Toys For 3 Month Old – Buying Guide

3 month old babies are just beginning to find their hands and play with toys. It’s a fun stage where most any object can be a source of immense fascination. The best toys for 3 month old babies range from hand-held objects that they can stuff in their mouths to more complex entertainment systems that hang over their heads or allow them to bounce their legs. All of these can serve as great 3 month old baby toys.

Finding the best toys for 3 month olds may vary from one personality to the next, but any toy that a 3 month old baby engages with is going to be a developmental benefit to them. 3 month old brains are constantly learning and any movement of their hands or grasping of objects is going to help them continue to do so!

If you’re searching for the best baby toys for 3 month old babies I always say that there is no better source than the babies themselves!

(Note: This post contains affiliate links which means if you purchase a product through one of my links I make a commission on your purchase – at no additional expense to you! Read my full disclosure here.)

I’m a mom of two and my second daughter is just nearing the end of her third month. The best baby toys listed below are the ones that my girls enjoyed most thoroughly and happily as 3 month old babies. I’m sure there are many more baby toys out there – and some of them may be fantastic developmental toys for infants or complex entertainment choices, but these are the toys that I know from first-hand experience that my daughters have enjoyed at this age.

If you’re searching for the best toys for 3 month old little ones below is the list of our favorites!

Our Best 3 Month Old Baby Toys:

1. The OBall Baby Toy

The Oball baby toy was by far the most loved early baby toy by my oldest daughter! She took it with her everywhere and it certainly eased a few fussy moments for us. She just loved curling her little fingers around it and raising it to her mouth for a good slobbery chew! My second daughter also very much enjoyed playing with the Oball at 3 months old, but not to the obsessive extent of my eldest.

These balls may seem like such a small and simple toy, but they are a fantastic first baby toy! The holes in the ball are just the right size for tiny fingers just learning to grasp. They are big enough that baby’s fingers don’t get stuck and small enough that they can really grip it well. They were one of the first objects that my daughters could really hold and bring to their mouth. These balls also continue to be a lot of fun well beyond the 3 month mark since they also bounce when thrown and roll quite well. My toddler still enjoys stealing them from the baby to throw around!

There are also some available with rattles or other toys inside, but my daughters both loved just the basic Oball pictured above.

You can find Oballs in many stores with baby toys or purchase them on Amazon here.

2. Crinkle Baby Toys

best learning toys for 3 month old

3 month old babies are just beginning to take in all the sounds, textures, and sights around them so crinkle toys are among my top toys for 3 month old babies because they really engage them with sound. These toys have material inside that makes a crackling sound when baby moves or squeezes the toy.

There are MANY different crinkle toy options available for 3 month old babies. My oldest daughter loved playing with a crinkle book. My second daughter loved playing with a crinkle animal doll like the one pictured above. She holds it well while sitting in her carseat or infant seat and easily raises it to her mouth to suck on. As an extra bonus the doll also has teething paws that my daughter enjoys gnawing on when she gets them to her mouth.

You can find crinkle toys of different varieties in any baby store or purchase them on Amazon here.

3. Teething Toys

best toys for 3 months old

Ah teething. Every parent’s dream! It is rare for a 3 month old baby to be cutting teeth already, but many 3 month olds may still be experiencing some pain from the inevitable future breakthrough of their pearly whites. My second daughter especially enjoyed a ring of teething toys similar to those pictured above when she was 3 months old.

Teething toys are often small flat toys in an assortment of textures and sizes to engage baby’s senses while providing pressure on their potentially painful or swelling gums. Some other types of baby toys (like crinkle toys) have teething pieces included for even more sensory variety, or you can purchase toys exclusively designed for teething like those pictured above. Many of these types of toys come with a ring to hold them all on or a way to attach them to a stroller or carseat as well.

These types of small teething toys are available almost anywhere that baby toys are sold or you can find them on Amazon here.

4. Baby Ribbon Blankets

These might seem like such a simple toy, but the sensory stimulation from it is so much fun for babies. We were given a little homemade blanket very similar to this with a square body and ribbons of various colors and textures sewn into every side of it. Both of my daughters have enjoyed holding it in the carseat or while laying on their back on the floor. They have fun tickling their mouths with the different ribbons and of course chewing on them as well. The cloth blanket is also easy for them to grasp well to bring it to their mouths.

If you’re feeling ambitious this a baby favorite that could be a DIY project (here’s a great tutorial if that’s up your alley!), but otherwise you can also find these on Amazon here.

5. Baby Activity Mats

development toys for 3 month old

The baby activity mat was a favorite for both of my girls when they were 3 months old! We have one just like the one pictured above but in a different color variety. It was a gift to us before my oldest daughter was born and it is one of the baby toys that I was most thankful to have! I think I would personally rate this #1 among the best baby toys for 3 month olds unless you are looking for a smaller more hand-held sized toy.

At the beginning of their third month both of my daughters were just starting to notice and learn to swat at objects hanging above their heads. This toy provided many joyful periods of play for them each as they pounded the piano with their feet, were stimulated by the music it then played, and batted happily at the variety of textured and noise-making objects hanging above their heads. A mirror in the middle of the overhead bar also lets the young babies see their own face which is a source of endless pleasure in and of itself for little ones.

This baby activity mat is just the perfect length for a 3 month old baby to lay with his or her feet hitting the piano at the bottom and hands positioned to swat at the toys hanging overhead. As the baby gets older the piano at the bottom also detaches and can be carried around or laid on the floor to be played.

You can purchase the baby activity mat pictured above on Amazon here.

Of course the model pictured above is not the only baby activity mat out there! There are even more complex models like this one (pictured below) available. Whichever model you go with, it’s my bet it will be a hit! 3 month old babies love staring up at engaging toys and exercising their newly discovered arms and hands to swat at them.

best toys for a 3 month old

6. Baby Exersaucer & Activity Center

best 3 month old toys

I saved this one for last because most exersaucers available are not marketed for use with babies under 4 months old. That said, we used one with my second daughter when she was 3 months old. She had very good neck control and was already rolling so we decided to let her give it a try. We have one very similar to the one pictured above. Her feet didn’t quite reach the floor of it at 3 months old so we put a pillow underneath so her feet didn’t hang. She was a little floppy in it, but had so much fun fiddling with toys from a whole new perspective!

This became one of our go-to toys for my second daughter near the end of her third month and a definite benefit is that it can also grow with her for many more.

You can find exersaucers like the one above as well as many more varieties on Amazon here.

interactive toys for 3 month olds

Several of these best 3 month toys can also be well loved beyond 3 months. Many of them would also be on my list of best baby toys for 4-6 month olds as well. My oldest daughter loved the handheld toys for many months beyond 3 months old as well as the exersaucer and teething toys. (Some of these baby toys she still enjoys stealing from her 3 month old sister to play with!) The only baby toy she really outgrew very soon after passing the 3 month mark was the baby activity mat since she became far more interested in rolling to her stomach, sitting, standing, or fully grasping objects and moving them to her mouth after 3 months old.

For more information on milestones and development for each week with a 3 month old baby check out this great resource from BabyCenter.

 

Best Toys For 3 Month Old: Gift & Buying Guide