21 Toys for 9-Month-Olds That Check All the Playtime Boxes

This popular toy boasts 71,000 five-star reviews on Amazon and for good reason — it’s a great aid as your baby learns to walk. “When your baby is transitioning from a crawler to a walker, this toy is exceptional for walking development and teaching balance,” says Caplan-Colon. This walker gives baby adequate support while he stands and starts to take assisted steps. The wheels also come with a resistance setting so they’ll go at a slow pace as baby gets comfortable on his feet. Of course, you must have safety gates installed at the top and bottom of stairs as your baby learns to crawl and walk, per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

With over 70 sing-along songs that will stimulate attention and assist in the learning of shapes, colors, sounds and animals, the walker also offers interactive learning, creative opportunities and motor skill development. “My favorite part about this walker is that the play panel is detachable and can also be played with on the floor without the wheels,” Caplan-Colon says. “This way a caregiver can sit down and interact alongside.”

With the Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks shape sorter, baby will work through answering these questions: “Does the triangle fit in this hole that looks like a star? What about if I hold it this way?" Shape sorters are ideal for 9-month-olds who are beginning to develop problem-solving skills.

We love that each shape is its own color so you can help direct baby to pick up the right one (for example, “Try the green triangle!"). The storage bucket is portable and light enough to carry with you to grandma’s house, especially with the thick handle. Another plus? These chunky geometrically-shaped blocks are easy for baby to grasp and practice fine motor skills and large enough that they can hold and safely chew on them.

Melissa & Doug’s adorable puppets are a fun way to introduce your little one to the world of pretend play, while helping them learn basic animal names and their respective sounds. This set is made to fit both adult and kid hands (though some say they are a little tight on grown-ups), to encourage playing with your child. Plus, they’re nice and bright, so baby can see all of the details on each puppet. You'll also love that these puppets are machine washable and small enough to stuff in your diaper bag for on-the-go fun.

These also have thousands of positive reviews on retailer sites like Amazon, with parents noting that their babies are really interested in the puppets and that they can make some activities, like reading, a little more interactive. A lot of parents also point out that these are soft and cuddly, and the perfect size for little hands.

These colorful blocks are a great choice for the younger set, because they're made of a soft, squeezable BPA-free material that doesn't have any sharp edges. This means that the blocks won't hurt when they topple over and are perfectly safe for teething babies to gnaw on. At 9 months, you'll likely have to help baby build their towers, but they'll love learning all about cause-and-effect as you build, knock down and rebuild.

Once baby gets a bit older, you can add to the fun by identifying the numbers and images on each block. When you're ready to move on, just stuff the blocks back in the included clear storage case. Parents really appreciate how soft these are, because they don’t have to worry about their babies hurting themselves when playing, and because they’re also durable enough to be chewed on without being destroyed.

Have you ever met a kid who doesn't love to push buttons, twist knobs or move levers? Exactly. That's why the Battat Pop-Up Pals toy has quickly become a must-have for parents of 9-month-olds. It has easy-grab buttons that baby can push, slide or flip to reveal an adorable pop-up animal like a lion or dalmatian.

Baby can push down the animal to start the whole process over again, which will teach him cause and effect, and practice his fine motor skills. Best of all, the toy is lightweight, portable and doesn't require batteries. A lot of parents appreciate that the buttons can easily be pressed by their baby, with some saying it actually captures a little one’s attention and others noting that the animals are adorable to look at.

This spinning, singing light-up LeapFrog alphabet toy will delight your curious 9-month-old. When he pushes the frog or rabbit buttons, slides the bee button or spins the ball, the whole thing moves and flashes, helping with visual development. He’ll also be working on fine motor skills as he presses each button and tries spinning the wheel himself. With every move, your little one will learn about letters and animals and hear popular children's favorite songs, like “Old MacDonald.”

Parents love how this toy keeps their babies genuinely entertained. “The talking and music and spinning effect has made this toy very interactive and engaging!” one Amazon reviewer said.

If you have the space, consider investing in this five-piece soft climbing and crawling play set. It gives baby a safe space to explore crawling over soft objects, climbing up a slight incline and sliding back down. Parents love how durable it feels, with many calling it “high quality” in reviews. 

While the pieces are sturdy, they're also light enough for your little one to pick up, carry, stack, and knock down. All while working on fine and gross motor skills. The vegan leather blocks are made of phthalate-free, CertiPUR-US-certified foam. A lot of reviewers rave about how easy these are to clean, which is always a plus: Just wipe them down at the end of each day.

