The 8 Best Newborn Toys, Tested by a Mom and Baby

Lovevery has made a big splash in the toy market thanks to their subscription model of enrichment-focused play kits, which batch together eco-friendly, developmentally appropriate toys for your child. Each Lovevery installment, of which The Looker Kit is the first, is designed to cover a two or three month period (in this case, baby’s first 12 weeks), and includes a range of attractively packaged toys and a play guide that lays out developmental milestones to look for and activity recommendations to help your child reach them.

The Looker Kit, as its name suggests, is meant to engage a newborn’s powers of observation. That means plenty of black and white imagery, including high-contrast cards and a tummy time-friendly gallery in which to display them; graphic mittens meant to help your infant discover their hands; and a trio of stroller- or play gym-friendly “sensory links” that crinkle, rattle and squeak. My daughter’s been known to flash a big gummy grin at the little wooden book in this kit, but few things bring her quite as much joy as the spiral-cut mobile, which hangs over her changing table and elicits a constant stream of gurgles, coos and caws.

Impressed by the range of items but curious about the kit’s value, I tried to price out what it would cost to buy comparable toys piecemeal and was pleasantly surprised to find that it would be really challenging, if not downright impossible, to do so for less than Lovevery charges. Which is not to say that the toys are substandard—I found each toy in the kit to be well constructed, with easy-to-follow care instructions (you’d be surprised how many textile toys out there can’t be machine washed!). Nearly as valuable as the toys themselves is the accompanying booklet, which offers useful reminders of what to expect during your baby’s early weeks and helps you figure out how to fill wake windows with a range of different activities. But what really seals the deal is that the collection is at once immediately accessible for newborns and still holds enough appeal for an older baby that I can see almost all these items getting continuous use in our home over the coming months and even years.

Age rating: 0 to 12 weeks | Material: N/A | Dimensions: N/A | Care instructions: Varies

When I was pregnant, people warned me about the long sleepless nights, the weight of newfound parental responsibilities, and even the high cost of childcare. But I simply wasn’t prepared for the trials and tribulations of tummy time. It's an activity that experts like Phillips-Walker and Amin say is critical to baby’s development, exercising their core, neck and shoulder muscles—but some babies (like mine!) just don't like it one bit. Enter the Wimmer Ferguson Learning Cube, designed to distract your baby from their discomforts and woes. Each face of the soft, lightweight foam cube is packed with stimulating features expressly designed to captivate newborn babies. There are large black and white images of animals, as well as textures like corduroy and ribbon; interactive components like a squeaker and a mirror and even pockets and flaps that encourage an understanding of depth perception and object permanence.

Whenever we do tummy time, I rotate the cube to show my daughter something new. When she was just a few weeks old, her eyes would light up when I played “peekaboo” with a pair of floppy elephant ears; these days, she loves gazing into the mirror, which is tucked behind a crinkly fabric flap. I’m looking forward to the day when she can also interact with the cube more independently, exploring features like the teething ring, rattle and retractable elephant trunk (I’ll also rest easy knowing that it’s soft and lightweight enough that it’s far more likely to cushion a fall than cause any injuries). All told, it’s a godsend for tear-free tummy time, and I’ve come to really appreciate the non-prescriptive nature of this toy, which seems well-suited to encouraging imaginative play.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: N/A | Dimensions: 6" (L) x 6" (W) x 6" (H) | Care instructions: Spot clean only with damp soapy cloth, followed by a clean damp cloth, or clean with baby safe pacifier wipes

You know that cute thing newborns do, where they cling to your finger with their tiny, shockingly strong hands? That’s owed to a grasping reflex we’re all born with. This flexible plastic ball from Bright Starts is designed to engage that reflex and put it to work. Thanks to its extremely light weight and perforated structure, this ball was one of the first toys my baby could successfully hold and wave around—all important steps in developing the ability to reach for, grab, and manipulate objects as she grows.

She’s now at a stage where I’m watching her hold it with both hands and bring it to her mouth for exploration (an indication she’s finding her midline), so I’m extra appreciative that it’s virtually weightless and bendy enough that she won’t get hurt bonking herself in the face with it. It earns bonus mom points for being super affordable, virtually indestructible and easy to clean.

Age rating: 0 to 36 month | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 4" (L) x 4" (W) x 4" (H) | Care instructions: Wipe clean with damp cloth and mild soap and air dry.

I received my fair share of adorable stuffed animals at my baby shower, but quickly discovered that newborns lack the coordination and strength to really interact with them—most were simply too big for her to get her little fingers around, let alone investigate. B. Toys’ Fluffy Koko, on the other hand, captures the cuteness and softness of a stuffed animal but is light and flat enough that my daughter has been able to interact with it from an early age.

I’ll be honest: I was a little skeptical that my newborn would be able to discern a difference (let alone have a preference) between this lovey and a burp cloth. I couldn’t have been more wrong, though. She definitely recognizes the Koko enough to be soothed by it during meltdowns, and she seems to delight in its velvety texture and little crinkle feature. She also likes to suck on it, so I’m doubly thankful it’s machine washable and dryable. Tickling my daughter with the koala’s little hairdo is actually what elicited her very first giggle, so it’s obviously earned its place as a member of our family. Though it isn’t safe to put this (or any toy) in the crib with your baby for sleep, my daughter loves interacting with it while she’s hanging in the bouncer or “working out” in her play gym. I’m almost certain this one will be with us for the long haul.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: N/A | Dimensions: 12" (L) x 2" (W) x 15" (H) | Care instructions: Machine wash and tumble dry low

I have an interior design education, so when I set out to decorate our nursery I was determined to find a mobile that would engage my baby without sacrificing aesthetic appeal. Time and again, I found that mobiles seem to fall into one of two camps: great for baby (high-contrast black and white images designed to be observed from below) or great for adults (charming dangling objects, often in muted tones, designed to be viewed in profile). Then I came across the Flensted Swallows Mobile and knew I’d landed my white whale. Featuring five delicate black and white swallows, it’s minimalist but whimsical, and versatile enough to fit almost any nursery decor. The birds are expertly balanced, hung to circle and sway around one another at even the faintest of breezes, and most importantly, they’re as enchanting to watch from below as they are in profile.

