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Finding a gift for a 9-month-old that will keep their attention for more than a few minutes can seem difficult, but in truth, this is a fun age to shop for. At this age, you’ll notice that your little one is officially starting to become more like a toddler and less like a baby. This stage in childhood brings about a ton of curiosity, meaning they’ll want to explore absolutely everything. This is also the time when many babies become more mobile. Whether they’re dragging themselves along on their stomachs, crawling everywhere, or starting to pull themselves up and walk, it’s probably getting much more difficult to keep them in one spot.

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Some good gift ideas for 9-month-olds include toys that can move with them or that encourage them to learn how to walk, as well as toys that will help with their cognitive development. They’re also eating more solid foods every day, another exciting milestone. At 9 months old, babies have more of an interest in dropping items into something, hiding things, and exploring. There are lots of toys they can have fun with that will also help encourage these developments. If you need a gift for a birthday or a holiday, consider these ideas for 9-month-olds that we can pretty much guarantee they’ll love.

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

A set of stacking circle rings looks simple and kind of boring to us, but for a 9-month-old? It’s full of possibility. At this age, your little one might be starting to actually stack items, or at least trying to. This Sassy Stack includes chunky rings that are easy for them to hold onto, and they all feature different textures and weights for a fun sensory experience. This is a great inexpensive option.

This little ball is perfect for babies who are crawling or just learning how to crawl. It rolls around whenever it’s pushed, so it’s something for them to push along and chase after. It’s interactive, with over 45 different sounds, phrases, and songs, and it also lights up and teaches kids fine motor skills. Babies love how visually engaging this one is.

Stacking cups are another brilliant yet simple toy that babies love. These are colorful and fun and can be stacked a few different ways, and they’re made of 100% recycled plastic milk containers, so you can really feel good about using them. These are fun for babies in and out of the bath, and they’re also small and portable when you need to take a toy along.

Soft blocks are always a great gift option for a baby because they can do so much with them, whether they’re stacking or not. These feature animal, shape, fruit, and number sides, and they’re interlocking—as your LO gets older, they can try finding which blocks fit together. The muted colors are also really aesthetically pleasing, a nice change from all the bright baby colors out there.

Most 9-month-olds are starting to become obsessed with adult items, especially things like the remote control. Give them their own remote control with this VTech option, which is definitely not a bad substitute. It plays more than 45 sound effects, phrases, and songs, and the different buttons introduce shapes and colors. They’ll love pointing this at the television and using it as a pretend cell phone.

Books are always an excellent gift idea for babies, and this interactive one is a great pick. The easy-to-turn large pages feature fun songs and lots of colorful images, and since it’s not paper, they can’t rip the pages at all. The five piano buttons light up and make the book even more exciting.

There’s probably a pretty good chance your 9-month-old loves music, and if that’s the case, they’ll love this musical penguin. It’s a roly-poly toy, so your child can push it or move it around, and while it will roll around, it won’t roll out of their reach. It makes soothing tinkling noises that baby will love without being overwhelmed, and the arms shake for more interactive fun. This is the cutest toy and is easy to take on the go as well.

Around 9-months-old is about the time that baths go from some form of trying to hold onto a slippery baby while they cry to trying not to get splashed while they play. It’s a great time to start giving them more bath toys, and these Boon boats are perfectly simple and fun. They can be stacked together, babies can pour the water out of them, and they’re just a nice pop of color in the tub. Plus, they won’t take up too much space!

This snuggly plush dog is a good mix of a stuffed animal and a more interactive toy. The shape encourages lots of hugging, and they can also press on the hands and feet for sounds, lights, music, and little commands. There’s so much for Baby to explore on this one little doll, and it’s also so soft and cuddly that it’s even more inviting.

This padded shape sorter is an excellent toy for a 9-month-old, and will grow with them as well. It comes with a soft case with two different activity sides and nine textured blocks. Baby can try matching the shapes to where they go on the case, or they can lift the crinkly flaps to reveal cute shapes and animals. The best thing is that everything can then fit inside the bag, which Baby can take anywhere once they start carrying it by the handle.

This Manhattan Toy option is not only really fun for your little one to play with, it’s also gorgeous to look at. This wood activity toy is full of fun things to look at and touch, like bean rungs, springy flowers, spinning gears, and a green bird. It’s 13 inches tall so it’s the perfect size for them, and when it’s not in use it just looks really nice sitting in their room.

With Baby trying new solid foods every day, a set of tableware is a great gift for a 9-month-old that’ll last them well into the toddler years. This pack from trusted brand Nuk includes two sectioned plates so mini food critics can sample to their heart’s content. While little ones love dunking their tiny fingers into the feast, parents love that these plates are suctioned on the bottom to help prevent messes, plus there’s an accompanying leak-proof lid for saving leftovers or taking meals on the go. They’re also dishwasher and microwave safe for extra convenience. Oh, and don’t forget to get a set of Nuk eating utensils, too!

This pet carrier is interactive and fun, but it’s also a great way to get your little one used to playing with a stuffed animal. The door opens and closes, and all of the various buttons produce over 100 different sounds, phrases, and songs. Inside is a small stuffed dog, along with everything they need to take care of the dog, like a little comb and bottle. Little ones also love carrying the case around and filling it with smaller toys. This will grow with them as well so they’ll enjoy it for months — maybe even years.