The colorful, patterned and textured ringsmake this an age-appropriate upgrade to baby’s first stacking toy. The different textures and weight of each ring are a sensory delight and safe for baby to use as a teether. Your little one will learn sorting, sequencing and building along with developing an understanding of what’s big versus small as he places each ring on the tower. Plus, each of the eight rings is numbered, so you can start to teach counting. 

This toy has over 50,000 positive reviews on Amazon, which is how you know it’s a good option. Among the rave reviews include notes that it is easy for little ones to use, entertaining, and versatile. This toy can be fun even for babies who are too young to figure out how to stack it, with parents saying their little ones love to throw them around, stare at them, and teeth on them.

This Baby Einstein wooden piano can be played three different ways: Auto, where the piano plays the tune based off of the included sheet music for one of six songs; guided, where you can play the music notes with the color-coded keys; or freestyle, where baby makes up his own tunes. This toy can grow with baby, allowing him to first practice fine motor skills by “pressing” the keys and understanding cause-and-effect as he hears the sound play. Later, he can try to match the key color to the sheet music. Parents like that the keys are painted on as opposed to being separate pieces, making it easier to keep clean.

My first daughter got this toy as a gift before her first birthday, and has played with it for years – my second loved it also, and it has maintained a top option for me when picking out gifts for other babies. I love that they can match the key color to the sheet music to actually “play” music or that they can just do whatever they want with it. It’s adorable to look at and to display on a shelf, and the music doesn’t sound obnoxious.

At this age, you don’t need anything fancy to capture baby’s attention, says Dr. Lytle. These soft toy vehiclesfrom Melissa & Doug do the trick. You can roll the cars and trucks using the pull-back-to-roll function. “This encourages baby to track the toy by following it with their eyes as it moves across their visual space,” Dr. Lytle says. As your child grows older, they can chase the cars or use them for more creative play. 

“A favorite birthday gift. My grandson put them in his mouth, rolled them down the steps, threw them around, and had a great time playing with them. Safe and no harm done with these toys,” one Amazon reviewer raved. 10,000 other positive reviews echo these sentiments.

When you and baby roll a ball back and forth, you’re setting him up to understand the back and forth of a conversation, says Dr. Lytle. You can have a rolling good time playing with this ball pit that’s filled with 30 multi-colored balls. As your child grows up, the balls can be used as a tool to teach color sorting and counting.

As for the pit, baby can make the balls pop, roll them down the slide or drop them into the net for lessons in cause-and-effect. There’s an electronic activity panel with buttons that play phrases, animal sounds and music, but he’ll be having so much fun, he might not ever play with those extra features. Reviews note that it’s a great size for smaller babies and that the music that comes with it makes it really fun. 

This adorable sloth is part of the Fisher-Price Linkimals series (choices include an otter, moose, hedgehog, penguin and more). Perfectly-sized for tiny tots, these light-up toys play songs, sounds and phrases that help familiarize little ones with letters, numbers and simple words. Caregivers can repeat phrases back to baby and sing along with the songs while playing together. Plus when paired with other Linkimals toys, it interacts to create a dance and light show that keeps kids engaged and helps with visual development. 

For little ones on the verge of making moves, this VTech ballis sure to get them in gear. The interactive ball wiggles and wobbles on its own, encouraging your little one to chase it, while sounds and songs play to add to the fun. As your child grows and his motor skills improve, switch the ball to the second or third learning stage, which introduces more words, numbers, phrases and animal sounds to begin fostering his verbal skills.

I used this toy with my second daughter and wish I had it for my first as well. She loved to crawl after it, but she also loved playing with it even as she got older, pushing the different buttons and looking at all of the brightly colored graphics.

More than a seriously adorable caterpillar, this set of colorful stacking cups link together or come apart for tons of fun, whether in or out of the bathtub. (They work great as part of a sensory water table station, too.) Each cup has drainage holes, so they can strain and pour water. To add to the fun, the top cup has a fun spinner. Your little one will never know it, but this simple set is helping him learn hand-eye coordination, cause-and-effect, fine motor skills and more. The cups are easy to clean, and they stack neatly for storage.

In the reviews, a lot of parents point out that these make for great bath toys because they’re so easy to clean. With no hidden areas, it’s harder for mold to sneak in. Some reviewers also note that these are great for traveling since they can stack to a more compact size.

