Baby rattles are probably the first baby toys that most parents pick up when expecting. They’re simply classic. And while most of us aren’t going to Tiffany’s and splurging on a silver baby rattle, we are looking for toys that encourage early learning and development.
Parents want to feel good about what toys they introduce to their children in 2020. That means they’re looking at hand eye coordination, visual, auditory, tactile, and motor development and want it all from a tiny baby toy! Whew, that’s a lot. Luckily, toy developers are on it and have figured out how to pack all of that into a small, but equally cute, package. And lucky for you, we’ve scoured the internet to offer a product roundup of some of the best baby rattles on the market for your little one!
The Best Baby Rattles – Our Picks
- iPlay 10 piece rattle set – Overall top pick – Best variety, great for those who lose them a lot (who doesn’t?)
- Fisher-Price Rattle ‘n Rock Maracas – Best baby rattle for music lovers
- Hanging Crib/Stroller Rattle Toy – Best baby rattle for the stroller
- Bright Starts Rattle and Shake – Best to toss in the diaper bag or purse
- Fred BUFF BABY Dumbbell Baby Rattle – Best baby rattle for the gym obsessed
- Infantino Spin and Teethe – Best rattle for teething babies
Note: Our individual reviews are below, but you can also click any of the links above to check current prices on Amazon and other retailers
Table of Contents
The Best Baby Rattles – Our Picks in Detail
iPlay 10 piece rattle set
Need some variety in the toy box? This set comes with a whopping ten baby rattles to choose from! These are especially good for babies that are always tossing their toys and the parents that are always stuck searching every corner of the house for them.
Each baby rattle does something a little different. Whether it’s the shape, grip, sound, or actual rattle mechanism, they provide varying modes of stimulation. Even better, they’re designed to cater to your infant’s developmental stages, including tactile, hearing, and visual development. So, as your baby grows you can pick out a new baby rattle to keep them entertained.
What we liked:
- Ten toys to choose from
- Different rattle sounds when your baby shakes it
- Different grips and rattle mechanisms
- All toys are geared to your baby’s developmental stages
What we didn’t:
- None really, but be mindful of your smaller infants bumping their heads during play
Fisher-Price Rattle ‘n Rock Maracas
These baby rattles come in a classic baby rattle shape that’s easy for little hands to grip. They’re recommended for 3+ months which coincides with your baby’s development. The maracas also happen to come in two color options.
While one end rattles with colorful beads, the other end has soft, colorful, and patterned plush poms. Patterns are excellent developmental tools for stimulating your infant’s visual acuity. So you’re working on motor and visual skills while playing with these maracas. Parents will appreciate that these make a softer rattling sound that won’t grow tiresome within a few minutes of taking them out of the package.
What we liked:
- Bright colors
- Poms for squeezing
- Easy to grip
- Colorful rattle beads
- Soft rattle sound
What we didn’t:
- May be a bit large for tiny infants to hold
Hanging Crib/Stroller Rattle Toy
With this baby rattle, you don’t have to worry about your little one’s ability to grip. So, it’s a great option to introduce to young, even newborn, infants.
To use, simply wrap the soft, spiraled toy around the handle that goes over your infant car seat. This toy can also be used with strollers and the railing of cribs. With its bold colors, patterns, and hanging toys, your baby will be entertained and visually stimulated while riding in the car, going for walks in the stroller, or during “quiet time” in their crib or pack & play.
This fun toy could be the saving grace for those of us that have been blessed with kids that hate car rides (road trips are mighty long with a screaming baby!).
Aside from the colorful display, this baby rattle has three hanging toys that will provide ample entertainment once your infant is big enough to reach them and will foster the growth of motor skills.
What we liked:
- Hands free play for infants that can’t hold onto rattle toys yet
- Soft, plush material
- Goes on the car seat, crib, stroller, etc.
- Bold colors and patterns for visual stimulation
- Builds motor skills
What we didn’t:
- Has tendency to slip on certain materials and might not stay in place on every car seat
Bright Starts Rattle and Shake
The Rattle and Shake toy is perhaps one of the easiest toys for babies to grip. With the middle being made from a skinny, twisted, and textured handle, even younger infants can grip the toy comfortably. The varying textures on the toy are great for sensory stimulation and developing motor skills through gripping and shaking.
The actual baby rattles are filled with fun colorful beads and have mirrored surfaces for an interesting view. This is a great toy to toss in the car, diaper bag, or even purse as it’s a smaller rattle. This baby rattle is also free of cloth and padding. So, cleaning and sanitizing is easy which is ideal during cold and flu season.
What we liked:
- Small and easy to grip
- Interesting textures
- Fun colors and mirrored surfaces
- Easy to clean
- Small enough to toss in any bag
What we didn’t:
- Nothing!
Fred BUFF BABY Dumbbell Baby Rattle
This baby rattle is simple in that it comes in a classic dumbbell shape that rattles. However, this one looks like an actual dumbbell! What a cute find if you’re a workout junkie. The design and size are perfect for gripping and the materials are BPA and phthalate free.
With this one being functional, cute, and somewhat of a novelty, it could also be a great gift for baby showers when your best workout buddy is expecting. When the baby is older, he or she can pretend to pump some iron with mom or dad too.
What we liked:
- Simple, easy-to-grip shape
- Free of harmful chemicals
- Fun, novel design for gym lovers
What we didn’t:
- While a cute baby rattle, this one doesn’t have bold colors or patterns if you’re looking for that
Infantino Spin and Teethe
This baby rattle doesn’t follow the traditional dumbbell shape that so many baby toys do. It’s a cute little flower on a ring that gives babies ample gripping potential. Additionally, the varying shapes will keep their minds and fingers working during play.
