These toys are great for the 9 months-4 year old age range, depending on your child, their interests, etc. Most of these will grow with your child because they are open-ended. Some have chokables so watch out for that if you have a child under 3 or one that still mouths toys!! (Some of these links may be affiliate links. )

Toys to promote baby’s fine motor development: Original toy company school bus, shape sorter house, green toys stacker, Melissa and Doug geometric stacker, and O Ball toys for early grasping practice.

- Books!!! I love these authors/series' for kids this age: Mo Willems - Elephant and Piggy, The Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney, David Shannon, Sandra Boynton books, and many more. Indestructibles are easy to carry around and great for baby. You can never go wrong with books. :) A quiet book like this is great to have on hand for restaurants, etc.
- Wooden building blocks - these are technically for ages 3 and older, so check for chokables before allowing your child to play with them independently.
- Magna-Tiles
- Musical Instrument Set
- Puzzles
- Bath Toys or other fun things for the bath like: bath bombs, Mr. Bubble Foam Soap
- Sand Toys
- For babies, toddlers and preschoolers - something to practice gross motor skills such as a toddler trampoline, tunnels/forts, the Bilbo, Rody, a plasma car, a scooter, the wheely bug, a collapsible balance beam, Riverstones, or a balance bike
- Toys with Wheels and a Tot Tube (for boys and girls!! Researchers have found that both boys and girls' play is "richer" when playing with cars than other toys.) I like these pull-back cars, these soft cars. We love Green Toys cars/trucks/airplanes/etc. like this!
- Items for pretend play such as play food and a grocery cart, costumes, dolls and doll accessories (For boys and girls! Especially if you are thinking about having another baby...) etc
- A play kitchen like this or this one that fits over a kitchen chair! We love pretend food from Melissa and Doug like this cutting food set or this general food set. A cash register is a great addition as well - encouraging pretend grocery store or farmers markets trips! (Many cash registers have pretend money and coins - make sure these are out of reach for any child who puts toys in their mouth.)
- A toy phone - great for language skills
- Games: Let's Go Fishing, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Zingo, Hedbanz, Goodnight Construction Site, Roll and Play, Seek-A-Boo. Seek-A-Boo will be one of the earliest games on this list that your toddler can play - I played a version with my son around 2 years old. The rest would be more appropriate for kiddos closer to preschool age - check the box for age recommendations.
- A train set. I love Brio (expensive but durable - my boys still play with my husband's old set!) but there are lots of good sets out there. Just check for compatibilities with one another.
- For preschoolers or kiddos old enough to not put things in their mouth: something to practice fine motor skills such as: a pegboard set, nuts and bolts playset, design and drill sets
- This Leap Start system is one of my very favorite things for preschool aged kiddos.

- A Pooka Box subscription - use code Nest20 for 20% off your first box!
- A membership to one of the great local activities we have: the Long beach aquarium, South Coast Botanic Gardens, Art Zone, Adventureplex, My Gym, the Nest ;) haha