The best developmental toys for babies and kids, according to an early childhood development expert

Ideal for grabbing, rolling and even cramming into their mouths. That’s what learning looks like at this age!

Not only do they help soothe teething woes, but the bubble popping design makes them a tactile delight as well.

The rattle is made to perfectly fit those tiny hands so your child can stimulate their sensory development as they watch, listen to and handle the rattle.

Who says peek-a-boo takes two?

Use all your senses to read this interactive book, developed with help from children and designed with every young reader in mind. High contrast images and tactile features like a shoelace, fun textures and a scratch-and-sniff ice cream make this book a fun sensory adventure.

This little friend helps babies and toddlers develop gross motor and coordination skills.

Easy for little hands to manipulate, this colorful sensory ball encourages them to experiment with holding, squeezing, dropping, rolling and chasing—skills that help develop hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills as well as baby’s sense of cause and effect and spatial awareness.

Simple and fun, this colorful puzzle is a full sensory experience. Each pet features a different soft fabric while the mirror in the middle is perfect for peek-a-boo!

Your little foodie can use the set to wash, chop and create yummy fruit and vegetable dishes, then they can clean up in minutes by putting everything back in the included wooden storage crate.

Zoom it around, take it apart and put it back together! This sweet wooden ice cream truck is one they’ll come back to again and again.

The extra-thick pieces are easy for little hands to hold, making this a screen-free activity the whole family can enjoy.

Brightly colored and smoothly sanded wooden blocks connect with mess-free glue circles to help them hone their 3D building skills.

With long arms and legs that are perfect for toting her around, this adorable fabric doll is as stylish as she is loveable.

Delicate, colorful and distinctive, Julia Groves’ illustrations introduce little ones to the animals that live in this endangered habitat.

Get the band together with this super fun set. Including a tambourine with cymbals, guitar, harmonica, trumpet and a clapper there’s plenty of toe-tapping music to be made.