The ring features beads that your baby can spin and chew on without fear of choking, making it a good choice for those wanting a baby rattle and teether combo. The flower is also designed with a rollerball center which will offer additional tactile and sensory stimulation. Overall, this could be an excellent choice for introducing sensory learning while catering to teething needs of growing infants.
What we liked:
- Flower/ring shape is great for gripping
- Ample sensory stimulation
- Builds fine motor skills
- Built in teething toy
What we didn’t:
- Nothing that we could find
When should I give my baby a rattle?
Baby rattles are fairly safe toys. Sure, your infant may accidentally bump their heads with the rattle if it’s a hard toy, but aside from that, they pose virtually no risk (as long as they’re made securely and won’t come apart to make choking hazards).
So, the right time to give your baby a rattle largely depends on their ability to grasp the toy. Somewhere between 3 and 6 months is typically a good time to introduce toys such as baby rattles.
Babies at that age enjoy the sensory stimulation that baby rattles can provide. Aside from that, baby rattles are great for furthering both gross and fine motor skills.
How to make a baby rattle
If you’re a DIY junkie, you might even be interested in learning some easy ways to make your own rattles for your baby. That way you can pick and choose what materials you use and your baby will have a sweet keepsake to grow up with that you made with your own hands!
Here’s a DIY tutorial for making your own baby rattle using natural wooden materials from Chezlin.
Why wood? Wooden toys are great for encouraging open-ended play. They’re also free of nasty chemicals and babies’ sensory systems are stimulated by the texture as they play. Even if you don’t use wood for the entire project, wooden rings or safely secured colorful beads are good additions to include in your baby rattle.
If you’re experienced with crochet, maybe a cute crocheted animal like an adorable elephant baby rattle is up your alley. Check out this in-depth tutorial from Teenie Crochets.
These are a soft, cuddly option. While they take a bit longer than other projects, crocheted items hold up to the test of time when done correctly. Plus, there’s no risk of your little one accidentally bumping their head with the rattle while playing.
Finally, for a baby rattle that doubles nicely as a teether, consider this silicone teething ring rattle tutorial from My Pretty Posh Princess LLC.
What makes a good baby rattle?
Easy to grip
While your infant may have mastered gripping objects (including those baby hairs at the base of your neck, ouch!), they aren’t necessarily gripping a baseball for a killer curveball. Finding rattle toys that are easy to grip will save both of you some tears.
Look for baby rattles that are small enough to fit in baby hands. Some are also made from soft cloth or rubber that won’t easily slip from their clutches. Additionally, an ergonomic shape like a ball shaped rattle will help with establishing a sturdy grip.
Engaging
If the toy is just a boring piece of plastic with dull colors and no noise, they’ll probably toss it to the wayside fairly quickly. For babies, the term “engaging” can be pretty simple. Bright contrasting colors, interesting textures, and attention-grabbing noises are excellent at keeping infants entertained while honing important developmental skills.
Noisy, but not too noisy
Veteran parents will tell you, just because your baby LOVES the noisiest rattle in the store, doesn’t mean that’s the one you should go home with.
It’s an honest parenting truth. If the toy is too noisy, you will quickly tire of the relentless rattling, singing, beeping, dinging, siren, what have you. So look for a rattle that rattles, obviously, but can easily be tuned out if constant noise grinds your gears. A regular rattle that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles shouldn’t pose a noise pollution risk, but be mindful of the sounds when you start looking at toys with batteries and bells!
Doubles as a teether
Freud tells us infants enter into the world in the “oral stage” meaning, they learn and gather information by exploring with their mouths. He may have had some questionable theories on other behaviors, but he wasn’t wrong about that.
Babies gather so much of what they know about the world from their mouths. Meaning, everything they touch for several months goes straight into their mouths! Now, that can be a safe baby rattle teether combo or a ladybug they found on the floor. If you provide them with the former, they’re more likely to choose the safe option!
Good toys like these cell phone toys we rounded up, always have a chewy, baby safe bit for teething.
What makes something a good teether?
Look for materials that are soft, such as food grade silicone. Different textures are great too. Babies enjoy chewing and handling toys/teethers with bumps or ripples as well. Be conscious of any parts that would come apart easily or pose as a choking hazard. If your infant can bite a piece off, it’s not ideal for a teether.
Non toxic safe materials
This goes for basically anything you offer your baby! But safe materials for baby rattles and other toys are especially important because of the tiniest infants’ tendency to put things in their mouths.
Making sure to avoid lead, PVC, formaldehyde, BPS, and flame retardant chemicals will help ensure that your little one isn’t being exposed to dangerous materials while they toddle around and play. Today’s baby rattles have BPA free and non toxic labelling.
Food-grade rubber, safety-tested plastics, natural/uncharted wood, wool, and cotton are all safe materials for your infant. Also, check the recycling codes on toys and avoid codes #3, #6, and #7.
Not easily lost
You may think you don’t need the gadget that links the toy to the high chair or stroller. They’re cute, but are they necessary? Talk to a parent that’s spent the last hour picking up the baby rattle that’s been repeatedly thrown into the floor causing hysterical cries in a restaurant, or how about the mom that just scoured the mall for the toy her baby just tossed in one of the six stores she just shopped in?
Look for baby rattles that aren’t easily tossed or lost. Maybe that means it has the handy attachment that links it to the stroller. That could also mean it’s made in an extremely bright color that stands out in the house when you’re searching for the one toy that soothes your baby’s woes. Baby rattles that attach to hands and feet could also be a good option!
