The Best Gifts For Keeping Busy 8-Month-Olds, Well, Busy

Finding the best gifts for an 8-month-old can be a little confusing. First of all, you need to keep in mind what Baby already has around and how much storage space the family has available. That being considered, forget baby rattles and teething rings – at 8 months old, these will be stashed in every car seat and changing table by now. And at this stage, Baby is likely to be fully loaded up on adorable baby rompers and other wardrobe staples (although, it doesn’t hurt getting some clothes in the next size up). So what do you buy, then? Age-appropriate board books and interactive toys to keep growing minds stimulated are the best gifts for an 8-month-old. And let’s face it, Baby will enjoy this way more than a new onesie, anyways.

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The brain of an 8-month-old is like a little sponge. Knowing this, a musical toy or book is always a winner. Remember that anything and everything will be going in that little mouth as well, so look for safe toys with interesting textures they can hold or chomp. Bonus points if you find a gift that’ll last keep them entertained for several months or even years; a light-projecting animal to brighten the night, a sensory toy with buttons, or an interactive stuffed animal that encourages learning are all safe bets.

To make things even easier, we found some top gifts and toys for 8-month-olds that are tried and true. Scroll on for mom-approved picks that the baby in your life will love!

Best Gifts For 8-Month-Olds

Introduce your favorite 8-month-old to the wonders of classical music with the Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube. The Munchkin Mozart Cube encourages interactive play with buttons, sounds, and lights while teaching your budding composer about how instruments combine to create a full orchestral number. Five of the six cube sides feature individual instruments (harp, flute, french horn, piano, and violin) that can be layered onto each other with a simple press of a button while the orchestra button combines all the instrument sounds just as Mozart intended in eight different songs.

One Reviewer Said: “I probably enjoy this just as much as our little one, but mainly because I think it’s cool, and I’m a Mozart fan.”

The Plush Creations My First Farm is a fully interactive, snuggly trip to the countryside complete with four animal friends. Even though putting the animals in the barn and pulling them back out would entertain any 8-month-old, these adorable animals each say their name and make a neigh, moo, baa, or cock-a-doodle-doo sound, too. Clean-up is fast and easy with the lightweight barn that doubles for storage as well as play.

One Reviewer Said: “This was a gift and the baby loved it! Cute animals, nice sounds. All the pieces are soft and pretty colors. It’s nice that all the animals can be stored in the barn, which makes it easy for travel as well.”

If you’ve got a baby and a TV, then you know a remote control is absolute baby bait. Little fingers just love pushing all those buttons! So give them their own buttons to press with the VTech Click and Count Remote (and save Mom or Dad the hassle of reprogramming their remote control after baby smashes all the buttons.) A perfect toy on the go or at home, this baby remote has ten colorful buttons that sing songs, count numbers, and even control volume.

One Reviewer Said: “This play remote is really fun, with lots of buttons to press, and tons of different responses and songs. It even feels like a real remote when I pick it up and pretend to change channels just for fun sometimes before handing it to my son. I like that it has two different volume levels and fun colored flashing lights and that the buttons mimic actual real-life remote ones such as volume up and down control, up and down channel buttons, on and off buttons, [and] number keys.”

Give the gift of building with the best first baby blocks around. The B.Toys One Two Squeeze Blocks are hand sculpted out of soft, durable plastic, perfect for stacking, squeaking, and nibbling. With 10 pieces total, your baby can stack, gnaw, and play to their heart’s content. They’re recommended up to age three, and even come with a 100% recycled polypropylene carrying bag that’s great for travel.

One Reviewer Said: “Perfect set for the building a tower to knock it down phase. Also good for chewing, but I would not let your dog get ahold of them (we are missing a few now). Makes a cute gift!”

8-month-old babies love to bang on stuff, so why not give them a target to hit and let them develop those oh-so-important motor skills with the Playkidz Pound A Ball toy? Baby will never tire of whacking the balls with the easy-grip plastic hammer. Plus the balls rolling through the tubes and out the bottom ramp not only teaches cause and effect but is endlessly entertaining.

One Reviewer Said: “I bought this for my grandson's 1st birthday, and he loves it! It's very sturdy and gives him lots of learning options. I would definitely buy this toy again.”

The VTech Musical Rhymes Book has been entertaining babies for generations. The battery-operated talking book features famous nursery rhymes like “Hey Diddle Diddle” and “Old McDonald” with colorful engaging pictures for little ones to enjoy. Plus, this updated version has musical buttons on the side of the book for even more activity packed into a perfectly portable baby toy.

One Reviewer Says: “I appreciate the quality construction of this product. The design is very well done, the concept keeps our child busy. It is a safe, educational product.”

Sensory balls are always a go-to gift for a growing baby. This set may be a bit on the pricier side, but parents are absolutely in love with how good they are for coordination. One of the benefits is that this set varies in size and texture, so each ball is something new for your baby to discover. They’ll also last quite a long time, as they’re recommended for kids up to age three. Nine balls come per package.