Of course, my appreciation alone means relatively little. Thankfully, the only person more obsessed with this mobile than I am is my daughter. It has a number of nicknames in our house—”Baby TV,” “Baby’s Best Friend” and “The Babysitter” to name just a few. The swallows currently hang over my daughter’s crib, and no matter where we’re positioned in her nursery, she’ll pivot to watch them drifting in their lazy circles (that is, unless she’s on the changing table beneath her almost-as-beloved Lovevery mobile). It’s been both a blessing and a curse—the mobile can occupy her for a good 20 or 30 minutes while we shower, eat a meal or load laundry, but in a cruel twist of fate, she’s so entranced by it that she’s started staying awake to watch it instead of falling asleep at nap time!

**Age rating: ** N/A | Material: Cardboard | Dimensions: 21" (L) x 5" (W) x 2.5" (H) | Care instructions: Wipe with dry cloth

A cursory search will turn up loads of black and white cards on the market for newborn babies to gaze at. And with good reason: “Toys with high-contrast images are easier for babies to see as their eyesight is developing,” says Phillips-Walker, who recommends that you “try to incorporate toys that implement black and white so they can start to distinguish patterns.” But not all black and white art cards are made equal, and Wee Gallery’s art cards are a step above the rest. They come as a set of six heavy-duty prints with a smooth matte finish, packaged in a slim box. Each card features an illustration of an animal, shown in black on white on one side, and inverted to white on black on the other. Measuring 5 by 7 inches, they’re the perfect size for tummy time galleries (they fit both the Lovevery and Lalo galleries), but I also like to slowly move them back and forth in front of my daughter to work on her visual tracking—plus I love seeing her little mind blown when I flip one over!

The Baby Animals Collection we’ve been enjoying has characters like a duckling, penguin and tapir, but Wee Gallery has other animal families to choose from if you have a different theme in mind. I worried these cards would be less engaging for my daughter than the patterned gallery cards from Lovevery, but the stylized linework introduces complex, pattern-heavy visuals to each animal; she seems just as intrigued by the representational imagery as she is by more geometric alternatives and it’s been great to have black and white images that we can attach vocabulary words to. The high-quality card stock they’re printed on makes them feel especially unique, and I could easily see repurposing them as nursery wall art when my daughter’s tummy time days are (hopefully any day now) far behind her.

Age rating: N/A | Material: N/A | Dimensions (each card): 5" (W) x 7" (H) | Care instructions: Wipe clean

Even in a life full of firsts, it’s possible for newborns to get bored. My newborn, for instance, only tolerates car rides if we’re in constant motion. Unfortunately for her (and by extension me), we live in New York City. Every time the car stops in traffic, her screaming starts up. That is, unless I provide the right distraction. Skip Hop’s Bandana Buddies Chime & Teethe Toy consistently buys us time at the stop light and actually sounds good in the process.

It’s a small but mighty package—multiple textures, including crinkle fabric and a plastic teether, adorn the little stuffed character (we have the koala, but there’s also an elephant, a fox and a zebra, among others), which can be hung to chime and tinkle as it sways. I genuinely enjoy the sound it makes and, going off her puppy-like head tilt and smile, so does my daughter. Newborns aren’t old enough to do much teething, but now that she’s pushing four months she’s much more interested in putting the little teether in her mouth. More importantly, “toys with sound help babies follow or track sounds,” says Phillips-Walker, adding that “Items that play soft sounds and/or music…can help encourage babies to make noise, which is critical in language development.” As my daughter becomes increasingly chatty, I love knowing that the toys we’ve chosen to surround her with, like this one, are ushering her verbal skills along.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: Polyester and plastic | Dimensions: 2" (L) x 2" (W) x 6" (H) | Care instructions: Spot clean only

Rattles are an ideal newborn toy. Not only do they “encourage babies to reach out and grasp,” says Amin, but “rattles with colors and textures can help the child with tracking and thus develop their vision,” adds Phillips-Walker. Manhattan Toy’s Comet Teether checks both boxes: the flexible cage-like construction offers plenty of surface area for a baby to grab onto and explore, and the combination of purple, aqua, turquoise and yellow makes for an eye-catching color palette that's a welcome change of pace from the loud primary colors used for most children's toys.

I particularly like that there are two different mechanisms at play—clacking rings on the toy’s central column, as well as a chirping noise that sounds with bigger directional movements. The toy is squeezably flexible and easy to clean, and because it’s spherical it can also be rolled and tossed like a ball. That covers teething, motor development, visual stimulation, and a whole lot of fun, so while it isn’t exactly cheap, I’d say this rattle packs a whole lot of bang for your buck.

Age rating: 0+ months | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 4.3" (L) x 4.3" (W) x 4.3" (H) | Care instructions: Surface wash with damp soapy cloth, do not submerge