Best Toys for 5-Month-Olds, According to Child Development Experts and Glowing Parent Reviews

Parents and kids alike love these subscription kits for good reason: Each one comes full of high-quality, attractive toys made by child development experts, so you know baby is playing with something developmentally appropriate. The kits also come with a parental guide to help you maximize learning during play time by walking you through various activities to do with each item. What’s more, they’re high quality and very chic, with bright colors that aren’t obnoxious — which may help explain the cult following behind these play kits.

Recommended age: 5 to 6 months

Weight: Varies by toy

Dimensions: Varies by toy

It may be considered a teether, but this ball-like toy is incredibly engaging for babies at various developmental stages. It can soothe gums, yes, but its interconnected tubes are fun for baby to explore and hone grasping skills. It also has a rattle-like center that teaches cause and effect as your little one shakes it about. You’ll love the smooth texture, which is easy to wipe clean with soap and water.

Recommended age: 0 and up

Dimensions: 5 x 3.5 x 4 inches

Weight: 3.2 ounces

This play center is perfect for 5-month-olds, but it has three stages of play to graduate to, so baby can use the toy well beyond this developmental stage (it can eventually become a toddler play table!). The table features all kinds of fun play things (like piano keys for feet or rattles and spinners for tiny hands), but also bounces up and down, so your little one can burn some energy and refine those motor skills, too. The foot platform is easily adjustable to different heights, plus the seat swivels 360 degrees to add to playtime fun.

Recommended age: 4 months and up (only use if your infant can hold up his head unaided, discontinue use when baby begins to walk unassisted or can lift himself out of seat)

Weight: 21 pounds

Dimensions: 31 x 31 x 18.5 inches

Maximum weight: 25 pounds

Maximum height: 30 inches

Though musical in nature, this toy isn’t too obtrusive for on-the-go fun, since it plays short clips of seven soothing classical symphonies, including Mozart, Chopin and more. It seamlessly clips onto strollers or diaper bag handles, and has a button that’s easy for tiny hands to manage. It also has four toggle beads on the side that baby can manipulate — great for developing those fine motor skills.

Recommended age: 3 months and up

Weight: 0.35 pounds

Dimensions: 5.1 x 1 x 5.1 inches

Though it looks like a plush toy, this elephant’s belly provides plenty of fun, thanks to an electronic panel that lights up, plays music and makes fun sounds that can make playtime with your baby even more captivating. Around this stage, baby will love watching the toy do its thing after you push the button, but eventually he’ll learn what happens if he manipulates the buttons himself. Just remember to use this toy as an aid in caregiver interaction, rather than simply pushing buttons — for instance, sing songs with the plushie, point out colors, have the elephant “talk” to your baby and be silly together.

Recommended age: 0 to 3 years

Weight: 9.9 ounces

Dimensions: 7.05 x 5.55 x 4.41 inches

It may not look like much, but this squishy ball is super fun for little ones — largely in part because the large holes (all 32 of ’em!) are easy for small hands to grip. While it may look simple, tons of parents in the What to Expect community swear by this lightweight, colorful toy. At this developmental stage, baby may enjoy holding and shaking the ball and learning to cross the midline (which is when he reaches across his body). As he grows, he’ll love to crawl after the ball as it rolls across the room. You’ll love that thanks to its smooth material, it’s easy to wipe clean.

Recommended age: 0 months and up

Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 4 inches

Weight: 0.15 pounds

While baby’s eyesight continues to grow, high-contrast images can provide more visual stimulation, since distinct colors are easier to see. The Sassy Peek-a-Boo Activity Book, which features high-contrast colors and interesting shapes, is designed with exactly that in mind. The cover pages also crinkle and come with interactive flaps to provide plenty of textural stimulation, too. Since the entire book is super soft, you won’t worry about baby thumbing through the pages (great for those fine motor skills!). Also nice: It comes with a clip, so you can hang it from baby’s activity mat or the stroller handle.

Age recommendations: 0 months and up

Weight: 2.3 ounces

Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 5 inches

There’s no doubt stacking cups are a classic — and that’s because it’s one of the most adaptable toys out there. Your little one will love picking up each one and exploring by thumbing and shaking them. (He may even bat at a tower built by a caregiver!) As baby grows, he’ll love making his own towers or bringing the toys into the bath for water play. (Note that while the recommended age is 6 months and up, you can still count the cups, vocalize the colors, show your little one how they stack together and more.)

Recommended age: 6 months and up

Weight: 4.8 ounces

Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.25 x 2.5 inches

These blocks are not only adorable, but they’re also super soft, meaning babies as young as 5 months can safely play. The set of 16 includes two shapes — blocks and wedge-shaped pieces that have contrasting colors and patterns which are easy for the youngest set to spot. They also have textures, liftable flaps and images, and some even rattle or crinkle. As baby grows, he can use the pieces to build more traditional tower-like structures. And you’ll have no problem keeping everything together, since it comes with a vinyl storage bag.

Recommended age: 0 months to 3 years

Weight: 0.25 pounds

Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 3 inches (per block)

As baby begins to engage in more interactive play, he’ll love this engaging play mat. The town-themed mat is illustrated with a colorful road scene, plus it comes with nine soft fabric vehicles he’ll eventually zoom down and around the road. For now, the cars crinkle, rattle and squeak for plenty of fun gripping and even passing from hand to hand. Also nice: The whole thing folds up into a storage bag for the vehicles (complete with a handle!) making it easily portable. (Note that the recommended age is 6 months and up, but your baby could easily watch you “drive” the cars at a younger age, for instance.)

Recommended age: 6 months and up

Weight: 1.3 pounds

Dimensions: 39 x 36 inches

With this interactive toy, busy babies can do it all: push buttons, spin dials and flip switches. There’s five sides of play, so there’s never any shortage of fun for developing fine motor skills, too. Plus, the toy automatically turns off when it’s not in use to conserve battery. Just remember the importance of playing with this toy together, rather than simply pushing the buttons. For instance, point out the colors on the blocks to your 5-month-old, make up fun songs about the animals and fruits pictured on the sides or have fun imitating the animal sounds.

Recommended age: 6 months to 3 years

Weight: 1.44 pounds

Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.2 x 6.5 inches

The VTech Drop and Go Dump Truck has got serious lasting power: Your child will enjoy playing with it well into his toddler years. For the littlest set, it’s fun to look at and begin to push around. And as your little one grows, he’ll learn even more about cause and effect as he places the “boulders” in the truck to elicit sounds. For walkers, it even functions as a pull-along toy. Caregivers can prioritize one-on-one time with their little ones in a variety of ways, like making fun sound effects, pointing out colors and the animals in the front seat or counting the balls.

(Note that while the recommended age of this toy is 6 months to 3 years, you can still demonstrate how the truck moves around or how the “rocks” go into the bucket until your baby can start manipulating it more himself.)

Recommended age: 6 months to 3 years

Weight: 1.6 pounds

Dimensions: 7.6 x 9.9 x 5.4 inches