This is a collection of our favorite Montessori Inspired Toys for Little Bee when he was 0-6 months old. At this time in Little Bee's life, I was only beginning to learn about the wonders of Montessori. With my second child, I plan to invest in a few "authentic" Montessori toys. However, this collection of 10 toys is a good start in our home and will entertain as well as educate your little one.
I am going to tell you a little about each toy and give it a rating of stars. If I give it a five star rating, that indicates that the toy was a huge success because Little Bee LOVED it. Most of the toys featured here were either purchased online at Amazon or at a local consignment shop.
Montessori Inspired Toys - 5 start
I give the Wee Gallery Black and White Art Cards a 5 star rating. This is an educational toy that is entertaining, especially if Mama adds sound effects to each animal displayed. The black and white is very engaging for babies under 6 months because they are still developing their eyesight. The black and white cards are wonderful for helping a young baby to focus and train their eyesight. These are thick sturdy cards that can handle some mouthing.
Above is a Manhattan Toy called a "Skwish" and I give it a 5 star rating. This is a classic toy rattle and teething toy. Little Bee enjoyed putting this toy in his mouth and squishing in between his hands. The Skwish helps to develop their fine motor movements.
Next is a Lamaze Inch Worm and I give it 5 stars because Little Bee loved exploring this toy. Each section of the inch worm has a different sound. Some sections crinkle, some jingle, and others rattle. He also had fun putting the legs of the inch worm into his mouth. The Inch Worm toy is similar to a Taggies Blanket for the baby. Babies love to put the different textures of the taggies into their mouth for exploration.
I give this little red doll 5 stars because I think it is SO cute. Little Bee enjoyed gazing at it and holding it in his arms. This doll is 100% cotton and made of natural materials. It is made by a company called, "Under the Nile" and every doll made is uniquely different. Here is also a Baby Starters soft doll that is similar to the doll above and fun for a young baby to hold. 
This Manhattan soft ball toy (*similar toy) continues to be a BIG hit with Little Bee and I give it 5 stars. It has a jingle when given a little shake. Little Bee enjoyed looking at the black & white features on the ball. He also liked hitting the ball with his hands and feet and hearing the soft jingle sound. Another soft ball option is by Grimm's - it is organic and has a soft rattle.
The "Hello, Animals" and "Hello, Bugs" black and white books were Little Bee's favorite! I give them 5 stars and a half! They are illustrated beautifully and Little Bee would sit quietly on my lap when I read him these books. (He doesn't normally sit still.) Another black and white book that we love is by Tana Hoban and has realistic images. This book opens up accordion style.
The baby play gym (*similar toy) pictured above, I bought at IKEA. I give this toy 5 stars! Both Little Bee and I enjoyed this toy. The hanging parts can be removed to simplify the toy. The shapes on the side of the toy spin. Little Bee was able to spin the shapes at one month of age! I was very impressed. Good memories!
Montessori Inspired Toys - 4 start
I give these two toys above 4 stars because both toys have a unique feel to them, however they didn't keep Little Bee's attention as much as the 5 star toys. The PLAN toy rattle (*similar toy) has a little wooden knob for the baby to put into their mouth for exploration. The round HABA ball toy (*similar toy) feels elastic and separates slightly when pulled.
The Toofeze teething toy (above) was helpful at times and I will give it 4 stars. I was hoping for it to be the magic teething toy, but I don't think there is one magic toy. Little Bee enjoyed mouthing this toy and the metal part does stay cold. Here is another "natural" teether that is popular to use instead of a pacifier.
Our last toy is an "I'm" toy that had fabric pieces that wrapped around the wooden parts. I removed the fabric pieces and let Little Bee play with the wooden boxes. This is a nesting toy and all the wooden square shapes stack within each other. I give this toy 4 stars.
FYI: I am unable to find a link for this exact toy above. Here are similar nesting toys for a baby to enjoy touching and holding - cups and blocks. A young baby (0-6 months) will not be ready to stack or nest the boxes, however, the various sizes are still fun for a young baby to explore.
Did you enjoy reading about our top 10 Montessori Inspired Toys? Do you have any questions? Do you have a favorite educational toy for this age 0-6 months? Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment below.
You may also enjoy visiting -
Montessori Inspired Toys 6-12 Month
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You are the most creative mama/over achiever I know 🙂
I give where I feel inspired! 🙂 I can not maintain 100% in every area of my life. Blogging has been getting a lot of my time lately. It is SO much FUN for me and my creative side, however, I have to find balance. Still working on that! 😉
Our Skwish was definitely a favourite; I love that you picked natural toys that are widely available for your list. Nothing worse than coveting a toy and not being able to actually get it where you live!
I love that hanging toy from IKEA! It’s pretty cute! I pinned it so I remember a few of these for Number 2 🙂
Where did your like button go? I love following your ideas. If we ever decide to adopt or foster I will be using this ideas. Wish I would have done more research when my kids were babies.
Thank you so much for this post. So is the last picture with the wooden box frame things something that you made? They are so neat!
Thank you for leaving a comment! This is a post I wrote over three years ago and I appreciate the reminder to add Amazon links to this post so that you are able to find these toys or similar toys. I was unable to find the last toy. I did update the post with many other options for beautiful nesting toys for baby. Take care, Vanessa
Your baby is soooo cute in the picture holding the nesting toy! So adorable! *crying happy face*
I’m fascinated by the Montessori toys for infant development! These toys seem to encourage natural exploration and learning through play. The focus on simple, high-quality materials is refreshing in a world of overstimulating toys. I’m eager to see how these toys can spark my little one’s curiosity and foster their independence.