Top 10 Must-Have Infant/Baby Toys for Healthy Development in Canada

Bringing a new baby home is an exciting adventure, and part of that journey includes nurturing their rapid growth and development. While every interaction helps, the right infant toys can significantly boost your little one's cognitive, physical, and sensory skills. But with so many options, how do you choose?

At Baby EnRoute, we believe in providing safe, high-quality developmental toys for babies that truly make a difference. We've curated a list of must-have baby toys by type, focusing on those that offer maximum developmental benefits for newborns to 12 months here in Canada.

1. Sensory Exploration Toys (Rattles & Soft Toys)

Why they're essential: These toys engage multiple senses – sight, sound, and touch. They help newborns focus on objects, track movement, and discover cause-and-effect. For older infants, they encourage reaching, grasping, and shaking.

• Developmental Benefits: Visual tracking, auditory discrimination, grasp reflex, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination.
• Featured Products:
  • Itzy Ritzy Bitzy Busy Gift Set
  • Itzy Ritzy Sweetie Shake Plus Rattle & Teether

2. Teethers & Soothing Toys

Why they're essential: As babies begin teething, these toys provide much-needed relief for sore gums. Beyond soothing, they encourage oral exploration, which is crucial for speech development, and improve fine motor skills as babies learn to bring them to their mouths.

• Developmental Benefits: Oral motor skills, sensory input (texture), fine motor control, self-soothing.
• Featured Products:
  • Itzy Ritzy Sweetie Crinkle Sensory Teether
  • Itzy Ritzy Pre-Feeding Teether Set

3. Activity Mats & Play Gyms

Why they're essential: A dedicated space for tummy time and independent play, activity mats offer a rich environment for exploration. Suspended toys encourage reaching and batting, strengthening muscles for crawling.

• Developmental Benefits: Tummy time strength, gross motor skills, visual tracking, self-discovery, early cause-and-effect.
• Featured Products:
  • Clementoni Soft Activity Gym
    
  • BC Babycare Bluetooth Kick&Play Piano Gym

4. Stacking & Nesting Toys (Blocks & Cups)

Why they're essential: As infants gain better hand control, stacking and nesting toys introduce concepts of size, order, and spatial relationships. They are fantastic for problem-solving and developing fine motor precision.

• Developmental Benefits: Fine motor skills, problem-solving, spatial reasoning, hand-eye coordination, understanding size.
• Featured Products:
  • Loulou Lollipop Stacking Cups
    
  • Grimm's Stacking Conical Tower Large

5. Bath Toys

Why they're essential: Bath time becomes an extension of playtime! Floating toys, pour-and-scoop cups, and squirting toys add a new dimension of sensory play and reinforce basic physics concepts like buoyancy and cause-and-effect.

• Developmental Benefits: Sensory exploration (water play), hand-eye coordination, cause-and-effect, fine motor skills.
• Featured Products:
  • Itzy Ritzy Itzy Splash Bath Toys Gift Set
  • Tookidoo Submarine Spray Station

6. On-the-Go / Car Seat Toys

Why they're essential: Keep boredom at bay during stroller walks, car rides, or while waiting. These toys attach easily to car seats, strollers, or carriers, providing visual interest, sound, and a chance for batting and grasping.

• Developmental Benefits: Visual stimulation, reaching, grasping, entertainment during transitions.
• Featured Products:
  • Itzy Ritzy Itzy Bitzy Spiral Car Seat Activity Toy
  • Benbat Travle Toy Lion Power

7. Push & Pull Toys (for older infants developing mobility)

Why they're essential: Once your baby starts crawling or cruising, push and pull toys are fantastic motivators for movement and balance. They encourage gross motor skills and coordination as infants learn to navigate with their new companions.

• Developmental Benefits: Gross motor skills, balance, coordination, walking confidence, cause-and-effect.
• Featured Products:
  • BC Babycare Monster Truck
    
  • BC Babycare Pull&Run Soothing Toy

8. Musical Toys

Why they're essential: Introduce your baby to the joy of sound and rhythm. Simple musical toys help develop auditory skills, teach cause-and-effect, and can be incredibly engaging for infants.

• Developmental Benefits: Auditory development, rhythm awareness, cause-and-effect, sensory exploration.
• Featured Products:
  • Hape Musical Cloud Light
  • BC Babycare Dynamic Toy

9. Wooden Toys (Emphasizing Natural Materials)

Why they're essential: Beyond specific functions, wooden baby toys offer a classic, durable, and tactile experience. They are often open-ended, encouraging imaginative play, and are a wonderful eco-friendly option for parents in Canada.

• Developmental Benefits: Tactile stimulation, open-ended play, durability, imaginative play.
• Featured Products:
  • Grimm's Building Rainbow Large 12pc
  • Hape Chunky Clock Puzzle

10. Soft Books & Crinkle Toys

Why they're essential: It's never too early to introduce the joy of "reading"! Soft fabric books with crinkly pages, varying textures, and high-contrast images provide early literacy exposure and sensory delight.

• Developmental Benefits: Early literacy skills, tactile exploration, visual stimulation, fine motor skills (turning pages).
• Featured Products:
  • Make Believe Ideas Ocean Fun
  • Ditty Bird Sound Book Black and White Animals

Choosing the Right Baby Toys for Your Little One

Remember, the best infant toys are those that are safe, age-appropriate, and spark your child's curiosity. By selecting a variety of toys from different categories, you can provide a rich play environment that supports all areas of their healthy development.

Ready to find the perfect addition to your little one's play space?

Shop our collection of infant/baby toys right now.