Toys For 5 Month Old Baby – Types, Benefits and What to Buy

10 min read

Written by Sindhuja Prabhu

Sindhuja Prabhu

Toys For 5 Month Old Baby

Your baby is 5 months old and getting more active by the day. They seem to have more energy and learn much faster. It is important to give them the right type of toys, to help them develop on multiple levels. So, what are the best toys for 5 month old baby? What can you buy them so that it is engaging and contributes to their overall development too?

Buying toys can be confusing. There is just way too many of them and babies seem to love all of them. Anything colorful and fun to look at will suffice, right? Well, no. Fortunately for us parents, toy manufacturers put in a lot of thought and design toys for various stages. Buying the right ones is very important. Here is what you need to know about buying toys for a 5 month old baby.

In This Article

How Much Play Time Does a 5 Month Old Baby Need?

A 5 month old is awake longer and is more active, requiring more playtime. Give them an hour of independent playtime throughout the day and you can play with them for about 15 to 20 minutes every awake window.

When Should You Start Buying Baby Toys?

Soft, Plush and Stuffed Toys

Babies start observing and get curious when they hit the 2 month mark. You can start investing in useful toys once your little bub turns 2 months old.

What to Consider While Buying Toys For a 5 Month Old Baby?

When you are buying toys for your 5 month old, here are a few factors you need to consider:

1. Stimulating

The toys must be stimulating – both physically and mentally. It should make your baby want to explore, understand new concepts and think.

2. Encouraging

It must encourage them to move or play physically. They need physical activity to make their limbs stronger. If their favorite toys move or are out of reach, it will encourage them to move and learn to use their limbs better.

3. Weight

Your baby can lift some weight now. They can push too. Don’t buy toys that are too heavy as they can hurt themselves with them.

4. Material

The toy’s material has to be firm, soft, and safe for a baby’s hands. Anything with glitter, sparkles, or detachable pieces may look very attractive to your baby but it is not safe for their tender skin.

List of Top 11 Types of Toys to Buy For a 5 Month Old Baby

Some toys you can buy for a 5 month old baby are

1. Teething Toys

teething toys for 5month old

As your little one’s gums get ready to sprout teeth, it can be very painful. Teething toys are good options for your baby to bite on.

How Can Teething Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Soothe Sore Gums As teeth push through the gums, it can be quite painful and irritating for the baby. Chewing on something hard or firm can help ease this irritation.
Safe Teething toys are made specifically for babies with all safety precautions in mind. They are a safe outlet to let the baby bite and chew as much as they want.

Teething Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Teething spoons
  • Silicon water-filled teethers – frozen or chilled
  • Hard silicone teethers

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Baby Teethers

  • Ariro
  • MeeMee
  • Shumee

2. Musical Toys

musical toys for 5 month old

Your baby can recognize songs and tunes, and even move to them, a little. You can have a song for each activity (bath time, bedtime, massage time) if your baby loves music. Studies have shown that exposing your baby to music can help the baby in language development and  can master the concepts faster.

How Can Musical Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Boosts Creativity Playing with musical toys and instruments can help the baby discover new sounds and patterns. It promotes creativity and helps them express themselves.
Language Development Many musical toys come with rhymes and songs. Repetitive hearing of the words can help the brain remember them and pronounce them easily.
Cognitive Development Music can penetrate various parts of the brain. It can stimulate neural pathways, improving the child’s critical thinking capabilities. As they hear the same rhythm or words over and over again, the brain forms a pattern and learns faster.

Musical Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Xylophones
  • Baby piano
  • Drums
  • Musical hammer
  • Toys with buttons that make music when pressed

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Musical Toys

  • Brainsmith
  • Ariro
  • Little Monkey

3. Educational Toys

educational toys for 5 month old

Babies learn constantly. Toys can be an impactful way to teach many concepts to babies. Finding the right toy for the right age can make a big difference to their overall development.

How Can Educational Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Cognitive Stimulation Stimulating and challenging toys can go beyond a baby’s comfort zone, encourage them to explore how things work, and understand what you teach them.
Learning Concepts Early introduction to concepts can help children learn and understand them well as they grow up. They can connect the concept to what is happening around them and learn better.

Educational Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Stacking toys
  • Color sorting toys
  • Building blocks
  • Letters and Number toys

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Educational Toys

  • Endow Toys
  • Skola
  • Virgo Toys

[Read : Motor & Cognitive Skills Development Of A Baby]

4. Activity Toys

activity toys for 5 month old

Physically doing an activity helps us remember the concept and result longer. Babies learn a lot and retain the lesson longer when they physically do an activity and learn from it.

How Can Activity Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Fun Learning Doing an activity can be a fun way to learn concepts and ideas. A baby can learn how things work and what leads to certain reactions and more.
Encourages to Explore Activity toys require the baby to explore and try to do the activity in one way or the other. Your baby will want to try various ways of playing with the toy, which is important for creativity and exploring.

Activity Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Shape sorter
  • Building blocks
  • Segregating toys

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Activity Toys

  • Endow Toys
  • Skola
  • Skillofun

5. Calming Toys

calming toys for 5month old

Calming toys can be very handy when your child is in a new place or with new people. It can reassure them and make them feel safe.

How Can Calming Toy Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Soothe the Baby The more active the child gets, the more they can get irritated and agitated. They can feel very tired and not know how to channel their feelings. A calming toy can distract them and help them shift the focus from what is causing the agitation.
Emotional Anchor Having something stable can be very reassuring when there is a lot of change around. A baby can feel many emotions at one time and not know what to do with them. Children with special needs will need them more than others as controlling their emotions can be challenging.