One Reviewer Says: “I really like all of the color, textures and shape variety this package offers! My six-week-old likes these!”

Get ready to provide hours and hours of fun to any 8-month-old in need of a practical baby gift. This Fischer-Price Learning Chair is not only a pint-sized place for your baby to sit and relax, but it’s overflowing with interactive sounds and activities. Toddlers get rewarded for sitting and standing, and as they get older, they’ll fully appreciate the chair’s ability to teach them numbers, colors, and more.

One Reviewer Said: “It’s just the perfect size for my 8-month-old grandson! He loves sitting up like a big boy! Very easy to assemble!”

Use it as a toy for your baby to press or as a bedtime night light companion. Either way, any 8-month-old will love pressing the buttons to activate the star projector on their friend. Parents will adore this bedtime buddy too, with soothing sounds that will create the perfect tranquil environment for a great sleep. Are sloths not your thing? There are more light-up animal friends to choose from!

One Reviewer Says: “Projects well! Some projectors are blurry when they are a great distance away from the ceiling, this one offers a nice clear view of the stars even when it’s on the floor. Durable! My kids throw it around like their other stuffies, and it holds up well.”

The Magic Touch Piano is just that … magic! Without any buttons or keys to press, the wooden piano uses magic touch technology to create real piano sounds every adult will be impressed with and every kiddo will love playing. The musical development toy even comes with pieces of color-coded baby sheet music so your little one can play their favorite tunes.

One Reviewer Said: “My kids (age 1 and 3) LOVE this keyboard and all its beautiful and silly sounds! They’re also entertained by how it plays when our dogs walk on it. Great quality, durable toy.”

The press-and-go interactive design of the musical inchworm is perfect for babies right around 8 months old. By pressing down the middle ball flat, the inchworm pops back up and zips across the floor. Providing inspiration for a reluctant crawler or a baby that needs more motivation to move, the inchworm entices littles to follow him with glowing lights and catchy tunes.

One Reviewer Says: “I cannot say enough good things about this toy! My husband is very hard to impress, and he even loves it! This is the best toy that does not REQUIRE batteries for the best part of it. It does take batteries to play music, but we don’t care about the music. There is a button to turn the music on and off. The best part is you push the middle down, and when you let go it flies across the floor! My husband and I played with it for probably 45min with our 2-year-old last night. I’m sure our 10-month-old will love it soon as well!”

8-month-olds will love pulling and pushing this beginner dump truck to the construction site. When the three colorful boulder balls are dropped in the truck cab, it counts them out loud as they tumble in. The handy blue lever releases the truck bed for a real dump truck experience. This toy is a major hit, gaining a 4.8 out of 5 on Amazon with well over 25,000 five-star reviews.

One Reviewer Said: “This is the first ‘two step’ toy my kids ever used: put the ball in the hole, take the ball out of the truck bed (repeat). It helped my kids slow down their hand movements, carefully grasp something, and gently put it somewhere. The tactile feedback is fantastic. Great toy for ~10-24 mo.”

Best Christmas Gifts For 8-Month-Olds

Here’s a gift that’ll definitely grow with Baby. The Fisher-Price Laugh And Learn Smart Home is a play structure encouraging interactive free play with all the bells and whistles (or should we say doorbells and mailslots). The Smart Home features four language settings (English, Mandarin, French, and Spanish) and three Smart Stage settings that grow with your baby.

One Reviewer Said: “My family and I have given this gift to our nieces and nephews of different ages, 4 months of age through 9 months of age as a Christmas gift. I chose this because it is nice to have a toy that has playful songs, phases, weather, shapes, and colors that children can learn from as the baby (6 months) as the baby gets older. As the baby gets older, he/she can discover something new and fun.”

Snuggly interactive Scout from LeapFrog will become any 8-month-old’s best friend the first time they hear him say their name. This little pup connects to any computer, phone, or tablet to customize what he says (and this can be done while he is still in the box – hello, perfect gift). Besides teaching Scout your little one’s name, choose an assortment of personalized favorites like colors and foods while you also select which songs will be on rotation. This pup also comes in another version, called My Pal Violet.

One Reviewer Said: “Absolutely adorable!! Our 8yr old grandson got one when he was little and now we got one for his 2yr old brother. So easy to program to say their name. He loves it! He's dancing and singing. A great gift for all your littles!”

Ball pits are total crowd-pleasers, especially for kiddos! The Melissa & Doug adorable Turtle Ball Pit holds 60 soft and colorful balls in two sizes that zip securely into the turtle shell for simple (and adorable) storage. Plus the non-skid bottom ensures the little turtle friend stays safely in place while Baby crawls in and out and back in again.

One Reviewer Said: “Got this for my 8-month-old nephew but his 2-year-old brother loves it, too! My sister appreciates that it's its own storage so she can keep all those balls corralled. It is exactly what you hope it is: soft, squishy, full of balls, with great texture features for exploring little hands. This was a great find!”