Your little one will build his gross motor skills as he pulls and pushes this interactive, light-up VTech Pull and Sing Puppy toyback and forth — even if he's just sitting. He'll also work his fine motor skills pressing the three colorful buttons; each one will introduce him to various numbers, colors and parts of the body. Also fun: Your tot’s new four-legged friend plays music and puppy sounds, too.

This has thousands of positive reviews on retailer sites, with reviewers saying that they love that it feels fun and educational. There’s so much to do with it that little ones really stay entertained.

For plenty of rockin' fun, this LeapFrog music tableplays over 70 different songs, tunes and sounds, including readily recognizable classics like the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." There's an educational component for baby's budding vocabulary, too. The table also introduces your tot to numbers, letters, shapes and colors. For babies not yet cruising, take off the legs and let your little one play on the floor. Once baby is a little stronger, put the legs back on to encourage him to build his leg muscles and start moving around the activity center.

This VTech Drop and Dump truck is more than just a colorful toy truck. With over 30 sounds and interactive features, this offers plenty of things for your little one to do. It comes with three little balls (“rocks”) that they can drop into the top so they can tumble through to the bucket of the truck. That bucket can lift up so everything can be dumped out. They can sit and play with it, but there’s also a pull string so that they can tote it around behind them as they toddle through the house. 

The truck also has lots of sounds to help them learn numbers and letters, as well as melodies to keep it even more engaging. It’s lightweight enough for a 9-month-old to handle, but very well-made. I used this with my daughter around 9-months and she still plays with it now at almost 2-years-old. She loves filling the bucket with things and pushing it around.

The Fat Brain Toys InnyBin is a favorite because of how simple but engaging it is. It comes with six different chunky blocks, all featuring a unique shape, color and texture, as well as a cube with elastic bands. Babies should be encouraged to push the blocks through the elastic bands and then take them out again while playing. It’s just challenging enough to keep them entertained, without being so hard that they’ll never figure it out. It’s also pretty versatile: Even if they don’t want to push the blocks through the bands, they’ll have fun playing with them on their own. 

Reviewers on Amazon almost always give this five stars because of how entertaining it is. They love the high quality feel and note that babies tend to use it much longer than just 9-months-old. 

At 9-months-old, your little one is probably starting to become more curious about books. But even board books can be tough to give them – they tend to chew on them or try to destroy them. This VTech Musical Rhymes book, though, is basically indestructible. Made of a hard plastic with easy-to-turn pages, it encourages babies to get more interested in the act of reading and using a book. It plays a wide variety of different sounds, from words and phrases to longer nursery rhymes. The buttons on the side of the book are easy for baby to press and the light-up star adds another element of entertainment. 

The pictures on these are also bold and colorful, so they make it fun for your little one to flip through. I used this with both of my daughters and it was a big hit with both of them. They spent a longer time with this toy than most others they had, whether they were listening to the music or staring at the pages. 

If you’d prefer a toy that doesn’t make noise or require batteries, this Melissa & Doug Wooden Surprise Gift Box is a great option. The concept is simple – it’s a small wooden box filled with small toys – but it will keep babies occupied for a surprisingly long time. The cloth-wrapped box has a peek-a-boo mirror at the bottom for them to find (and stare at), and comes with a plush toy bear, squeezable fuzzy ball with a chime, a crinkle cloth, and a cloth book. Babies will love taking these things out of the box and putting them back in, but they’ll also love playing with each item on its own. 

I got this toy for my second daughter, but both girls have absolutely loved playing with it in so many different ways: They play with each item individually or all together, and my youngest loves the tiny toy bear that comes with it. It really encourages exploring and I love that it leads to more open-ended play. 

Toys that encourage crawling or walking are great for 9-month-olds who are just starting to become more active while getting ready to take their first steps. This Bright Starts Roll & Glow Monkey does exactly that: When you press a button, it lights up, plays music, and starts rolling all over the place. Your baby will immediately want to crawl after it as fast as possible to get to it and make it start rolling again. 

Although this isn’t the most educational toy out there, I have to say that my second daughter loved it, as did my toddler who was almost 3-years-old at the time we got it. This toy cracked them up and had them laughing like crazy every time it was on, and they loved pushing it around over and over again. 

Brigitt Earley contributed to this article.