As your baby steps into the 8th month, their demand for your attention just went up. They need all your time, and undivided attention, which is frankly just not possible. They need to keep doing something else, they will get bored and show their protest almost instantly. In this article, we list out the best toys for 8 month old baby and how these toys can benefit your munchkin.
Toys are a great way to not only keep your baby occupied but to help them learn and understand something new too. Give your child the age-appropriate toy and you will be surprised by how differently they play with it.
In This Article
- How Much Play Time Does An 8 Month Old Baby Need?
- What to Consider While Buying Toys For an 8 Month Old Baby?
- List of Top 7 Types of Toys to Buy For an 8 Month Old Baby
How Much Play Time Does An 8 Month Old Baby Need?
An 8-month-old baby will be sitting up, rolling around, and moving in some way or the other. They are active and awake for long stretches of time. A minimum of1 hour of unassisted play is necessary to help your baby develop various skills. You can spend another 1 hour on interactive play with them.
What to Consider While Buying Toys For an 8 Month Old Baby?
When you are on the lookout for toys for your 8-month-old baby, here are a few factors you need to consider first
1. Progress So Far
How advanced is your baby? Is your baby comfortable with toys for 6 or 7 month olds? Are they able to hold and play with them? Are they ready for the next level?
If they are taking time, you need to give the time. be patient and move on to a more advanced toy only when they are ready. Else, you might just scare or stress your baby.
2. Ability
Is your baby able to lift and move things? Is your baby sitting up and playing with toys? If you feel your baby is lacking or still behind in some area, you need to focus on objects and toys that will facilitate that development. It is not a one-size-fits all.
Each baby is different and you need to pay attention to what they need rather than what the market has to offer.
3. Interest
What is your baby interested in? Some babies like colors, some like stacking, while some like outdoor play. Buy toys that will interest your little one. While you can buy other toys as well, it is always a smarter choice to buy more of what your baby will enjoy, and less of what you want to introduce to your baby.
List of Top 7 Types of Toys to Buy For an 8 Month Old Baby
If you are confused about which toys to buy, here are a few options you can consider:
1. Sensory Toys
Toys come in different shapes and textures, with or without sounds, to help in the baby’s sensory development. Babies love to use and explore their senses and the right toys can make a big difference.
How Can Sensory Toys Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Introduction to Textures | Sensory toys are a great way to introduce various textures and surfaces to a baby. You can teach them soft, rough, smooth, prickly, and more such surfaces with these toys. |
| Evoke Senses | We all like certain textures and don’t like some at all. Babies will hate some and love some surfaces too. Sensory toys can help them identify what they like and don’t like. |
| Promotes Touch | Different textures encourage a baby to touch and feel. Sense of touch is very important and such toys teach the child to explore surfaces and objects by touch. |
| Reduces Dependency on a Single Sense | It is natural to judge a surface by looks. With sensory toys, babies learn to explore and understand the surface rather than just depend on their vision. |
Sensory Toys You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Sensory blocks/cubes
- Texture books
- Sensory balls
- You can give them rock salt, fine salt, leaves, rice, and sandpaper for different textures
Few Top Brands in India For Buying Sensory Toys For Babies
- Skola
- Toyshine
- Chicbuddy
[Read : Baby’s Sense of Touch Development]
2. Developmental Toys
Toys are specifically designed to challenge the mind and help the baby develop various skills and senses. They help in both physical and cognitive development, which are vital for a baby’s overall growth and development.
How Can Developmental Toys Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Develop Skills | Different toys promote different skills – it can be the art of transferring, banging, fixing, identifying, or matching. Repeated play with such toys will improve the skills which come in handy in handling real-life needs as they grow up. |
| Test Abilities | These toys are a fun way to test what a baby can do or can’t do well, identify which areas need help or focus to do better; where they are advanced or lagging. |
| Help With Overall Development | When you give the toy repeatedly, your baby will repeat certain actions. It can strengthen them physically and help them commit to memory. |
Developmental Toys You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Floor puzzles
- Dominos
- Blocks
- Shape sorting sets
Few Top Brands in India For Buying Developmental Toys For Babies
- Ariraro
- Frank
- Creatives
- Shumee
- Brainy Bear
3. Building Toys
Babies love to build. As they get older, their structures get taller and broader too. They learn to build it with balance and imagination. They can build tall or broad structures, they can follow instructions or just explore with their tiny hands. These will help babies work on their gross and fine motor skills and their cognitive development as well.
