Montessori toys help babies learn important skills like hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problem solving. When playing with Montessori toys, babies explore different colors and textures while also gaining balance and coordination. Choosing Montessori toys is also safe for your child. Montessori-inspired toys are typically made of natural materials such as wood.
What Is a Montessori Toy?
Toys that follow the Montessori method are also known as materials. These toys and activities aim to help young children take advantage of developmental windows.
For example, 1-year-olds learn that objects still exist when out of sight. This is the perfect time to use the object permanence box. Children put a wooden coin in a box. Then, they can pull out a drawer and see that the wooden coin still exists.
Similarly, Montessori play gyms like the Pikler Triangle Set take advantage of a baby's natural interest in movement. Babies have an internal drive to learn to crawl and walk. The Pikler Triangle supports babies as they pull up, stand, cruise, and climb.
Montessori toys offer many benefits for babies, toddlers, and beyond. They foster skill development, confidence, and a lifelong love for learning. Through hands-on experiences, children learn about many different topics from math to science, language, and more.
Top 11 Best Montessori Toys for Babies
As a former Montessori teacher, I love exploring the many Montessori-inspired toys available today. From play kits to simple wooden toys, there are many to consider. Take a look at our top picks.
1. Best Montessori Toys for Every Stage: Lovevery - $120
Lovevery offers high-quality play kits specially designed for each stage of infancy. From birth, offer your child expert-created play kits to stimulate their senses and build their skills.
These Montessori play kits feature traditional Montessori toys such as the object permanence box, simple puzzles, and books. Additionally, they include Montessori-inspired toys such as rattles, teethers, cars, and more.
Pictured above, The Babbler Play Kit is ideal for 13, 14, and 15-month-old children. Each kit also comes with a guide that provides tips for parents and caregivers.
2. Best Baby Play Kit: Moonkie - $67.99
Introduce your baby to a variety of textures and colors with this fun play kit. Made of food-grade silicone, Moonkie's toys also serve as teethers. The standard kit includes stacking cups, stacking rings, a pulling toy, and a pacifier clip.
3. Best Montessori Inspired Toy Gift Set: Mushie - $39
Stack, build, and knock over towers with this adorable gift play set. Mushie prioritizes safe materials such as food grade silicone and organic cotton. This kit features a push button toy great for developing fine motor skills and hand strength. Additionally, your little one can build towers with the stackable cups and rings.
4. Best Activity Mat for Tummy Time: Wee Gallery - $39
Offer your little one an activity mat to keep them interested during tummy time or while driving in the car. This activity mat features a crinkly texture, rattle, squeak, and a teething ring. We love that it uses black and white, as these high-contrast colors are appealing to newborns. The mat is made of organic cotton and eco-certified maple wood.
5. Best Play Kit that Grows with Your Baby: Bannor Toys - $74.99
Build, rattle, and teeth in style with this Bannor Baby Box. To start, your baby can enjoy the rattles and teethers. As they grow, they can enjoy stacking the colored silicone blocks.
The blocks feature holes that help younger babies grasp them. Yet, older children can hold the blocks to build in multiple ways.
6. Best Wooden Toy for Infants: Lou Lou and Company - $21
Part rattle, part toy, this geometric toy awakens your baby's senses. Discover the texture of string and wood while also listening to the rattle of wooden beads. This toy is made of renewable rubber wood for a safe, guilt-free purchase.
7. Best Infant Gift Set: Kiwico - $60
If you're looking for the perfect gift for an infant, this set is ideal. Featuring stimulating toys for tummy time, the Kiwico set also includes a swaddle. Plus, there is a pillow for taking a photo of the baby each month.
8. Best Rainbow Stacker Toy: Colored Organics - $36
Build a rainbow or other interesting shapes with these rainbow blocks. Encouraging children to use their imaginations, these curved wooden blocks come in several color schemes.
9. Best Wooden Stacker Toy: Milk and Honey Babies - $28
Count, stack, and sort colors with this adorable stacker toy. This wooden toy is made of FSC-certified wood and comes in an attractive gift box.
10. Best Montessori Toy for 1 Year Old: Coco Village - $99
This activity cube is ideal for curious 1 year olds ready to explore. The cube includes a shape sorter, xylophone, moving pictures, and more. This toy stimulates the imagination and encourages babies to build fine motor skills.
11. Best Walker Toy for 1 Year Old: Gathre - $119
Support your soon-to-be independent walker with this push toy. Your baby can play music, sort shapes, and look in the mirror, or push the toy from behind.
The Best Mobiles for Infants
Maria Montessori encouraged stimulating the baby's eyesight from a young age. Mobiles offer the perfect way to engage your infant. Here are some top picks for Montessori-inspired mobiles.
1. Best Montessori Style Mobile: Haba - $49
Hang the rainbow over your baby's crib with this colorful mobile. This Haba mobile most closely resembles Montessori's own designs for mobiles, which also feature slight changes in gradations of color. Made of natural beech wood, this mobile is bright and engaging.
2. Best Ocean Baby Mobile: Rookiehumans - $84
Introduce your baby to ocean animals with this adorable mobile made of handmade felt. The mobile features a whale, narwal, dolphin, and seaweed.
3. Best Wool Baby Mobile: Milk and Honey Babies - $60
This adorable, whimsical mobile features a sweet elephant. Made of natural wool and safe dyes, your little one will love watching this mobile twirl.
4. Most Enchanting Baby Mobiles: Pehr - $95
Choose from an array of options including colorful wool balls, enchanting animals, or whimsical figures. Safely made for your baby's nursery, Pehr uses high-quality materials.
Choosing the Best Montessori Toys
As your baby grows into a toddler the best Montessori toys and materials will change. You can introduce your child to practical life activities such as cooking, baking, and cleaning with the support of a helper tower.
Looking for toy shelves? Try our Stackable Toy Shelf!
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