Baby Toys: balls

For rolling, playing, first handling skills and other exploration, balls for babies come in a variety of forms. From soft fabric balls to durable plastic models these are great for baby development milestones.

When your baby first sits up (this tends to happen anytime from around 7 to 9 months) he might not be able to control rolling a ball, but this ability may well develop before his first birthday, and in the meantime, a gentle movement initiated by you will fascinate him.

VTech Baby Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball, £15.99, 6mths+ This interactive moving ball has light-up buttons and introduces first colours, shapes and numbers, as well as animals and their noises. www.amazon.co.uk	Amazing Baby Balls, £9.99, birth+ These contrastingly patterned balls are ideal for simple rolling games. They make gentle noises too – they chime, jingle and crinkle. www.brightminds.co.uk	Brio My Very First Play Ball, £9.99, 6mths+ These soft balls are machine washable, which is really useful for baby toys. They come in three different sizes (12cm, 10cm and 5cm diameter) and have a rattle inside. www.hellobabydirect.co.uk
Tree Top Friends Ball Trio, £18.95, birth+ These soft, bright little friends can be squeezed and cuddled, rolled along or simply shaken to make little noises – chiming and rattling. www.lulasapphire.com	Bright Starts Flexi Ball, £4.49, birth+ A simple yet fascinating noisy and colourful ball for little hands to roll around and rattle around. www.mothercare.com	Tiny Love Spin Ball, £6.99, 3mths+ The textured surface of this ball, its mirror, and the rattling and clattering noises it makes all add to its charm as a simple toy and a valuable early learning tool. www.toysrus.co.uk