There’s a reason why this VTech walker is such a favorite among this age group. It’s the perfect size for them, and it’s a really great way to get them walking. Babies can push this and use it as something to lean on while they learn to walk, but it can also be used when sitting or crawling. The play panel is removable, and it features different sounds and music, as well as piano keys and a small telephone. There’s a lot to do and explore and they’ll love checking everything out.

Babies love looking at themselves in a mirror, even if they haven’t quite grasped the concept that they’re looking at themselves. This wooden activity box features a different type of mirror on 4 sides, and a panel with three magnifying glasses in different colors. They can take the magnifying glasses off of the panel and hold them up to their eyes. This is another one that will grow with them for a bit.

While this scooter is geared towards toddlers 12 months and older, you can have your 9-month-old try it if you think they’re ready. Otherwise, it’s a great gift because they can use it for a few years, even if they can’t use it right away. This scooter grows with your toddler; stage one is for early walkers to push or it can be put in wagon mode so they can fill it with their toys, and in stage two, it converts to a seat they can ride on. Colorful, fun, and full of possibility, this is something they won’t get sick of quickly.

This tiny wooden piano is beyond adorable and is ideal for fostering a love of music. It plays six different songs and even comes with sheet music. You can choose to just make sounds by touching the keys, or you can have it play songs with the touch of a button. It’s easy to clean and is just so sweet.

A set of stacking circle rings looks simple and kind of boring to us, but for a 9-month-old? It’s full of possibility. At this age, your little one might be starting to actually stack items, or at least trying to. This Sassy Stack includes chunky rings that are easy for them to hold onto, and they all feature different textures and weights for a fun sensory experience. This is a great inexpensive option.

This walker has over 7,000 5-star reviews on Amazon! Before they’re walking, babies can play with the removable activity panel and discover music, animals, lights, colors, and ABC’s. Attach the panel once kids are ready to practice walking and off they go! This encourages musical creativity, motor skills development, and pretend play.

This little ball is perfect for babies who are crawling or just learning how to crawl. It rolls around whenever it’s pushed, so it’s something for them to push along and chase after. It’s interactive, with over 45 different sounds, phrases, and songs, and it also lights up and teaches kids fine motor skills. Babies love how visually engaging this one is.

Stacking cups are another brilliant yet simple toy that babies love. These are colorful and fun and can be stacked a few different ways, and they’re made of 100% recycled plastic milk containers, so you can really feel good about using them. These are fun for babies in and out of the bath, and they’re also small and portable when you need to take a toy along.

This pet carrier is interactive and fun, but it’s also a great way to get your little one used to playing with a stuffed animal. The door opens and closes, and all of the various buttons produce over 100 different sounds, phrases, and songs. Inside is a small stuffed dog, along with everything they need to take care of the dog, like a little comb and bottle. Little ones also love carrying the case around and filling it with smaller toys. This will grow with them as well so they’ll enjoy it for months — maybe even years.

Soft blocks are always a great gift option for a baby because they can do so much with them, whether they’re stacking or not. These feature animal, shape, fruit, and number sides, and they’re interlocking—as your LO gets older, they can try finding which blocks fit together. The muted colors are also really aesthetically pleasing, a nice change from all the bright baby colors out there.

Babies love looking at themselves in a mirror, even if they haven’t quite grasped the concept that they’re looking at themselves. This wooden activity box features a different type of mirror on 4 sides, and a panel with three magnifying glasses in different colors. They can take the magnifying glasses off of the panel and hold them up to their eyes. This is another one that will grow with them for a bit.

Most 9-month-olds are starting to become obsessed with adult items, especially things like the remote control. Give them their own remote control with this VTech option, which is definitely not a bad substitute. It plays more than 45 sound effects, phrases, and songs, and the different buttons introduce shapes and colors. They’ll love pointing this at the television and using it as a pretend cell phone.

The VTech Musical Rhymes Book has been entertaining babies for generations. The battery-operated talking book features famous nursery rhymes like “Hey Diddle Diddle” and “Old McDonald” with colorful engaging pictures for little ones to enjoy. Plus, this updated version has musical buttons on the side of the book for even more activity packed into a perfectly portable baby toy. “The best thing about it is that there are many functions on it that he never gets tired of it! We’ve had this toy for at least a couple months and he loves it just like the day he got it! It’s also small enough to be hand-held by him and not too overwhelming,” reviews one parent on Amazon.

There’s probably a pretty good chance your 9-month-old loves music, and if that’s the case, they’ll love this musical penguin. It’s a roly-poly toy, so your child can push it or move it around, and while it will roll around, it won’t roll out of their reach. It makes soothing tinkling noises that baby will love without being overwhelmed, and the arms shake for more interactive fun. This is the cutest toy and is easy to take on the go as well.

Around 9-months-old is about the time that baths go from some form of trying to hold onto a slippery baby while they cry to trying not to get splashed while they play. It’s a great time to start giving them more bath toys, and these Boon boats are perfectly simple and fun. They can be stacked together, babies can pour the water out of them, and they’re just a nice pop of color in the tub. Plus, they won’t take up too much space!

This snuggly plush dog is a good mix of a stuffed animal and a more interactive toy. The shape encourages lots of hugging, and they can also press on the hands and feet for sounds, lights, music, and little commands. There’s so much for Baby to explore on this one little doll, and it’s also so soft and cuddly that it’s even more inviting.

This article was originally published on 7.13.2021