Toys and books for 9 month old - 1 year old

[pregnantgrump]

Would appreciate recommendations for my little one, who is very busy and active. He loves being read to, musical instruments, balls and sensory toys. He is 7 months now, but I want to plan our toy and book budget for him for the six months. What I've noticed is that some toys work very well and others he just ignores. So trying to maximise successes. Book wise he likes tactile books and ones with rhyming. Thanks in advance.

Should add that he is trying furiously to crawl.

Real hits here around that age were vtech walker (or similar), tomy eggs and fisher price garage with cars to roll down the ramp. Books wise the "that's not my..." range, and Spot.

Fisher price money pig! My dd loves it and it's very good for coordination and will last a while as it has different stages.
Also the beat bo is great, she loves this too and loves looking at the colours and bopping to the music, as she gets older she should then be able to follow the instructions

Oh and the tesco brand can't remember what it is called has a fab Tongan stacker with a giraffe top, cheap and very sturdy my little one got it at 10 months and still plays with is now at 17months

Thanks for these! They are great - has a walker but no garage or piggy bank. Any other books? Has that's not my range and spot.

I find stacking cups brilliant at this age. Dd1 used to love putting them inside of each other.

Vetch walker is a classic too.

The Lamaze toys are fab too.

That's Not My... books
Vetch walker

• both seconded

Jump on eBay or gumtree and look for a bulk second hand lot of toys. Then if some are no good you haven't wasted a lot of money.

At that age my DS liked his fisher price activity table, balls (of any kind), and a bit of car action (his current obsession at 21m). Books-wise, 'that's not my...' is a winner here, and any others that have pop up or slide up bits.

Also consider a toy library. We are members of a local one, it costs £8/year and we pay 50p-£1.50 to hire toys for a fortnight. They have all sorts, and it's so good for trialling stuff to see what really gets played with.

That zoo book is good I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet.... Especially with the flaps and the little cardboard books with different themes, colours numbers animals etc

DD is 10 months and loves:

• vtech walker
• tomy eggs
• soft toys (weirdly! Dd1 had no interest at this age)
• books with sturdy flaps - eg Guess What? books. Some of the younger Julia Donaldson might suit your DS too. Hungry caterpillar and the others by the same author, in board form. Goodnight Moon.
• Musical/sound making toys - maracas etc
• Moving toys eg the ELC push n go crab.
• Fisher price activity board from the 1970s (assume there is a newer one!)
• Cars and balls

Keep meaning to get her a shape sorting toy of some sort

Argos do a fab shape sorter for £10 think it's on the two for £15 chad valley stacking things, anything that stacks as well!

Books wise, we mainly use the library (at least once a week, usually twice, getting 9 books a time) and if she really loves a book after the 3 month max hire has run out, I buy it.
Only books I've bought are Dear Zoo and Love you through and though (talks about fingers and toes etc so they can point to each as you read)
She's been bought tonnes more but I don't think I'd have bought any of them tbh.

Another fun thing to do is take an old board book ( even a charity shop one with drawing all over it!) and stick photos of your family members and close friends in it. My dd just turned 2 and looks through hers a few times a week. I made it when she was about 6 months old.

Toys - at this age tots groups and charity shops are your best friend. They will grow out of things so quickly now. At that age my dd loved kitchen utensils the most!
Otherwise,
An o ball
Push along toys

Bubbles
Music CDs with action songs