Christmas Gifts 6 Month Old Baby Girl

The Best Gifts for 6-Month-Olds, According to Experts

Photo-Illustration: Courtesy of retailers

At 6 months old, babies can't thank you for a well-considered gift, but they can make eye contact, grasp objects in their little hands, and smile back at you. Because they grow and learn through play, the best gifts for 6-month-olds will both nurture their development and keep them engaged. To narrow the market of baby toys, accessories, and books, and help guide you toward the very best baby gifts out there, we spoke to four child-development experts: Sarah MacLaughlin, a social worker and the author of What Not to Say: Tools for Talking With Young Children; Dr. Patricia Cantor, a professor of early childhood education at Plymouth State University and the co-author of Techwise Infant and Toddler Teachers; Dr. Tovah P. Klein, the director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of How Toddlers Thrive; and Dr. Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, the associate director at Bank Street College of Education's Straus Center for Young Children and Families.

All four agreed that the best thing for babies is adult interaction — talking, singing, and sensory play. But when it comes to things you can buy, or that will make those adult interactions more fun, they all pointed to simple gifts that encourage sensory exploration, fine and gross motor skills, and cause and effect. Cantor gave us this easy rule of thumb: "You don't want to get them something you turn on and they watch, you want to give them a toy they can do something with." Read on for 23 gifts that our experts say will make a not-quite-newborn very happy — and will make great gifts for the holidays, too.

The No. 1 recommendation, which Kantor, Klein, and MacLaughlin cited by name, is a book called Baby Faces by Margaret Miller. "Babies at 6 months start to be more inclined to pay attention to a book, and they're starting to notice other babies' faces. They really like to look at other babies," says MacLaughlin. Klein further explains, saying, "The words are not the most important part. Looking at a picture and the interaction with the parent around the book gives the message that looking at books is a positive thing."

Cantor is a big fan of board books because they are sturdy and can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. She also likes that you can put a baby on their stomach and easily prop the books up in front of them. "An author I really like for this age is Helen Oxenberry; she has a book that's called Clap Hands with very simple pictures and actions that adults can do with babies," says Cantor, who explains the educational value of the book like this: "Babies really learn language when you use a word while matching it to an action or an object. So if you're reading the book Clap Hands while actually clapping your hands, they're going to pick up that language much faster."

Figueras-Daniel recommends this book from a series called Indestructibles, which its publisher claims can withstand even more abuse (and chewing) from babies because the books are made with "ultra-durable material" that's rip- and water-proof. This book is also very flexible, according to Figueras-Daniel, which she says is great for 6-month-olds because they can actually flip through it and hold it in their hands. This helps them to "learn to turn the pages, and that eventually develops into literacy skills," which Figueras-Daniel also says are important to start encouraging at an early age. "Sometimes we take for granted that those are skills that we learn: That we read from left to right, where the words on the page start, or where on the page words are even placed," she adds.

MacLaughlin told us that, at 6 months, babies still don't see a full range of color, so high contrast toys and books are attractive to them. She suggests board books in black and white, like "this series of board books made specifically for babies by Tana Hoban."

These lift-flap-books are another favorite of Figueras-Daniel because they're interactive, with "a little bit of cause and effect mixed in there, too." (She likes that Where Is Baby's Belly Button? comes in a bilingual Spanish edition as well.) A book like this lets a parent talk through what's inside with their child by pointing at the different body parts within and describing them, Figueras-Daniel explains. "They don't have to be books with a plot," she says. "Books that even simply have one object where you can talk about the name of that object are very helpful for encouraging speech and learning nouns."

MacLaughlin says that making a picture book by filling a soft album like this with photos of baby and family would make for a thoughtful gift that's also developmental. "They may not necessarily know that it's them and not another baby but that doesn't matter." she explains, adding, "At this point, their vision is getting better so they're becoming a lot more aware of the world around them." In addition to being soft and flexible, this album has plastic sleeves to help protect photos from the baby's drool.

According to Cantor, 6-month-olds' fine motor skills are still rudimentary, so they won't have full control of their movements. It's for this reason that she and all of our experts recommend buying stacking toys that babies can play and experiment with at six months and grow into later. Both Klein and Cantor suggest gifting a set of lightweight nesting cups like these ones that are also a popular baby-shower gift. As event planner and mom Elizabeth Verrelli explains, "They can be incorporated into almost any level of developmental play," even as a baby gets older. "I cannot believe how much mileage we've gotten out of them."

For something a little heftier, Figueras-Daniel recommends this set of color-blocked, weighted spheres from Fat Brain Toys, which have a rubbery finish that makes them easier for small hands to grip. "You stack them from largest to smallest," she explains, "but you could do other things with them too." The toys' rounded shape means they can also wobble, spin, tilt, and roll, making them a more dynamic plaything. Plus, their weight and shape makes them "fun to hold," according to Figueras-Daniel, who says it's like holding a ball.

Cantor also told us she likes these soft stacking rings as a gift for 6-month-olds. "They're not really going to be stacking the rings just yet, but they like to hold them in each hand and bang the rings together," she says, adding that, because they're soft, a baby "won't bang themself in the head with them."

