The Best Gifts For 6-Months-Olds To Celebrate The Half-Year Milestone

Getting gifts for a 6-month-old baby is always a fun and exciting endeavor, especially because the older the baby gets, the more aware and interactive they can be with the things you get them. The only challenge is finding a gift that’s age-appropriate for a 6-month-old, because at this age, a baby is beyond newborn toys, but they’re not quite ready for the toddler toys that are designed to keep active tots busy.

RELATED: 12 Kids Tables And Chair Sets For Coloring, Crafting, & Collecting All Their Crap

One thing’s for sure: A 6-month-old is not going to be entertained from black and white colors alone, or any of those super simple and basic toys that are designed for early infancy. When they’ve aged half a year, babies are usually sitting up on their own, stacking items, and making stronger eye contact with those around them. They are much more advanced at grabbing at toys instead of just gazing at them and may even follow toys that are in motion.

This means that the best toys for a 6-month-old are, well, actual toys, and ones they’ll find entertaining for the next several months. It’s still important, however, to make sure any chewable toys are not a choking hazard, because at this age, Baby is still teething like crazy and putting everything in their mouth.

Ready to shop the best gifts for a 6-month-old? Here are some of the best toys and gifts that moms are loving most this year.

Check out our Gift & Toy Guides By Age for more gift-giving inspo!

Best Gifts For A 6-Month-Old

This loveable plush toy is something babies of all ages can enjoy, but it makes a great gift for a 6-month-old in particular. You can teach the pup your child’s name and personalize learning with 15+ activities through the use of a smartphone or tablet. It also sings more than 40 different songs, including melodies and lullabies that your baby will love.

One Reviewer Says: “This toy is part of our daily life. It says your child's name, you can personalize what it sings and talks about on your phone, it has a volume adjustment inside the back of the stuffed animal (which we all know can truly stink, if your kid is in love with something that is JUST TOO LOUD!) this has two perfect volume options. It also has a setting for 5, 10, or 15 minutes of sleepy time music.”

The SmartNoggin rings are great for young minds since they can help stimulate young minds. It has a flexible ring for grabbing and reaching, and a cute rattle that’ll produce a sound that little babies will love. Recommended for little kiddos up to a year old, this is a toy that’ll totally win your baby over. Still need convincing? It currently has 4.9 out of five stars on Amazon.

One Reviewer Says: “We love this toy! We started rattling it in front of our daughter around two months. It works great to get and keep her attention during long car rides. The fact that it has several rings gives her more chance for her little hands to stumble upon a ring and grab for it. She's almost four months now and has managed to pull it into her mouth a few times.”

This interactive toy lets kids explore the fun of cracking an egg — without the mess. It comes with six colorful toys, each of which squeaks when pressed upon, and has fun shapes on the bottom that fit perfectly into one space in the crate. Parents, be warned: This set comes with so many pieces that they can easily be lost, so it’s a good idea to put it all back together once your little one is done playing. That said, it’s safe for babies 6 months and up.

One Reviewer Says: “Purchased for my eighteen-month-old. We love the egg set. She is too young to be able to match the shapes to the right egg in the carton but loves to point to colors and play peek-a-boo. This set will be a great educational toy to build learning, matching skills, memory, and more.”

For babies around six months old, stacking blocks will likely start to occupy their attention for longer than many other toys. This set comes with 8 vibrantly-colored cups in all different sizes that stack perfectly. The price is also so affordable that it makes an ideal stocking stuffer or an addition to another gift.

One Reviewer Says: “I saw these for a couple [of] dollars and thought what the heck. My baby was 5 1/2 months and is now 7 1/2 months [and] is obsessed with these cups. As she keeps growing the more she uses them. I bought two sets one for the house and one for the diaper bag. She will clank and smack and topple and chew and entertain herself for a while playing with these stacking cups.”

Best Christmas Gifts For A 6-Month-Old

If you’re looking for a bigger-ticket item to give as a gift to a 6-month-old—one that will last them well into toddlerhood — this activity cube is a great choice. It comes with four different sides of entertainment, including curvy wire rides, peek-a-boo doors, spin and match animals, turn and learn ABC word tiles, and even racing rollers.

