Best Toys for 3 Month Old Babies: Aligned to Milestones

When your baby turns 3 months old, it’s a perfect time to think about what toys will aid their development. Hand-eye coordination is developing rapidly, as well as the ability to recognize objects and people. Your baby may start turning to you and babbling when he hears you talk! One of the sweetest milestones during this age range, as they have mostly just been looking around up to this point. My third son is almost 4 months old, and we’ve tried a variety of toys after three kids. These are some of the best toys for 3 month old babies.

To make it on a list for best toys for 3 month old babies, the toy has to correspond with babies’ big developmental milestones. Babies and young kids learn through play, so toys are essential in aiding their growth in these areas.

Even though it may seem like they are not doing much, babies are constantly learning and developing at an incredibly high speed. For example, simple play with a rattle is part of developing hand eye coordination.

On the other hand though, there are also some toys that they find incredibly entertaining. I don’t completely disregard having a couple of these on hand. A combination of the two is what we have gone for. They do not need a lot of toys and stuff. One or two from each category should suffice all their needs.

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Hand- Eye Coordination- Rattles & Teething Toys

At 3 months, your baby is able to bring their hands together and close their fingers around a toy. Some of the best toys for 3 month babies work on hand-eye coordination.They are pumping their arms and legs, reaching out for things and slapping stuff away. Oh, and also grabbing chunks of hair really tightly- watch out for that!

Holding out a toy for them to grasp is a perfect way to practice this milestone. Or setting them up on a mat with a small rattle or teething toy. Bringing the toy to their mouth works on hand-eye coordination as well.

- A great colorful teething and rattle toy.
- Manhattan Rattle and Teether Grasping Toy– made with sustainable wood and natural materials is a great alternative to the plastic teething toys.
- Wooden Montessori Styled Baby Rattle– If you are looking for a more green toy this is a great start- organic wood, sanded and sealed with a mixture of organic coconut oil and beeswax, all natural pieces and colors.
- Icy gel teether keys– teething may not start until 5 months, but it can be as early as 3 months.
- Baby wrist rattle and foot finders are fun additions to help them find their hands and feet during mat play.

Language Development- Books

Speaking to your child is the most important aspect of helping them learn language. Describe what you are doing during grocery shopping or while you are changing their diaper. It’s also never too early to start reading to your baby. Books will always have a vast extension of words that you may not use in your ordinary speech. Exposure to as many words as possible makes a profound impact on babies and toddlers.

- Board books are the natural starting point.
- Soft interactive books or this pack of 6 books can withstand teething, bath time and rough play. These serve a double purpose of play and language.

Interacting with Others- Mirrors and Facetime

In the same fashion they are learning to absorb language, 3 month babies are working on other modes of communication. They are interacting with us by observing our movements and mocking our facial expressions. Making eye contact and showing them your facial changes will not only help them developmentally- but the big huge grins they will give you in return will surely tug at your heartstrings.

Mirrors where they can look at themselves and even some facetime with grandparents will help your baby learn all the different human expressions.

- Tummy time floor mirror gives a perfect view while also practicing motor skills.
- Car mirrors are great for your baby and for you to see them as you drive.

Muscle Development: Playmats & Tummy Time

Those initial baby push ups are so incredibly adorable to me. This is evident when you look through my phone and see how many pictures I have of my kids during this age and developmental milestone. It’s a new vantage point for them also, so my boys were always super excited when I plopped down on my stomach and hung out with them.

After being able to push their head and chest up with their arms, they begin to roll over. Your baby may accomplish this in month 3 or later. But they’ll start working on it at this age. To encourage rolling over- you can place them on their stomach and put a desired toy to one side that they are leaning towards.

- Tiny Love Magical Tales Mat– Extra large mat for your baby as he grows and rolls around the space.
- Music playmats are a lot of fun! They get a real kick out of playing the piano with their feet. Pun intended. 😉
- Lovevery Play Gym– Organic accessories, sustainably harvested wood. Water-based non-toxic finishes. This one is pricy but the materials used are all completely natural and it has suggestions for how to use it through the toddler years.

Sense of Touch- Toys with Texture

Another big work for babies at this age are appreciating touch and the sensorial experiences of toys with different textures. Your touch will always be number one- but having a variety of toys that are soft, hard, fur, crinkly, felt, terrycloth will stimulate your baby’s developing sense of touch. Most of these toys fall into the categories above- as playmats will have a couple and rattles come in different materials.

- Crinkle dolls-crinkle books were listed above under language development. Babies love the sound and texture of these toys and satisfy their need to touch.
- Multiple texture rainbow stacking rings– has a variety of colors and sensory play options.

Large Motor Skills

These toys may be more appropriate for your baby at 4 months or close to. They need to have strong head control before they can be placed in any jumper or exersaucer. But it has to be mentioned here- my boys were all starting to use it at the end of their 3rd month.

They are game changers! The level of fun and activity they have in these things is phenomenal. I felt like it led to better sleep and engagement, because it’s such a good workout and stimulation.

- This jumperoo was the BEST purchase we made at this age! Both my boys loved this thing and had some super exciting jumping times. We just assembled for the 3rd time for baby Rhys.
- Evenflo Exersaucer– another great option for sitting and bouncing play.
- We lived in a small condo until recently, so just stuck to the jumperoo as our main “sit in” toy. We had this infant seat at my parents and it was perfect for this age range before they can sit up on their own.

Entertaining Toys

We have toys with music at every age. The boys have all loved them. They aren’t necessary, and there are a lot of toys out there with excessive noise and features. Decide what works best for you- we’ve always had a few of these that were well played with.

- Anything like this lil’ critter that is soft and cute with music can leads to endless fun.
- Oball classic ball– play lasts well beyond 3 months as they change the way they play with it.
- Baby Einstein Music Explorer Toy– music toys have always been a hit. We started with toys like this and moved on to play guitars and microphones as the boys got older.

Subscriptions

A more recent trend for kids and toddler toys has been monthly subscription boxes. We’ve explored a few of these with my two older sons and just started MontiKids for Rhys. It can seem pricy- but I have a promo code you can use! And you get your money’s worth. They use the best materials, align to your baby’s developmental milestones, arrive at your doorstop without additional thought and provide instructions for extending play.

- MontiKids– Use promo code URBANMOM to save $30 & receive free shipping! My oldest is in a Montessori school and I love that I can start that kind of education at home. You don’t have to do a lot of research and decide what you need for each age. They have done that for you and provide the resources you need to understand the materials and how your kids can enjoy them.
- Lovevery– the same company that makes the play gym above also has a monthly subscription. A bit more economical than MontiKids, because you can do it monthly while MontiKids is billed every 3 months. They are very similar concepts and toys though. A lot of parents love this subscription. I would look through both websites and decide which is a better fit for your household.

Enjoy your fast growing baby. Most of these toys will be well loved beyond 3 months, well into 4-6 months.

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