Calming Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Liquid motion bubble timers
  • Sensory balls
  • Projector with soothing lights and white noise

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Calming Toys

  • Shumee
  • Endow

6. Crib Toys

crib toys for 5 month old

These toys keep the baby entertained in the crib. Some babies sleep all night in the crib and some spend their day naps or short play times in them too. A toy, especially for the crib, can make the place more welcoming.

How Can Crib Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Keeps Baby Occupied If you plan on sleep training your child or let them fall asleep on their own, they need something to occupy them as they doze off. A crib toy can entertain them until they fall asleep.
Helps Understand Connections When your baby gets to play with the crib toy only in the crib, they associate the crib with the toy. They understand everything cannot be used everywhere and at all times. They understand place and time. Going into the crib and playing with the toy can indicate a soon-to-follow nap.

Crib Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Your Baby

  • Cot mobile
  • Hanging toys
  • Toys with light and white noise

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Crib Toys

  • Winmagic
  • Shumee
  • MeeMee

7. Rattle Toys

rattle toys for 5 month old

Babies love noise at this stage. Noisy rattles can be louder than them and create the perfect distraction. And when the rattle moves from one side to the other, infants learn to visually track, or coordinate their eyes together to watch a moving toy which helps in improving the hand eye coordination in the baby.

How Can Rattle Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Hand-Eye Coordination At this stage, the baby will try to take the rattle to their mouth. They will learn hitting the rattle on a surface can produce more or a different type of noise. They will try to recreate it, thus improving their coordination skills.
Improves Motor Skills Big rattles can be comfortable to hold at this stage. Learning to hold and shake bigger and heavier rattles will help improve both their grip and arm strength.

Rattle Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Big and noisy rattles
  • Rattle rings
  • Rattle plush toys

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Rattle Toys

  • Shumee
  • Giggles
  • Ariro
  • Brainsmith

[Read : Baby’s Fine Motor Skill Development]

8. Bath Toys

bath toys for 5 month old

These toys make bath time fun. Bath time need not be a power struggle if bath toys can add some sense of fun to it.

How Can Bath Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Remove Fear of Bath Sitting in a big tub of water that shakes their balance can be very scary for babies. Toys can help distract and teach them to not fear a bath or the water.
Improves Limb Function Moving the limbs in the water requires more effort and focus. As babies play with their bath toys in the water, their grip gets stronger and gross motor skills also develop.

Bath Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Squeezy animals
  • Sing & swim bath toys

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Bath Toys

  • MeeMee
  • Funskool

[Read : 10 Useful Tips For Overcoming Baby’s Bath Time Fears]

9. Soft, Plush and Stuffed Toys

soft stuffed toys for 5 month old

Everybody loves to cuddle and squeeze something soft and plush, and so do babies. These are safe and perfect for babies of all sizes.

How Can Soft, Plush and Stuffed Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Silent Play Babies need silent play too. They cannot be in noise and light at all times. Soft toys offer lesser stimulation than the usual flashy toys, thus helping a baby play in a silent and calm fashion.
Feel-Good Hormones Cuddling and hugging tight can release feel-good hormones which are important for overall development. Babies can feel assured and happy with their favorite plush toy.

Soft, Plush and Stuffed Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Teddy bears
  • Plush toys of favorite characters

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Soft, Plush and Stuffed Toys

  • Ultra
  • MeeMee
  • Babyhug

10. Taggies Infant Toys

taggies toys for 5 month old

Babies love anything with tags or things hanging from them. They love to tug and play with them.

How Can Taggies Infant Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Sensory and Cognitive Stimulation Taggies with different textures can help in sensory development. Babies can touch, feel, suck and just play with them anywhere.
Offer Comfort Taggies are easy to carry around. You can use it as a comforter for your baby on the move. Having something constant can help make a baby feel secure.

Taggies Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Taggie blankets
  • Taggie cube

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Infant Taggie Toys

  • Endow
  • MeeMee

[Read : Baby’s Sense of Touch Development]

11. Crinkle Infant Toys

crinkle toys for 5 month old

As the name suggests, these toys provide a crinkly feeling and sound when crushed or squeezed. They come with crinkling material inside.

How Can Crinkle Toys Help a 5 Month Old Baby?

Skill Development Benefits
Sensory Development Crushing and feeling a different texture on the inside will make the baby curious. Their sense of touch and sound will improve with these toys.
Reduce Stress The texture and crushing it in their hands can help reduce stress and calm a baby down. Babies can’t regulate their feelings and crinkle toys can be a good medium to help them stay calm or reduce agitation.

Crinkle Toys You May Want to Consider For a 5 Month Old Baby

  • Crinkle ball
  • Hanging toys

Few Top Brands in India For Buying Baby Crinkle Toys

  • The Brainy Bear
  • Shumee Toys

Different toys help the baby in different areas. There is no good or bad toy if your child is learning from it. Picking the right toy for a 5 month old baby is more than just finding the best price.

Read Also: Toys For 6 Month Old Baby – Types, Benefits and What to Buy

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Sindhuja Prabhu,M.Sc (Psychology),PGDBM

Sindhuja, a mother of two, is an obsessive mom with a keen interest in psychology, especially child psychology. Her quest for knowledge and way with words led her to become a passionate content writer. She transformed her love for writing into a full-fledged career which incidentally also turned up being the perfect stress buster for the last 5 years.Read more.

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