Play · Months 5 to 7
Toys for 6-month-olds: six worth it, and the free version.
A six-month-old does four things with a toy: mouths it, reaches for it on the floor, bangs and drops it, and looks at it with you. You don’t need all six. One good thing for each is plenty.
- 6 picks, 4 skips
- Recall-checked Oct 2026
- Includes the $0 option
Independent picks. If you buy through our Amazon links we may earn a commission; as an Amazon Associate, Betteroo earns from qualifying purchases. It never decides what makes the list. How we choose
The short answer
If you buy one thing, make it a one-piece silicone teether that lives in the fridge. Teething often begins between four and seven months (FDA), and first teeth usually appear between six and ten months (AAP). Both suggest a teether to chew on, and neither wants it frozen solid, so ours lives in the fridge. If your baby is rolling and you own no mat, a play gym with an arch that comes off is the one bigger purchase worth making. After that, the First Blocks bucket with the lid off is the one other toy we’d buy.
On October 1, 2026 we checked each pick’s listed age range, live US listing, price band and the CPSC recall database. See all six side by side.
At a glance
Six toys, four jobs
Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether
Shaped like fingers, because fingers are what they want.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the list
Sophie la girafe
Made since 1961, with legs a small hand can hold.
Price band: Mid-range Check price Why it made the list
Lovevery The Play Gym
Designed in stages, so the mat is still useful when the arch is not.
Price band: Premium Check price Why it made the list
Skip Hop Farmstand 3-in-1 Activity Gym
A padded mat, five toys that move, and an arch that comes off.
Price band: Mid-range Check price Why it made the list
Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks
Ten blocks and a bucket. Lid off now, shape sorting later.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the list
Indestructibles: Baby Faces
Chew proof, rip proof, and washable.
Price band: Budget Check price Why it made the listBefore you buy
What a six-month-old needs from a toy
Plenty of toys sold for this age are designed to catch the eye of the adult buying them. We lean toward simpler ones, because a simple toy can be played with in new ways as your baby grows. So this list is organized by what your baby is doing, not by brand.
Every toy sold in the US for children 12 and under must meet the federal toy standard, ASTM F963, and be third-party tested (CPSC). On top of that, we searched the CPSC recall database for each pick, and we hold every pick to the same three tests below.
Safe to chew
Everything goes in the mouth at six months. Our teethers are one solid piece, made to be chewed, and never liquid- or gel-filled. For everything else, follow the maker’s age label and check for loose or damaged parts before each use.
No single right answer
Open-ended toys can be played with in new ways as your baby grows. We favor them over toys built around a single button.
Cheap where it can be
Half of the six are Budget. The one Premium pick is the single bigger purchase we think is worth making.
The picks
For the mouth: teethers
A teether gives sore gums something to chew on. We like ours one solid piece, kept in the fridge rather than the freezer: the AAP warns that anything frozen solid can hurt tender gums, and advises against liquid-filled teethers, which can tear or leak.
Comotomo Silicone Baby Teether
Shaped like fingers, because fingers are what they want.
Four soft silicone nubs on a ring, shaped like the fingers many teething babies reach for. It is one piece, so there is nowhere for anything to hide, and it can go on the top rack of the dishwasher or in boiling water (Comotomo). It is the one we would buy if we were buying one.
Why it’s worth it
- One piece of silicone, top-rack dishwasher safe
- Finger-shaped nubs reach further than a flat ring
- Cheap enough to own two and always have one cold
Key specs
- Age range
- 3 months and up (maker)
- Material
- Silicone, one piece
- In the box
- 1 teether
- Weight
- Under 1 oz
From Comotomo’s product page and the amazon.com listing, checked October 1, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 1, 2026).
Sophie la girafe
Made since 1961, with legs a small hand can hold.
Natural rubber, light, and shaped so a baby with a weak grip can hold it. The long legs can reach the back gums, and it squeaks.
Why it’s worth it
- Light enough for a baby with a weak grip
- Long thin limbs reach the back gums
- Natural rubber, which many parents prefer over plastic
Key specs
- Age range
- Baby (listing)
- Material
- Natural rubber
- In the box
- 1 teether
- Weight
- 2.4 oz
From the amazon.com listing, checked October 1, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 1, 2026).
For the floor: rolling and reaching
A baby who rolls both ways is no longer where you left them, and awake floor time becomes their day. Most of what the floor needs is arrangement: somewhere clean, a watching adult, and nothing small within reach. A mat is the part that isn’t.
Lovevery The Play Gym
Designed in stages, so the mat is still useful when the arch is not.
A large mat with zones that open and close for different stages, and an arch that comes off. What you are paying for is that it keeps changing: the mirror, the ball and the crinkle pieces are each aimed at a different stage, and the included play guide runs from newborn to 12+ months.
