Musical toys for babies and toddlers are a great addition to your little one's collection. They might already have some of the best toys for 18 month olds, or best toys for two year olds, but musical toys offer a whole host of benefits all their own.
A type of sensory toy, musical toys are great for stimulating your tiny human's senses, as well as helping them hone their fine motor skills, including moving their hands and fingers and practicing their gripping and grasping motions, as well as their hand-eye coordination. Additionally, toys like this can help introduce your child to the concept of cause and effect, where they start to connect their actions, such as banging a drum, with the sound that it makes.
If you're looking to add to your child's toy stash with a little musical number, we've found 12 of the most popular and bestselling options, plus some we rate from personal experience, to help you narrow it down.
12 brilliant musical toys for babies and toddlers
Suitable from: 3 years | Batteries required: None
What is it? A forest-themed musical table, including a rainbow xylophone (plus two beaters), tree trunk drum, mushroom bells, and a bird whistle.
Why we like it? As well as offering all the developmental benefits of musical toys, we also love that this one is made from sustainably-sourced wood - so it's fun for little ones, and great for parents who want to hold off on an influx of garish plastic toys.
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: None
What is it? A collection of musical toys including a baby xylophone, drum, rattle roller and rainbospinner
Why we like it? These instruments have a chunky, rounded design that's easy for a one-year-old to hold and durable enough to withstand vigorous music making. As well as offering a fine motor skill boost, these toys can help with creativity too.
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: None
What is it? Another wooden toy with pretty colour palette, this wooden xylophone toy has eight keys, playing different notes and comes with two beaters.
Why we like it? There's something quite therapeutic about the sound of wooden xylophone keys, so this could be a great option if you're quite sensitive to sound. You child will also be able to practice their hand-eye coordination as they compose their tunes.
Suitable from: 18 months | Batteries required: None
What is it? Wind the handle and the jack in the box plays Pop Goes the Weasel, before a Peter Rabbit soft toy springs out of the top.
Why we like it? As well as encouraging curiosity, this musical toy boosts hand-eye coordination in addition to gross and fine motor skills as your little learns what happens when they turn the handle.
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: None
What is it? A caterpillar shaped music stand, with wooden instruments including a xylophone, maracas, a bell and a rain stick.
Why we like it? This music stand is utterly adorable, and toddlers will love its cute face as much as parents will love its classy colour palette. With its removable parts, kids will practice their handling skills as well as their hand-eye coordination.
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: 2 x AA batteries
What is it? This chunky trumpet toy is packed with preset tunes, but also has note keys to help little ones create their own melodies.
Why we like it? This is a John Lewis bestseller, and it's not hard to see why. It's perfect for small hands to hold, makes fun sounds, and the pièce de résistance? It's currently on sale for less than £10. What a bargain!
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: 3 x AA Batteries
What is it? With six popular songs, two guitar sounds, and a fun whammy bar, little ones can strum this wooden guitar to make their own musical creations.
Why we like it? Excellent for giving fine motor skills a boost, this guitar is also a great alternative for parents who don't want to amass a whole host of plastic toys while their child is still young.
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: 3 AA batteries
What is it? With light and sound effects galore, this musical keyboard play mat makes an array of sounds when it's walked or crawled on.
Why we like it? As little ones practice their gross motor skills like walking and balance, they can also get to grips with the concept of cause and effect as they discover the musical sounds they create when they walk, or crawl, on the mat.
Suitable from: Six months | Batteries required: None
What does it do? This rainmaker toy is filled with plastic beads, and as you turn it 180 degrees, they fall through gaps in the plastic discs, recreating the sound of rain.
Why we like it? I bought this for my goddaughter's first birthday and it was such a hit, I also bought it for my nephew's first Christmas. It ticks so many boxes - it's engaging, easy to operate, the sound is really soothing and inexpensive.
Suitable from: 12 months | Batteries required: None
What is it? This 32-piece collection of percussion instruments is all you need to start your little one's musical education.
Why we like it? There's loads of variety in this colourful set, so it's great for keeping your tiny human engaged. Start off with one of the many shaker toys, before practicing hand-eye coordination with one of the instruments that needs to be struck in order to make a sound.
Suitable from: 18 months | Batteries required: 3 AA batteries
What is it? Introduced in 1971, this classic Fisher Price record player comes with five double-sided records, which play 10 melodies.
Why we like it? Being able to share a toy that you loved when you were a child with the next generation is really special. Watching your little one enjoy a nostalgic toy will fill you with warmth and fuzzies.
Suitable from: 2 years | Batteries required: None
What is it? All singing all dancing musical toys are all well and good, but sometimes you can't go wrong with a simple tambourine!
Why we like it? A perfect introduction to musical toys, this tambourine is great for little hands. They can hold it, shake it, tap it - all of those movements will help with their muscle development, hand-eye coordination and understanding of cause and effect.
Benefits of musical toys for babies and toddlers
While we know that sensory play offers a host of benefits for children, including improved cognitive development, emotional understanding, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, the specific incorporation of music elements has it's own set of pros too.
According to one study, babies brains can benefit from musical lessons even before they are old enough to walk or talk. The study found that 12-month-olds who took part in interactive music classes with their parents 'smile more, communicate better and show earlier and more sophisticated brain responses to music.'
Other studies show how these early musical experiences influence children's lives as they grow. You never know, you could have the next Beyonce or Justin Timberlake on your hands!
How we chose the best musical toys for babies and toddlers
We compiled this list using our extensive product knowledge and experience, as well as the feedback from mums whose kids loved these musical toys. While we have first hand experience of some of the toys on this list, we also investigated which musical toys were the most popular, bestselling and highest rated at a range of popular retailers.
As we commit to sharing more sustainable toy options with you, we've also included a few wooden musical toys if you want to keep your plastic use to a minimum.
Also, while we've shared these ideas with you, you likely have a whole host of items at home that would make great instruments in the eyes of a baby or toddler - think pots and pans with a wooden spoon, or sealing rice in a container.
Continue reading
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8 types of play your child needs to support their development
Benefits of sensory play
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