Best toys for 3 months old to help learning and development

When choosing toys for babies starting at 3 months old, it is very helpful to understand the milestones your baby is going through this age. Starting at three months, all the way until they are six months your baby is growing and developing and showing a lot of his/her personality. Smiling back when you smile, they will start to babble away with “ah” “eh” and “oh’s” and some might event say the awaited “mama” and “dada” sounds.

I have selected 8 educational toys for 3 months old that can be used until they are 6 months of age. These toys you should consider adding as part of your play routine. Before we get to them, let’s talk about some common questions.

scroll to the bottom and get the downloadable Toy Guide PDF from newborn toys to 2 years old

What should babies be doing at 3 months old?

Babies will start to open and shut their fists, they can hold a rattle placed in their hands. They’ll soon discover that they’re the ones that made the rattle make noise! Use toys that help with this new discovery by providing things with textures and hanging items he can grasps.

Can 3 month old play with toys?

You might have been used to your baby depending on you for interaction but that is about to change. At three months, your baby will engage with you through facial expressions, vocalizations, and gestures. Your baby will start to open and close his/her hands and start to bring objects towards his/her mouth. You want to look for toys that help develop eye-hand coordination, learn about different textures and help strengthen their core muscles.

How do I stimulate my 3 month old baby?

Babies start to babble and use sounds to get your attention. Talk to your baby and respond to the sounds he or she makes. This helps teach the social aspects of language and conversation

Choose toys that encourage exploration. Your child will be drawn to colors, patterns, and shapes of different objects and toys. By reaching out for things, babies learn about touch, shape, and texture. Need more ideas? check out our ebook Fun Under 1 that has over 62 activities you can do before your baby’s first birthday.

Use the below guide to choose toys that encourage learning and development from the age 3 to 6 months.

8 Educational toys for 3 months old that teach and entertain

1. Animal Friend– A lovey that helps with teething and is organic. If I had to choose between my lovey and this one, this one would be in competition. A lovey is a must-have toy to instill confidence and self-assurance – especially during sleep training.

2. Noisy farm book – Before there are words there are sounds, and did you know the farm animal sounds are a very important tool to start practicing speech?  Pairing this book with the animal noises and adding the sensory touch and feel on each page makes this book a great tool for this age group.

3. Spiral fox – Some babies can get very bored when in the car, this toy was a lifesaver for me and I loved it even more that It worked on eye-hand coordination.

4. Large Plush Elephant – Sleep training didn’t come easy for us. And babies need to sleep well because when they sleep they grow.  Every time I would transfer my baby into the crib he would wake up. It wasn’t until I laid him in this giant nap elephant that he didn’t feel the coldness of the sheets anymore. I would lay him over it and then push my hand down and quickly slip out. Genius! Life-changing! And for that, It is here on this list.

5. Fun Under 1 eBook – Not just because I made this book that I included it here, but honestly it is hard to be sleep-deprived and figure out ways to play with your baby. This takes the guesswork away and provides over 62 activities to do at home for playing and bond with your baby for the first year of life.

6. Teething mitten – It is hard when a baby is teething but yet can’t coordinate to hold a teether. When I got this mitten as part of my Bluum subscription I was in love. Working on that eye-hand coordination and also bringing relief his teething itchiness was a win for me! This toy is great for the early stages of teething and great toys for 3 months old.

7. Activity Jumper – Can you say freedom?! The moment I was able to use this jumper my life got better. My baby got to be entertained with the toys as he practices eye-hand coordination, cause-and-effect, and even some gross motor skills as this one have elastics and he could jump, bounce and move.

8.Bumbo Seat with tray – Sensory play just got better. When your baby doesn’t yet sit on its own but can sit supported, this is a great tool to have. Use the tray to do some sensory play activities. I even took this to the beach so that he could sit while we were on the beach and enjoy the water.

I hope this gave you a good idea of what type of toys for 3 months old and 6 months babies will enjoy and get some educational practice at the same time.