the jug that parents will love to use.

Baby will say entertained during with the wildly popular Wind-Up Swimming Penguin, included as a bonus. This bathtime favorite has wind-up arms that, when released, make the penguin swim through the water. The easy-to-use toy encourages imaginative play, audio, and visual stimulation, and helps develop hand and eye coordination. This toy is recommended for kids nine months and up.

How We Tested

We bought one of our readers’ favorite infant toys that our reviewers tested for two hours. We asked our testers to consider the most important features when using this toy, from its durability to the skills it develops. We’ve outlined the key takeaways here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.

What to Look for in an Infant Toy

Durability: All that banging, chewing, and drooling can take a toll on toys. Make sure you look for ones that will hold up well, especially if you want to pass them on to younger siblings or relatives in the future. Consider the type of material toys are made of and also how versatile toys are and if they can accommodate a range of stages.

Development skills: While toys should be fun, first and foremost, it’s a bonus if they also help boost certain skills. Some are focused on motor skills with others stimulate their senses or encourage movement. Try to choose a variety of toys that touch on various skills or select those that encourage a multitude of them.

Portability: While some larger toys are probably going to be playroom bound, you also want a selection of toys you can take on the go. From those that are small and light enough to throw in a diaper bag to ones that can be attached to a stroller or restaurant high chair, there are plenty of great options to keep your baby entertained no matter where you are. Also, consider where you’ll be taking the toys and if noise will be a factor. If you want to take them on an airplane, for example, you’ll definitely want volume control.