Best Toys for 6 Month Old Babies

This sweet toy from Skip Hop is like two toys in one. A big, wide-eyed owl hugs a smaller owl inside its wings. When you open the wings, you can take the small owl out of a pocket for play time, but it's tethered to the big owl so it doesn't get lost. Inside the wings you'll find a tiny mirror, and fun textures and sounds. The big owl's "feet" are two different kinds of teething toys, so baby can gnaw on whichever feels best.

This adorable themed toy set has a lot of playtime options for baby. Little ones will love the traditional "fill it up and dump it out" aspect of this toy set. As your baby grows, you can tell stories about the bug characters as you play, and baby can feel the silky, crinkly and fuzzy textures on the bug toys, and learn how to squeak and rattle them.

There are lots of little games you and baby can play with this simple toy, at home or on the go. It's small enough to take with you for a peekaboo game in a waiting room, or at home your baby can practice tucking someone else in for bed. Several different styles of Snuggle Pods are available, each with bright colors and sweet faces for baby to enjoy.

These bright bugs can be stacked any way baby wants, thanks to the magnets inside. The "smart magnets" don't have to be aligned a certain way to work. Six different bugs are included in the Lamaze Balancing Bug Stacker Set. The antennae and wings of the bugs are rubbery and good for teethers to chew on, too. This is an inexpensive gift that brings lots of fun.

Early exposure to music is said to have an effect on math skills later in life. The Mozart Magic Cube from Munchkin is fairly plain to look at, but it's great to listen to, and babies really seem to love it. The cube can play classical music with many instruments at once, or baby can push buttons to include or exclude certain instruments. Pictures of the instruments on the sides flash as they play. Parents whose babies have used this toy rave about its durability, too.

Babies at this age love games where they can fill something up and then dump it out, so this cute fishbowl is perfect for hours of play. Baby can put the fish and sea characters inside the bowl, see them rolling around through the clear side panels, then reach in and grab them again. The side panels have water inside, too, adding sloshy, squishy fun for your baby.

This toy appeals to yet another favorite infant activity - knocking things over. With Penguin Bowling, baby uses the soft, jingly bowling ball to knock over six soft, squishy penguins. The penguins each have a different fun element for baby, too, from chimes to crinkly pieces to rattles. There's a mirror, too, so baby can still gaze at his or her reflection.

The Crawl & Cruise Musical Jungle from Fisher Price is a great toy for babies in the 6 month age range because it addresses their transitional motor skills and that they will be growing fairly quickly into new skills. Babies can sit near the toy and put balls in the ball track, push the dangling crocodile or jingle bell and watch them swing, and watch the balls come out of the chutes at the bottom at nearly eye level. Once baby is ready to pull up and stand, this toy is sturdy enough to let baby hang on during play time, so there's a whole new view to take in. At the top there's a spinning mirror and a wiggling frog to enjoy, too.

This activity table is jam-packed with things for baby to do and see, and it has several options to accommodate babies of various ages. It can sit flat on the floor so babies as young as 6 months old can enjoy it, but then you can also attach the legs so that toddlers up to age 3 can stand and play, so there is a long usable life for this toy. By pushing different buttons on the activity table, baby will hear the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, nursery rhymes and music. You can also switch between English and Spanish modes. A good activity table makes a great addition to any baby's playroom, and this one is one of the best.

A plush puppy is a great, huggable toy for baby, but this Learning Puppy from Fisher Price's Laugh & Learn series has lots more than hugs to offer. There are classic children's songs to sing along to, textures to feel and games to play. As baby grows, he or she can learn letters, numbers, body parts and colors. There are two modes of play, so you can switch the sounds based on baby's mood or age.