Montessori Baby Toys, 0 to 12 Months

A newborn cannot hold anything. For the first few months they watch, and what they watch has to move slowly and sit at the right distance. Then the hands arrive, and everything they reach goes straight in the mouth. A toy for the first year has to be right for one of those two stages, not vaguely right for both.

That is how this page is sorted.

0 to 4 months: something to look at

A crib mobile hangs above and turns with the air in the room. There is nothing to press and nothing to switch on. Hang it well out of reach and take it down once your baby starts pushing up on their hands, which is usually around five months.

4 to 12 months: something to hold and chew

Cloth books with crinkle paper sewn into the pages answer back when they are squeezed, survive being chewed and dropped, and wash when the day has gone badly. They are small enough to live in the changing bag rather than on a shelf.

What we do not sell for this age

Nothing on this page has batteries, lights or sound effects. A toy that performs on its own leaves a baby watching it, which is the opposite of what the first year is for.

Once they are walking

The first birthday changes what works: a child who moves across a room needs something to move with. That is a different shelf, and it starts here: Montessori toys for 1 year olds.