10 Toys and Gifts for Infants

Infants change so quickly that it's hard to find toys and gifts that will make them happy for very long. During the first few months, babies don't even play with toys, and when they do develop an interest in toys, their little hands aren't able to hold onto anything very big. The following toys make great gifts for babies of about 3 months old because they can grow with the baby for a few months or become a classic playroom addition.

1. Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper
As soon as your baby figures out how to move those little legs, they'll probably be moving constantly. Give baby an outlet for jumping with this colorful, bouncy toy from Baby Einstein. The seat swivels around so baby can see three different activity stations, each with its own exciting toys. Sounds and lights add to the fun. You can use this toy as soon as baby can sit in the seat without slumping over, which is around 3-4 months for some babies and more for others. Babies at this age range change so fast that it's a good idea to buy toys that will grow with them!

2. Manhattan Toy Cirque du Soleil Zing-a-Ding Soft Rattle
Part of Manhattan Toy's gorgeous Cirque di Soleil baby toys line, this soft rattle has enough vibrant color and patterns to hold baby's visual interest, while the soothing rattle sounds give baby a reward for learning to shake it. Silky ribbons around the base of the rattle also provide something to touch for older babies with better control of their fingers.

3. Lamaze Grip and Grab Rattle
The interesting shape of this angular rattle will keep an infant's attention for quite a while. Bright colors on the edges add visual interest, and tiny beads inside the clear rattle sections are fun to watch and hear. Nubby center sections feel good when baby reaches teething time, too.

4. Tiny Love DVD MagIQ Animals
If you'd like to use a DVD to entertain your baby for a few minutes, but don't want baby staring passively at the screen, try out on of the cute DVD MagIQ animal toys from Tiny Love. You choose a plush character toy, which comes with a DVD. As the DVD plays on your TV, the plush animal interacts with
whatever is shown on the screen, so baby can look from the animal to the screen, and can try to understand the interactions. This is a really cool solution for times when you need a little break!

5. Infantino Mallory Monkey Toy
This soft monkey toy can go anywhere with baby thanks to the link at the top. Mallory the Monkey is cute and tends to hold a baby's attention really well, which makes it a consistent parent favorite, too. The textures, colors and rattle engage baby's senses. Pull the string and the monkey will even dance and vibrate.

6. Sassy Butterfly Rattle and Teether
This rattle set is easy for tiny hands to grasp, so it's a great toy for even the youngest infants. The set includes five of Sassy's wonderful rattles, each in a different shape. Some of the rattles have clear sections with colorful balls inside, some have softer teething sections, and some have plastic rings around them for extra sight and sound stimulation, but all of them feature Sassy's signature bright-colored spots and stripes. Cute, inexpensive and easy to stash in a diaper bag for travel!

7. Cloud B Sleep Sheep
If your baby could use a little help getting to sleep, this fuzzy sheep may be the answer. The sound box inside the sheep plays a variety of sounds - from heartbeats to rain and whale songs - to soothe baby and mask any distracting noises that may keep baby awake. Your baby can drift off to sleep peacefully with more than 20 minutes of soothing sounds. A loop on the sheep lets you attach it to baby's crib so it isn't near baby's face.

8. Baby Einstein Octoplush Toy
When you squeeze this fun octopus plush toy, pretty classical tunes play for baby. Parents will love that Baby Einstein has built in a volume control on this toy, in case they don't want to hear baby's tunes. Each leg has a colorful spot on it, and when you press the color, you can hear the name in English, French or Spanish.

9. Fisher Price Miracles & Milestones Pop Open Play Gym
Not only can baby enjoy this soft play gym at home, it easily folds up to be taken along wherever the family goes. Your baby can lay under the arch and look up at the dangling toys, or you can move the toys to the outer edges of the mat to encourage tummy time exploration. The raised corners add visual stimulation for baby.

10. Prince Lionheart BebePod Soft Seat
The BebePod soft seat from Prince Lionheart is a great way to give baby some added support as he or she learns to sit up. Instead of being frustrated by falling over time and time again, baby can sit up comfortably and get a good look at any exciting surroundings. The seat wipes clean easily in case of messes, and it's available in lots of color combinations. The newer BebePod Plus comes with a tray for toys.