Why it’s worth it
- Stage-based, so it isn’t finished at four months
- A big mat, which is what a rolling baby needs
- The arch comes off; follow Lovevery’s guide on when
Key specs
- Age range
- Birth to 12+ months (play guide)
- Material
- Wood, cotton and silicone
- In the box
- Wooden frame, mat and play pieces
- Weight
- 7.6 lbs
From Lovevery’s help center and the amazon.com listing, checked October 1, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 1, 2026). Lovevery’s two CPSC recalls were other products (a ball run and a drinking cup).
- The listing says The Play Gym is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified.
Skip Hop Farmstand 3-in-1 Activity Gym
A padded mat, five toys that move, and an arch that comes off.
A padded play mat with an arch of five detachable hanging toys, crinkle pieces to find, and a tummy-time mirror on the version we checked. The arch comes off when you no longer need it and becomes a growth chart. It does much of the same job as the Lovevery, a price band lower.
Why it’s worth it
- The arch lifts off, leaving a plain mat
- Five toys unclip and move, so you can put them where they’re reaching
- Crinkle pieces and a mirror for tummy time
Key specs
- Age range
- 0 to 2 years
- Material
- Polyester mat, plastic toys
- In the box
- Mat, arch and 5 toys
- Weight
- About 2 lbs
From Skip Hop’s product page on carters.com and the amazon.com listing, checked October 1, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 1, 2026). Skip Hop’s 2023 activity gym recall covered a different model (Silver Lining Cloud).
For banging, dropping and tipping out
Around now babies discover that things can be grabbed, dropped and found again. We favor toys with no batteries and no single right answer, because there’s more than one way to play with them.
Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks
Ten blocks and a bucket. Lid off now, shape sorting later.
A bucket with a shape-sorting lid and ten chunky blocks. At six months, take the lid off: grabbing a block, mouthing it, dropping it in and tipping them all out again is the whole game. The lid goes back on later, once they start matching shapes, often in the second year. The bucket has a handle, and everything stores inside it.
Why it’s worth it
- Two toys in one: fill and dump now, shape sorting later
- Everything stores inside the bucket
- Labeled for six months and up
Key specs
- Age range
- 6 months and up
- Material
- BPA-free plastic
- In the box
- 10 blocks and a bucket
- Weight
- 11.8 oz
From Fisher-Price’s product page and the amazon.com listing, checked October 1, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 1, 2026).
- The listing states it is ASTM F963 compliant, the US toy safety standard.
For looking at together
At six months a book is something to chew first and look at second. That’s how a baby investigates anything, so the book only has to survive it.
Indestructibles: Baby Faces
Chew proof, rip proof, and washable.
Printed on Tyvek, a tough paper-like material the publisher describes as chew proof, rip proof and washable. It is thin and light, so a baby can hold it and wave it, and every page is a face, which babies are drawn to.
Why it’s worth it
- Made to survive chewing and drool
- Washable
- Light enough for a baby to hold alone
Key specs
- Age range
- Reading age: baby to 2 years (listing)
- Material
- Tyvek
- In the box
- 1 book, 7 x 7 in.
- Weight
- 0.7 oz
From the publisher’s page and the amazon.com listing, checked October 1, 2026.
Safety check
- No recalls found in the CPSC recall database (searched by product name, Oct 1, 2026).
- The listing says its Tyvek pages meet ASTM safety standards.
Coming up around 9 months
Stacking cups. One of our favorite toys of the first two years isn’t on this list yet, because the set we like is labeled for 9 months and up. Worth It weekly flags it the week it fits.
Side by side
Six toys side by side
| | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Teething | Teething | Floor time | Floor time | Fill and tip out | Looking together |
| Price band | Price band: Budget | Price band: Mid-range | Price band: Premium | Price band: Mid-range | Price band: Budget | Price band: Budget |
| Age range | 3 months and up (maker) | Baby (listing) | Birth to 12+ months (play guide) | 0 to 2 years | 6 months and up | Reading age: baby to 2 years (listing) |
| Care | Top-rack dishwasher, boiling water or sterilizer (Comotomo) | Wipe only, never submerge | Mat machine-washable, cold, delicate cycle; wipe the other parts (Lovevery) | Mat machine-washable, cold, gentle cycle, mirror off; spot-clean the toys (Skip Hop) | Not stated by Fisher-Price or on the listing | Washable |
| Skip it if | Your baby already has a teether they like | You want one you can sterilize | You already own a play gym, or budget is tight | You already own a play gym | You’d rather wait for shape sorting | You already have a few board books |
Which one is yours
Start with your situation
Drooling and gnawingA chilled one-piece teether: the Comotomo.
Can't grip much yetSophie la girafe. The legs fit a small hand.
Rolling everywhereA big mat: Lovevery for the long run, Skip Hop for less.
Grabs everything and drops itThe First Blocks bucket, lid off.
Stares at every faceIndestructibles: Baby Faces.
Already own a play gymKeep using it, and take the arch off when its maker says to. Buy nothing.
