18 Best Toys And Gifts For A 3-Month-Old Baby Growing More Alert By The Day

Developmental experts sing the praises of tummy time, which is laying your 3-month-old on their belly while they're awake and encouraging them to play. They'll need to lift their head and work their back muscles, and that's the point—it's core-strength building that later helps them roll and crawl.

Many play mats have tummy time pillows built in, but we also like Boppy's Tummy Time Prop to help make exercise time a little easier wherever you are. Built-in toys give your infant something to grab and teethe. The fabric is machine-washable. 2 months+

Buttons on this pretend dash activate lights and sounds that hold a baby's attention. In addition, there's a mirror to look in, pedals that crinkle, a gear to shift, and a soft steering wheel to grab—and the whole thing attaches to the stroller for on-the-go fun that your infant can grow into.

"My 3-month-old liked grasping for the toy," said one parent tester, who added that the baby also liked spinning the wheel. Two AA batteries required, 3 months+

Flaps, buttons, sounds—there are so many sensory elements to this book. Each page plays a different animal sound, and then readers can lift the flaps to find the creature that made it. “The fish’s ‘blub’ is the cutest!” one parent tester said. From birth

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards

This oversize fish offers tons of fun and surprises. Parents can lift up the scales to show a 3-month-old the hidden pictures throughout. There are also sensory experiences mixed in, like a squeaker in the tail, a mirror on one of the scales, and some crinkly textures. Your baby will love this straight through toddlerhood. 1 month to 3 years

RELATED: Best Infant Toys, According to Child Development Experts

Parents were charmed by this sweet art plush set, which comes with a bear dressed like an artist, along with plush paint, a paintbrush, a crayon, and a little carrying case. Pieces in the set make different sounds when you squeeze or shake them. "[My child] liked shaking the rattly bear, squeezing the crinkly crayon, and listening to me shake the paintbrush," one parent tester said.

Another added that their child "enjoyed the concept of putting the plush toys inside of the paint palette bag and then taking them all out." It won one of our previous Toy Awards. From birth

Babies can use this as a lay-down activity gym, kicking at the piano keys with their feet to activate the lights and sounds. Later, when they can sit up, they can play with it like a regular piano. "I love that this product grows with a baby as they get older,” one parent tester said. The songs on this one are so catchy, even John Legend covered some of them on his kids' album.

This link goes to a version that is sold with two soft, shakeable maracas, an Amazon exclusive. Other colorways, like pink and a new teal sold without the rattles, are also available. Three AA batteries required, from birth

Storytime is great, and there's nothing better than snuggling up for some lap reading. But this book, a previous Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award winner, offers another way to read: It unfolds and stands up on its own, so it gives babies something to look at during tummy time. Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers were impressed by how the book, which folds up to regular size, unfolds to be more than three feet long. From birth

Who's the happiest baby? The one in the mirror! This one is soft and tented, so it can stand up on its own, giving a baby something to gaze at during tummy time. The frame is also decorated with a ladybug that has a spinning ball and bee that clicks when rotated, giving them more features to explore. From birth

Skwish has been around for a couple of decades and is still a favorite for how easy it is for an infant to grasp. It's lightweight, and a 3-month-old can hold one of the wooden pieces or one of the strong elastic bands and wave it around, an early thrill.

Manhattan toy also makes a plastic Winkel rattle that is similarly easy to hold and slightly smaller. 3 to 18 months

Parents use this electronic toy for some engaging tummy time. Lights, classical songs, and animal sounds can make playtime on their belly more fun for an infant who might otherwise fuss at being face-down. Three AA batteries required, 3 months+

To take the guesswork out of finding toys that are developmentally appropriate for different ages, subscribe to the Panda Crate and get a curated selection of playthings for each age an stage. "With these, [my son] went straight for [these toys] and interacted with them exactly how the instructions indicated," one parent tester said.

You can now also pay $50 for one crate, to get a sense of what they offer. Each includes five to seven toys. The crate for 2- and 3-month-olds is all about the senses. From birth

RELATED: Best Baby Subscription Boxes

Your 3-month-old might adopt this sensory toy as their lovey, a comfort object that they use to self-soothe. Or they might just like exploring the silky tags and gnawing on the silicone teether ring. The kitty is made of soft cotton and crinkles for fun. There are other version too like a fox and a bunny. From birth

Loop this spiral-shaped travel toy over the car seat handle or stroller handle to give your baby something to gaze at and reach for. The beads rattle and some of the fabric parts crinkle. Take it off and hand the whole thing to your infant to teethe and explore. birth to 18 months

Babies love to explore things with their mouth, and even before they start teething in earnest, they like to feel a cool object on their gums. Adults can pop these keys in the freezer to make them cold, and they also have lots of pieces and textures to grasp and explore.

Amazon reviewers give this a staggering amount of five-star reviews, saying it's easy to hold, simple to clean, and offers a lot of value for the money. 3 months+

Made for baby hands to grasp, this Lovevery soft ball is something you can hand your infant as they lie on their back or you can set in front of them during tummytime. They can wave it around, knock it away, or drag it close and explore with their mouth. It's made of organic cotton. 3 months+

As your baby spends more time with their play gym, you might want to be able to swap in new hanging toys. Boppin' Birdie is popular for his long, dangly feet that are so fun to reach for, plus the high-contrast fabric that draws an infant's eye. You could hang the bird from the car seat or stroller, too, or from the side of your diaper bag. From birth