17 Best Sensory Toys for Babies & Toddlers of 2024

This toy will be music to the ears of your babies and toddlers — and to moms too. The classical songs it plays are enjoyable to listen to, and the device has volume control (ahhhh!).

The cute caterpillar handle has brightly-colored spinning beads and is fun and easy for babies aged 3 months and older to hold. The large center button is easy to press. And lights move with the rhythm to attract your baby’s eyes.

I especially like that the tunes this toy plays include Mozart, Chopin, and Vivaldi. It makes a pleasant change from nursery rhymes and introduces the classics to your child. Our little ones always loved playing with this in the vehicle on drives, and we preferred it to all the other loud musical toys we owned.

Remember the stacking toys you played with as a kid? This one is a spin on those — literally. We might be a bit envious.

Colorful daisy-shaped or star-shaped discs are placed on a pole that has a spiral along the outside. Kids love watching them twist their way down the pole, then removing the base to see them tumble off.

It helps 1-year-olds and above with hand-eye coordination. The tactile discs and movement encourage sensory play.

This ball is suitable for babies 6 months and older and has many textures, patterns, and colors. The chunky bumps make it easy to grasp and hold. Shake it or move it from hand to hand to hear the gentle rattle noise it makes.

The tiny beads in the clear capsules and the bright colors and textures of the chewy nubs incorporate sight, hearing, and touch for a well-rounded sensory experience.

This unusually-shaped rattle has many small nodules at the end of the teething stems, encouraging your little one to grasp it.

Rings are incorporated on the soft stems, which can be moved back and forth, developing fine motor skills. The bright colors will attract your child’s attention.

Suitable from birth, the rattle is free of PVC and BPA, so it’s safe for babies to explore with their little mouths and hands.

This adorable dinosaur teether and toy will delight babies from 3 months onwards. You can choose from three bright colors: green, cyan, or orange. Apart from helping when teething, the different textures and shapes will be easy to hold and fun to explore.

The toy also comes with a 32-page book that tells the story of Dibley the Dino. This is great for some reading and relaxing mom-and-baby time.

This musical bus for babies aged 18 months and over will provide hours of fun. It features many sensory activities on a single vehicle. Your child will surely enjoy eight melodies while learning to recognize the different colors, numbers, and even the sound of each animal.

Your little one will love cuddling, squishing, and playing with this soft, multi-textured stuffy toy.

The colorful elephant offers lots of sensory fun. It has a mirror, crinkly ears, different textures and patterns, a rattle, and a teething ring. Little ones over 3 months old will enjoy having this elephant as their playtime buddy. And if your little one isn’t into elephants, you can choose a fox, giraffe, llama, puppy, or unicorn instead.

We love that you can attach this sweet toy to a stroller or car seat for on-the-go fun.

This fabric square has crinkly paper inside, a squeaker, and eight different tags that a baby can explore. We think it’s suitable from around 3 months old, although an age range isn’t specified.

You can choose from 12 animals on squares, such as a cute owl or fox. Each one has a teething ring, and the tags all have a different feel to them.

My little ones loved playing with tags and labels, so this is an excellent toy if yours do too. And our favorite feature is that it’s fully machine washable; just pop it in a mesh bag.

These soft, multi-textured fabric blocks have a variety of sensory textures for babies to explore. They have tags, soft fabric sides, crinkle textures, knots, rings, bright colors and prints, and more.

The squishy blocks are easy to grab and hold onto, even for young babies. And when your little one gets a little older, they’ll enjoy stacking and knocking the blocks down. They’re suitable for newborns and up, but our little ones especially loved these when they were in the 6-month to 9-month range.

An activity mat is a great tool to have in your arsenal of sensory toys. This one incorporates 18 activities, including a mirror, lights, sounds, and textured fabric. It’s great for tummy time or lying and exploring toys that hang from the adjustable arches.

The mat pad is machine washable, and the mat packs away easily for storage. You have four themes to choose from and three different sizes. This mat is suitable from birth.

What little kid doesn’t love water play? But what mom wants to clean up the mess? This BPA-free mat gives you the best of both worlds.

Fill the outside with air and the center with water, and let your baby have tummy time playing with the delightful fish floating in the middle. The colorful seascape in the background and sea creatures on the side provide more to explore.

Constructed from heavy-duty PVC, the manufacturer guarantees this won’t leak, or you get a refund. The mat is designed for babies 3 months and over.

Since this product is filled with water, it is always best to let the water out and allow the inside to dry after playtime in order to avoid mold from growing. Parents should also supervise their children while they are playing with this toy to avoid their little ones using it as a teether and popping the water-filled space.

These six brightly colored balls each have a different texture. There are bumps, ridges, nodules, and dents for your baby to explore. These balls are just the right size to encourage tactile play for babies 6 months and over.

The balls are also BPA-free, making them a safe choice for any teething child.

This 7-inch sensory ball has a knobbly texture, making it easy for little ones older than 6 months to pick it up. They’ll love the soft squishy rubber texture that contracts and expands as they squeeze and pull the ball.

There are four color options, including one that glows in the dark. This phthlate-free bouncy ball is durable and will last your little one a long time.

Brightly colored wooden slats enclose a ball inside this rattle-and-roll toy. It will stimulate your baby’s vision. And they’ll love the noise it makes as they roll the cylinder along the floor.

This toy is suitable for children 6 months and over, and the paints and wood are safe and sustainable. The PlanToys company has an excellent reputation for producing non-toxic, recyclable toys.

Suitable for babies, toddlers, and moms, these interlocking BPA-free plastic links serve more than one purpose. Kids can squish them, bend them, and delight in their ribbed texture. Moms can use them to secure their baby’s toys to a stroller, high chair, or shopping cart to prevent them from getting lost.

The good news is there are five links on each set, perfect for moms and kids up to 3 years old.

This non-toxic modeling material has been a favorite for over 50 years. Be careful with Play-Doh if your child has a known wheat or gluten intolerance. It’s tactile and brightly colored and inspires little artists to mold and create.

Tots older than 2 years will have hours of sensory fun with this pliable and squishy Play-Doh set, which includes 10 small tubs in assorted colors.

Kids love to build, and these textured, multicolored blocks make it easy and fun. They slot together on their nubbed ends or sides without even having to be lined up correctly.

Babies and toddlers older than 6 months will be creating their own towers in no time. I like that these bricks allow kids to be creative while providing tactile and visual stimuli.