The $0 version
For awake, supervised floor time: a folded comforter or a couple of blankets on the floor, with a wooden spoon, a metal bowl and a clean dish towel within reach. That’s a play mat and three toys. Check anything you hand over for sharp edges, loose parts, or anything small enough to swallow, and keep blankets out of the crib at sleep time (NIH on supervised tummy time). For teething, the AAP suggests a cold teething cloth: a clean washcloth, wet, wrung out and chilled in the fridge. Give them a corner to chew, and stay with them.
The floor is the toy, and a chilled washcloth is a teether. You already own most of this.
What we would skip
Four things sold hard for this age
The first is a safety issue. The rest are just poor value.
Amber teething necklaces and bracelets
There is no mechanism by which a necklace eases teething, and the US Food and Drug Administration has warned about strangulation and choking risks. Nothing goes around a baby’s neck, and nothing with small beads goes near a mouth.
Seated activity centers and jumpers, at six months
They hold a baby upright in one spot, and we’d rather put the money into a mat. Awake, supervised time on the floor is where babies build the strength to sit and crawl (NIH). If you already own one, follow the maker’s age and weight limits.
Electronic 'learning' toys that do the playing for them
If the toy lights up, sings and counts when one button is pressed, the toy is doing most of the work and the baby is watching. One or two are fine. We’d rather spend the money on quiet toys that can be played with in more than one way.
Electronic sound books with buttons
Press a button, hear a cow. We’d rather have a book you look at together, where you do the pointing, the naming and the moo. For us, that back-and-forth is the point of a book at this age, and a recording can’t do it for you.
Toys we passed on
- Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys. Gel-filled. The AAP advises against liquid-filled teethers, which can tear or leak.
- The First Years Stack & Count Stacking Cups. One of our favorite toys, but the listing gives both 6 months and 9 months and up, so we recommend it from about nine months.
- Fat Brain Toys InnyBin. Rated for 10 months and up on its listing, so it is a pick for later.
Questions parents ask
FAQ
How many toys does a 6-month-old need?
Fewer than you think. One thing to chew, somewhere safe on the floor for awake play, one or two things to grab and drop, and a book to look at together. A few toys swapped in and out beats a full toy box.
What is the safest teether for a 6-month-old?
One solid piece of silicone or rubber, not liquid- or gel-filled, chilled in the fridge rather than the freezer, and checked before every use. Throw it out at the first tear or bite mark (AAP). Skip amber teething necklaces, numbing gels and liquids containing benzocaine or lidocaine, and homeopathic teething tablets. The FDA warns against them.
Are activity centers and jumpers bad for a 6-month-old?
We wouldn’t buy one for this age. They hold a baby upright in one spot, and awake, supervised floor time is what builds the strength to sit and crawl (NIH), so we’d rather put the money into a mat. If you already own one, follow the maker’s age and weight limits and keep it off stairs and away from hazards.
Is Sophie la girafe worth the money?
It’s light and shaped so a small hand can hold it and the legs reach the back gums. But it can’t be submerged, and a silicone teether at a fraction of the price does most of the same job. We’d buy the Comotomo first.
When can a baby use a shape sorter?
With the lid off, from about six months: filling the bucket and tipping it out is the game. Actual shape matching usually comes later, often in the second year.
What about stacking cups?
They’re one of our favorite toys of the first two years. The set we like, The First Years Stack & Count, is labeled for 9 months and up on its listing, so we recommend it from about nine months rather than here.
Why trust Worth It
How we choose
We don’t run a product lab, and we won’t pretend we do. Worth It picks are researched from makers’ instructions, retailer listings and official safety guidance, not lab-tested. Each is chosen for a specific age and a specific job, the way a friend a couple of years ahead of you would choose: a few products, each with a reason, and an honest note on what could go wrong.
We check every listing on amazon.com for a live US offer and sort it into a price band: Budget (under $30), Mid-range ($30 to $100) or Premium (over $100). We don’t print exact prices because they change daily. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission. That pays for this, and it never decides what makes the list.
For safety, we search the CPSC recall database by product name, and we note the US safety standard the maker says a product meets. Where the maker doesn’t say, we tell you what the law requires for that kind of product. The JPMA’s certification list (now run by the Baby Safety Alliance) isn’t publicly searchable, so we only mention certification when the maker states it. Specs come from the maker first, and the Amazon listing second.
Sources for this page
- AAP: teething pain
- FDA: safely soothing teething pain
- NIH Safe to Sleep: tummy time
- CPSC: toy safety requirements (ASTM F963)
- CPSC recall database, searched by product name on October 1, 2026
- Comotomo: teether
- Comotomo: how to clean the teether
- Lovevery: cleaning The Play Gym
- Skip Hop: Farmstand Grow & Play Activity Gym (care tab)
- Fisher-Price: Baby's First Blocks
- Workman / Hachette: Indestructibles: Baby Faces
- Product listings on amazon.com, checked October 1, 2026
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