Figueras-Daniel told us about these slightly more advanced stacking blocks that come with little animals, which she calls an "all-time" favorite. She notes they may be a little more challenging for a 6-month-old than the above styles (the manufacturer suggests them for 12-month-olds and up), but says looking ahead to the next developmental step is important in early child education. "It starts them working on some fine motor skills; as you stack the blocks, you can put the animals inside each one, so the toy has a double purpose," she explains. "The little animals add another level of interest to the game." Of course, knocking them over is just fine, as that also teaches babies cause and effect, according to her. "Even though it may seem like a toy is slightly above something that they can do," exposing them to it can help a 6-month-old get there, she adds.

Photo: retailer

"Pull toys are great for this stage, as babies begin to crawl and get around," says Figueras-Daniel, who recommends this Winnie the Pooh puzzle train. Made of wood, it includes Eeyore, Owl, Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger, all sitting on pegs. Not only is the toy great for encouraging movement, it also "encourages other skills since the pieces on the train are removable," according to Figueras-Daniel.

Figueras-Daniel is also a fan of shape sorting toys for promoting fine motor skills in 6-month-olds. The key, she says, is to start off with something simple that "maybe only has six shapes," like this toy that includes squares, triangles, stars, and circles, and comes in a cheerful butterfly box that doubles as the sorting vessel.

A little more flexible (and therefore perhaps easier for baby) is this motor-skill-honing toy that Figueras-Daniel calls "almost like the precursor to shape sorter." Instead of having hard edges, the box's sides consist of elastic strings in various patterns that will challenge a 6-month-old to "put objects inside of it by kind of budging them through," she explains.

It may sound simple, but MacLaughlin says a ball that a baby can pass back and forth with parents would also make for a good gift for a 6-month-old. "We know that babies' brains build through those back and forth interactions with a caregiving adult," she explains. "We call it serve and return." She adds that even if mom or dad has to do most of the passing, rolling the ball coupled "with lots of eye contact and laughing is good for their motor skills and social-emotional development, as it draws the connection between the child and adult." The four balls in this pack will also act as sensory toys, thanks to their soft nubby texture.

These little egg-shaped shakers fit perfectly into baby hands, helping them practice grasping and clutching skills while also teaching cause and effect. Cantor recommends them, saying, "If they move their hand and this little egg shaker makes a noise, that's going to get their attention, and then over time they'll start to realize that their action is what's causing the noise."

If you're looking for an activity center that can double as a décor item, consider this wooden pony from Manhattan Toy that Figueras-Daniel calls "lovely." Not only is it pretty to look at, it features multiple painted surfaces to explore: flapping ears, gliders, beads, spinning dials, shape sorters, and basic letters and numbers. As Figueras-Daniel puts it, "This toy is great for fine-motor development and some cause and effect."

According to Cantor, at this age, babies "put everything in their mouth. Everything." Therefore, things to help with teething — like this soft toy–and–teething ring hybrid designed to help with the pain of incoming teeth — make great gifts for 6-month-olds, because they're likely going to chew on whatever you give them anyway. "Everything you buy, you are buying with the knowledge that this is going to go into their mouth," she says.

Here's a teething toy that also encourages fine motor skills, thanks to the textured silicone center that can pushed in and popped out. Figueras-Daniel likes it because it reminds her of the popular push pop fidget toys for older kids. This one's "sweet and perfect for babies," she says.

While some babies will already be teething at 6 months, that doesn't mean they'll be great at holding onto things. In fact, they might be starting to experiment with what happens when they throw their toys onto the floor. For babies who are teething and really like to chuck their toys, MacLaughlin suggests a teething mitt. "It can be nice to make sure the toys stay with the baby," she explains, "and because they're putting their hands into their mouths anyway, these funny little mittens could be a good solution."

Part teether, stuffed animal, and sensory toy, Cantor told us that Taggies can help keep a 6-month-old occupied at home but also while on the go, whether in a stroller or on a plane. "These have a fair amount of interesting stuff for babies to do," she explains. "There are lots of tags all around the outside and different textures, like a plastic ring or crinkly fabric," that'll hold little ones' attention.

"One gift I would get them is a mirror with soft backing," says Cantor. "They like looking in the mirror — they have no clue it's themselves, but they like doing that." MacLaughlin seconds this idea, noting that a mirror a 6-month-old can look at during tummy time, like this fold out mirror, would be even more functional. Because of its shape, the mirror stands up so a baby can play with it while they're laying on their stomach. And it's soft, so they won't hurt themselves on any sharp corners.

Speaking of tummy time, our experts say that some babies at 6 months can hold themselves up on their elbows, while others have trouble with it. To help them master this ability, MacLaughlin suggests gifting this snake-shaped pillow that you can use to prop a baby up on their stomach or to support their back when they are sitting. "A lot of babies don't like the feeling of their face on the floor if they don't yet have the arm strength to hold themselves up," she explains. "This prop supports tummy time which is very important for babies at this age."

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The Best Gifts for 6-Month-Olds, According to Experts

Christmas Gifts 6 Month Old Baby Girl

Source: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-baby-gifts-6-months-old.html

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