How Can Building Toys Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Helps Understand Size and Proportion | Continuous play with building blocks will encourage them to keep building higher. When the structure falls, they eventually learn about the need for a broad base, the proportion between pieces, top, and bottom of a structure. |
| Teaches Patience | Repeatedly trying to build something and placing the pieces carefully will teach babies patience. Through play, they learn about careful handling, precision, and focus. |
Building Toys You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Theme-based building blocks
- Open-ended blocks
- Foam building blocks
Few Top Brands in India For Buying Building Toys For Babies
- Ratnas
- Shumee
- Toyshine
4. Activity Toys
Babies love to do and learn. They like to repeat a motion over and over again until they can commit it to memory. Activity toys are a great way to facilitate this need. You can invest in two or three such toys and keep rotating them on a weekly basis, to help your child develop various skills and not get bored of the toy. Activity toys are beneficial in improving the overall motor development among babies.
How Can Activity Toys Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Promote Problem Solving Skills | This is an important development for babies to learn in schools as well as face real-life situations. They become independent and start thinking for themselves as they get confident with their capabilities to solve problems. |
| Increase IQ | Improves their IQ by improving their memory and understanding of how things work. They learn to find ways to get the end result. |
| Build Muscle Memory | Repetitive action will build muscle memory, which can help babies perform certain actions even after they grow and don’t consciously remember the concept they learned through play. Their muscles will just automatically perform the actions. |
Activity Toys You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Activity and Learning ball
- Montessori activity toys
- Activity cube/ triangle
Few Top Brands in India For Buying Activity Toys For Babies
- Funskool
- Babyhug
- Ratnas
- Shumee
- Skola
[Read : Baby’s Gross Motor Skill Development]
5. Crawling and Pushing Toys
Toys that move can be very entertaining for an 8-month-old who is just learning to move without any help. It challenges and encourages them to move, in the form of play. Their toys following them will give them immense joy and encourage them to play longer.
How Can Crawling and Pushing Toys Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improve Gross Motor Skills | Using hands to pull a toy, crawl around, and reach for the toy will increase the use of larger muscle groups. It will strengthen the gross motor skills, getting the baby ready to stand, walk, and run in the coming months. |
| Enhance Upper Body Strength | As the baby balances on one arm to reach for the toy with the other, it helps improve balance, posture as well as shoulder strength. It helps strengthen the core and arms as well. |
| Promote Independent Play | As they get bigger, such toys will encourage them to play on their own instead of expecting an adult intervention. This is essential for them to become independent and self-sufficient. |
Crawling and Pushing Toys You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Key toys
- Pull back toys
- Wooden car toys
- Walkers
Few Top Brands in India For Buying Crawling and Pushing Toys For Babies
- Ammi enterprise
- Funskool
- Babyistan
6. Toys With Buttons and Dials
There is something about buttons that attract babies at this stage. They love to just push any button, switches or dials and see what happens. Toys with buttons and dials will be received with glee!
How Can Toys With Buttons and Dials Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Improve Memory | Repeatedly pushing a button to hear their favorite music, to see a certain light, or to see the toy prefer, will improve and strengthen their memory. This is very essential for survival in the real world. |
| Increase Finger Strength | The increase in the use of fingers to press buttons or dials, will strengthen them. Finger strength is important for writing, using cutlery, and just about everything else. |
| Teach Cause and Effect | When your baby pushes a button, it triggers music or lights. They learn to associate the action of pushing a button with what it does. Repeated play will help them remember which button does what. |
Toys With Buttons and Dials You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Silicon popping toys
- Baby piano
- Activity boxes
- Musical boxes
- Baby telephone
Few Top Brands in India For Buying Toys With Buttons and Dials For Babies
- Funskool
- Babyhug
- Toyshine
[Read : When Will My Baby Develop The Pincer Grasp?]
7. Household Items For Babies
You need not always spend on toys for your baby. Giving them safe items from around the house is good enough to keep them occupied and teach them new skills. It can be cost-effective for you and very satisfying for your baby as they get what you are using.
How Can Household Items Help an 8 Month Old Baby?
| Skill Development | Benefits |
| Make Them Feel Grownup | When you allow them to play with or use the items you or other adults use at home, they feel very big and mature when it is their turn to use the household items. |
| Teach Them Young | When you guide them about how to use the household item, you are teaching them young. It gives them more room to learn more and develop more cognitively. |
| Practical Learning | Household items are what everyone uses eventually. Toys are designed to help them use such items. When you give these items directly, they learn a practical skill instead of playing. |
Household Items You May Want to Consider For an 8 Month Old Baby
- Masking tape
- Blankets/towels
- Laundry baskets
- Cups
- Boxes
Your 8 month old will love to play with almost everything they can get their hands on. Give them the right toys to see them improve their skills and abilities while having fun. Invest in the right toys for an 8 month old baby that will help your baby and see them flourish. Learning through play is a very effective form of learning.
Read Also: Toys For 9 Month Old Baby – Types, Benefits and What to Buy