One Reviewer Says: “This is a great toy and well made. Both of my children have played with it and enjoyed it. It's great for developing hand-eye coordination, and for giving the parents a break without having to give your kid a phone.”

This activity center provides endless entertainment for your 6-month-old baby, plus it gives you a few minutes of a break from holding your babe! It has a 360-degree interactive design that rotates and a musical bottom that encourages bouncing and leg movement. The best part is that when your baby gets a bit older, it can be transformed into a table for your play area.

One Reviewer Says: “Probably could have used this around 4-5 months, but didn't end up getting til 6 months. Baby LOVES it, and I could finally set him down while I run to the bathroom and I know he's safe as well as engaged. The arched bead maze is his favorite. I feel the number of toys is overstimulating, so I like to keep 2-3 on a time and rotate them every few days to keep it interesting.”

If you’re seeking a super educational gift for a 6-month-old, this is a great option. It introduces your child to 100 different words, from fun animal friends to vehicles, and even different foods. It is also bilingual—you can change its setting to Spanish—so it’s great for teaching multiple languages.

One Reviewer Says: “This talking book is hands down the best thing I bought my daughter. She was a bit delayed in speech and since buying this book she’s been spitting out new words left and right. It responds well to touch and the pages are very durable which is great in the hands of a toddler!”

Best General Gifts For A 6-Month-Old

If you have the space in your playroom, your baby will have endless fun in this tent. It’s super lightweight and easy to move, plus it folds into a carrying case for easy transport. Although it does not include the balls to transform this tent into an interactive ball pit, you can purchase them separately—ideally 100-300 to fill it up entirely. As a bonus, it’s equipped with sparkling LED lights for a little extra magic.

One Reviewer Says: “My daughter loves her tent. We had her try it out with all her toys in it. It was not easy for her to crawl in at first, but she got it after a couple days. We added the lights to it and she fell in love with it even more. It gives us a sense of security [by] keeping toys in one place rather than all over the floor. It is easily transported from indoors to outdoors. We are excited to be able to use it this summer.”

If it hasn’t happened already, your baby will start to love music by the age of six months — and may be interested in creating their own. That’s why this fun drum set can be a really clever gift. It lets them create different musical styles, from classical and marching to salsa, and teaches your child how to play in both English and Spanish.

One Reviewer Says: “Granddaughter loved it! As an infant, she was fascinated by the colors and sounds. She loved making the lights come on each time she hit the drum and now that she's older she tries to 'sing' with the tunes.”

While this could certainly make a great gift for a boy or a girl, boy dads will love giving this GUND bag to their sons. The plush playset includes a baseball, basketball, soccer ball, and football, each of which makes a fun unique noise, from crinkles to squeaks.

One Reviewer Says: “This is an awesome combination of toys for around 3+ months when babies start to grab things. The bag is well made and the plush balls didn't have any issues like strings being [loose] or material not properly sewn on. I bought this for my nephew for his 3mo birthday... I couldn't resist, it was super adorable.”

One thing you can never have too much of at 6 months of age is bodysuits, aka onesies. These ones are all Winnie the Pooh-themed and Lion King-themed, which makes them oh so sweet for a little boy. The sizes range from 0-3 months to 24 months.

One Reviewer Says: “Our 5-month-old wore these on a recent trip to Disney World. My wife was obsessed and people commented like crazy how cute the outfits were. He was wearing 3-6 months clothes at the time and this size fit great.”

Whether or not your baby has a furry friend, this puppy will fill that void. It comes with three colorful buttons that promote your baby’s fine motor skills and prompt the puppy to play fun songs and sounds that will wow your little one’s mind.

One Reviewer Says: “I bought this for my great niece who recently turned one. My gift was the first one she opened and this puppy pull toy was one of three things in the box. From the moment she saw it, nothing else in the box mattered and no one else's gift mattered! She wouldn't put the puppy down! The cost of this is minimal, it works well and she loves it.”