By 7 months old, babies are mastering developmental milestones like sitting up on their own and reaching for toys. While all babies develop at their own pace, you’ll find that at this age, they are much busier than before. Introducing the best toys for 7-month-olds may help your little one continue to develop their skills and learn about the world through play.
To find safe and developmentally appropriate toys for 7-month-olds, we reviewed toy safety guidelines and consulted with a pediatrician and parenting book author. With this professional guidance in mind, we assessed dozens of toys, evaluating their safety, design, value, ease of cleaning, and how they help babies practice key developmental skills. We also surveyed 875 parents and caregivers to find out which toys 7-month-olds truly love and tested several of them at home with our own infants. A pediatric psychologist from our Expert Board also reviewed our content for accuracy and safety concerns.
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At 7 months, babies explore the world through touch, sight, and sound to develop vital sensory and motor skills. Learning toys with vibrant colors, various textures, and other fun elements, like this adorable musical farmyard cube, encourage sensory exploration. To practice fine motor skills, the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Ultimate Playhouse features lots of thoughtful details, like a working doorbell camera, mail slot, and wind chime.
Interactive toys, like this little bee crawl toy, are designed to promote sensory development through lights, sounds, and textures. These types of toys engage curiosity, encourage fine motor skills, and foster hand-eye coordination. Babies can easily learn about another important concept, cause and effect, with toys like the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes.
Montessori toys are incredibly popular because they promote independent exploration and hands-on learning, encourage problem-solving, develop fine motor skills, and more. They’re often made with natural materials, like this wooden rattle, and they’re designed to nurture creativity and cognitive growth in young children.
Toys that promote gross motor skills are ideal for 7-month-olds, especially if they encourage crawling, sitting up, and reaching for objects. Age-appropriate physical activity helps little ones strengthen muscles, improve balance, and work on their coordination skills. Accomplishing these goals also provides a much-needed boost to their confidence, promoting continued learning and exploring.
To find the best toys for 7-month-olds, we researched dozens of toys on the market, evaluating them for safety, value, age-appropriateness, and how they help babies practice skills and reach developmental milestones. We also consulted 875 parents about their babies’ favorite toys and tested our selections with our own kids to make sure our recommendations are practical and offer good value to caregivers.
Lastly, we spoke with Whitney Casares, M.D., MPH, FAAP, private practice pediatrician, mother of two, and author of The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting Without Losing Yourself and reviewed guidance from the AAP on safe and developmentally appropriate toys for 7-month-olds.
Safety: Keep in mind that 7-month-olds love to explore using their mouths, so avoid anything that may pose a choking risk. Additionally, while many babies can roll over by this age, there may still be a risk of suffocation. Types of Play: While a toy with flashing lights, electronic noises, or music may grab a baby’s attention, there are other ways for a baby to engage with toys. Encourage them to explore their physical environment by offering lots of floor play time with soft toys, and give them opportunities to practice their fine motor skills by providing chewable toys they can pick up and manipulate themselves.
Ashley Ziegler is a writer who covers lifestyle, home, parenting, and commerce content for a variety of platforms. She’s a mom to two daughters and an aunt to three nieces and two nephews. In addition to regularly scouring the internet to find the best things for herself, Ashley spends multiple hours a week researching, comparing, and writing about products specifically for kids and families.
Jacquelyn Smith is a freelance writer who covers parenting, fashion, and teaching. She’s also mom to a 15-year-old and 9-year-old daughter, who had a diverse collection of active and educational toys as infants.
