And they didn't even have to ask for any of it.
Babies may not be making wish lists yet, but that doesn’t mean the gifts have to be boring. We rounded up the best gifts for babies, from sensory toys and books to keepsakes, playtime favorites, and a few tiny luxuries the grown-ups will appreciate just as much.
We only recommend what we’ve independently researched, selected, and genuinely love. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you).
All your holiday shopping in one place:
40+ Gifts for Toddlers Who Are Into Everything
37 Gifts for Kids Worth Getting Excited About
Floral activity mat
A soft, garden-inspired play mat with plenty to look at, reach for, and eventually roll around on like they own the place.
Mushie shape-sorting box
A pretty little shape sorter that gives tiny hands something to match, drop, dump out, and repeat approximately forever.
Bright Starts Giggle & Glow light-up rattle
Lights, music, and easy-to-grab handles make this a very efficient little package of baby entertainment.
Bright Starts Giggle & Glow light-up rattle ($9.39)—Buy here
J.Crew baby "Mon Chéri" cashmere sweater
Tiny cashmere. Completely unnecessary, deeply adorable, and exactly the kind of gift a baby would never buy for themselves.
Fat Brain Toys Flipty
Bright, tactile, and satisfyingly flippy, this sensory toy gives curious babies plenty to grab, move, and investigate.
Itzy Ritzy Sardine xylophone
A fish-shaped xylophone that lets babies bang out their first masterpiece while also looking absurdly cute on the playroom floor.
January Moon teethers
Chic enough to look like an accessory, practical enough to survive the everything-goes-in-the-mouth phase.
Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Cuddle & Crawl Duck
A plush duck that grows with baby from cuddly companion to crawling buddy, because apparently even the stuffed animals have developmental milestones now.
PlanToys stacker
A simple wooden stacker with wavy pieces that gives little hands plenty to grab, balance, and triumphantly knock over.
Baby Paper Gator Crinkle Cuddler
Part lovey, part crinkle toy, and exactly the kind of thing babies will happily examine like it contains state secrets.
VTech Baby Bounce & Bobble Flamingo
A bright, bobbly flamingo that moves, lights up, and brings just the right amount of cheerful chaos to floor time.
Fisher-Price Moves With You turtle walker
A friendly push walker that keeps pace with early movers while giving them a little extra confidence on their very wobbly adventures.
Kidoozie sensory ball nightlight
Glowing sensory balls, music, and soft light make this part soother, part toy, and very much a tiny bedtime spectacle.
Alphablock
A chunky alphabet book with die-cut pages that makes letter learning feel more like flipping through a tiny piece of art.
Hape suction musical toys
These colorful rattles stick right to a high chair or tabletop, which means more shaking, spinning, and playing, and slightly less retrieving things from the floor.
Soren Signature busy board
A compact little board packed with switches, knobs, and other irresistible things to fiddle with, minus the part where they dismantle your actual living room.
Evenflo door jumper with toys
A doorway jumper with built-in toys that gives energetic babies somewhere to bounce, wiggle, and burn off a little steam.
Stroller cards
High-contrast cards clip onto the stroller for easy little bursts of visual entertainment on walks, errands, and every outing that somehow takes three times longer with a baby.
Press-and-go cars
Push down, let go, and watch these little cars zip across the floor. Simple, fast, and exactly the kind of cause-and-effect magic babies love.
Peekaboo mirror and frame
A baby-safe mirror with a playful frame that turns staring at their favorite person into a full activity.
Colorful stacking cups
Stack them, nest them, knock them over, bring them into the bath. Few toys work this hard for this little fanfare.
Black-and-white tummy time toy
High-contrast patterns give babies plenty to focus on during tummy time, which is helpful when being horizontal on purpose feels deeply offensive.
Skip Hop artsy activity mat
A colorful play mat packed with textures, toys, and little surprises for babies to stare at, grab, kick, and eventually roll right off of and take with them.
Rainbow Books Fancy Flavors Collection
Bright, playful board books inspired by sweet treats, because even baby books can have a dessert menu.
Rainbow Books Fancy Flavors Collection ($35.99)—Buy here
HABA baby ball
Soft, colorful, and easy for little hands to grab, this fabric ball is made for rolling, tossing, and the early stages of “please stop throwing that.”
Miffy Eco Corduroy
A velvety little Miffy plush in soft corduroy, perfect for cuddling, nursery shelves, and becoming one of those toys they somehow keep forever.
Etta Loves sensory bath toys
Bold patterns and baby-friendly shapes make these bath toys surprisingly mesmerizing for little eyes, which is exactly what you want from something headed into the tub.
Mini Tudou baby blocks
Soft building blocks made for stacking, squeezing, chewing, and immediately knocking over whatever you just built for them.
Jellycat Rufferty Puppy musical pull
A soft Jellycat Rufferty Puppy that plays a gentle tune when pulled, making it equal parts nursery decor, cuddle buddy, and tiny music box.
Discussion
Sign in to join the discussion.