Musical toys for babies and toddlers: 12 brilliant buys for 6 months to 3 year olds

If you're looking for musical toys for your baby or toddler, we've found some amazing options, including a Fisher-Price classic

Collage showing a range of musical toys for babies and toddlers
(Image credit: Future)

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

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.


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Money Editor, GoodtoKnow

Sarah is GoodtoKnow’s Money Editor. After Sarah graduated from University of Wales, Aberystwyth, with a degree in English and Creative Writing, she entered the world of publishing in 2007, working as a writer and digital editor on a range of titles including Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovating, The Money Edit and more. When not writing or editing, Sarah can be found hanging out with her rockstar dog, getting opinionated about a movie or learning British Sign Language.