Top 10 Toys & Gifts for 9-Month-Old Babies

If you're looking for a baby toy that will be used for a long time, the Learning Home from Fisher Price's Laugh & Learn toy series is perfect. Baby can sit near the house-shaped toy and put the plastic balls down the rain spout, fit shapes in the door's built-in sorter, put mail in the mailbox and listen to music on the radio. Older babies and toddlers can get into pretend play, especially with friends, as this is a great toy for more than one child to share. We have one of these toys in our play room, and elementary school age kids still play with it!

This bright and colorful circus toy set incorporates learning with playtime for baby. When your baby puts the animals in the top of the circus tent, he or she hears the correct animal sound. When the animal is removed, baby hears the name of the animal. The Big Top Sounds set comes with a plush monkey, lion, seal and elephant. Babies of this age love to watch things hide and reappear, and the circus tent with its flap-front makes a great place for the animals to play peek-a-boo.

Who doesn't want to be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat? You and your baby can learn how to do that with Infantino's adorable Baby Magician toy. The soft hat has a plush bunny that hides inside until baby decides to make it appear. The magic wand has flowers at the end and makes a magical sound when baby waves it around. A fish with a teething tail hides inside a soft cup, and magical cards have fun, crinkling textures. You may enjoy playing with this toy as much as your baby does!

A colorful stage is the perfect place to arrange these cool magnetic acrobat toys from Kushies' Zolo line. Baby can see how many ways he or she can stack the five soft fabric acrobats. Three soft magnetic balls can be stacked, too. When it's time to take a nap, the stage becomes part of the zippered storage bag, and the acrobats all fit inside.

Latitude Enfant has created a pretty and engaging version of the popular stacker toy with the soft cat stacker. Lots of vivid colors, interesting textures and patterns and extra adornments make this stacker fun to look at and touch. When baby pushes on the cat's head, it meows. Other pieces of the stacker have rattles, bells, crinkles or squeakers. The lightweight, soft rings are great for younger babies, but durable enough for toddlers, too.

The fourteen plush toy pieces in the Klettinos set can be combined to make all sorts of unique animals. Sure, you could make an elephant or octopus, but babies will love creating silly creatures with a head from one animal and a body from another. The animal pieces are made from cotton and can be spot cleaned or hand washed. The Klettinos set comes in a carrying case so it makes a nice travel toy, too.

It seems like babies are born with some kind of knowledge that piano keys are for banging, so it won't take long for your baby to figure out what to do with this toy. The piano keys light up and make all kinds of sounds, from notes to letters and numbers and full songs. Baby can turn the pages of a song book, and adjust slides and dials to create different sounds. There are plenty of options to hold baby's attention now and probably for a few years with this fun piano.

Infantino's Big Mouth Basket Toss is a toy that will be enjoyed for many months. When baby is small, he or she can just put the beanbags into the critters' mouths and take them out again - a classic baby game for this age. Then, as baby grows and begins to develop hand-eye coordination, the toy becomes an actual beanbag toss. The safari-themed critters live up to their big mouth name, and babies will love the silliness of throwing beanbags inside.

The classic sock monkey is making a huge comeback, and even baby can enjoy the retro fun with this plush toy from Schylling. This sock monkey measures about 20 inches tall and has the familiar wide mouth with a big red smile, big black eyes and a festive red tassel on his head. Your baby may not appreciate the old-fashioned sentiment, but he or she will love squeezing this soft toy.

The peek-a-boo bear on this toy is adorable and fun to play with. The magnetic paws can be placed over the bear's eyes so the bear can play peek-a-boo along with baby. The magnet cards stick to the base card with the bear, and each card has a different animal friend on it, and on the reverse side there is a flap to lift and see what's underneath. This is a great interactive toy to use with your child while you're waiting at a restaurant or enduring a long car ride.