Most Popular Montessori Toys for Babies

These Montessori toys for babies encourage hand discovery and visual tracking as well as motor development.

Most Popular Montessori Toys for Babies

We get it. New parents want the best for their children. While some religiously abide by the Montessori system of education, others may not even know what it is. This method of education uses less formal teaching methods to develop a child's natural interests. Whether or not you adhere to the method, it has one core value that we can all agree on: Learning through play can help in early childhood development.

For babies that means focusing on sensory play in the first year. Think infant toys that encourage hand discovery and visual tracking as well as motor development. From play gyms to the ultimate tummy time engagers, here are six of the most popular Montessori toys for babies that you can use with your newborn and into their first year.

Lovevery Looker Play Kit

Age: Newborn to 3 months

Year released: 2021

Made of: Plastic, wood, fabric

Best for: Building new brain connections, visual focus, hand discovery and awareness, grasping, visual tracking, sensory exploration, physical development

The Lovevery Looker Play Kit is designed for newborns to 3-month-olds and stimulates visual perception, hand discovery and grasping. The kit contains a bright-colored hanging mobile that swirls, a wooden book with basic animal images, a set of black and white image cards with both simple and complex designs, a standing holder for the cards, black and white mittens, and sensory links with noisemakers, such as a rattle and squeaker, for putting on cribs or strollers for play.

Monti Kids Newborn Kit

Age: Newborn to 6 months

Year released: 2021

Made of: Wood, silicone, cotton

Best for: Concentration, visual tracking, reaching and grasping, core development, hand and eye coordination

The Monti Kids Newborn Kit contains a range of toys that help infants, including newborns, to develop key skills, such as visual tracking and concentration. The kit is ideal for new parents because the key wooden toys are all together. The kit contains a wooden book with animal pictures, a child-safe mirror, and black and white visual cards, a wooden rattle, silicone teether and crocheted cotton ball. The kit is enclosed in a crocheted cotton basket for storage. All items are made with sustainably harvested wood and food-grade silicone.

Baby Einstein 4-in-1 Kickin’ Tunes Music & Language Discovery Gym

Age: Newborn to 3 years

Year released: Unknown

Made of: Fabric, plastic

Best for: Thinking, motor development, sensory development, fine motor skills, play skills, promoting curiosity

The Baby Einstein 4-in-1 Kickin’ Tunes Music & Language Discovery Gym helps babies and toddlers start to explore music and language. The gym is designed for newborns up to age 3. Seven different detachable toys include a rattle, crinkle toy, flashcard, mirror, piano toy, tummy pillow and plastic musical notes. The Discovery Gym contains more than 70 melodies and recordings in four languages: English, French, German and Spanish. The set is designed to grow with children and has four use modes: tummy and lying for infants, sitting for toddlers and take-along for older kids.

Coco Village Soft Sensory Ball Set for Babies

Age: 6+ months

Year released: Unknown

Made of: PVC Vinyl (BPA Free)

Best for: Hand and eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills

The Coco Village Soft Sensory Ball Set for Babies contains nine balls in different shapes, colors and textures. The balls are made from PVC vinyl that is non-toxic and BPA free. Babies can use the balls to develop their hand and eye coordination and improve their motor skills. The different designs and shapes will stimulate babies to grasp, touch, squeeze and play with the balls. Babies can also use the balls to calm themselves if they are anxious or frustrated.

Escar-Glooooow Light-up Snail Ball Popper

Age: 10+ months

Year released: Unknown

Made of: Plastic, metal

Best for: Fine motor skills, crawling, curiosity

Babies love toys that they can move and activate. The Escar-Glooooow Light-up Snail Ball Popper does both. This snail toy helps babies develop fine motor skills and encourages crawling. The toy has small wheels, so babies can push or pull it as they crawl and watch the plastic balls inside pop as the wheels move. The toy has a handle that babies can also push to pop the balls and activate lights. Tiny hands can easily grasp the toddler-sized handle.

Manhattan Toy's Skwish Natural

Age: Newborn+

Year released: Unknown

Made of: Grasping, reaching, gross motor skills

Best for: Sustainable rubberwood

With all the Montessori toy kits out there, sometimes, all your baby needs is a durable clutching baby toy. The Skwish Natural from Manhattan Toy doubles as both a rattle and teether and is great for newborns looking to clutch onto something lightweight. This toy features beads that rattle enough for babies to enhance their auditory listening skills, without being annoying for parents. It also encourages lots of two-handed play with several parts onto which babies can grab.