At 9 months, most babies still try to put everything in their mouths and may have a hard time staying upright—key points to remember when thinking about the safety of toys at this age.

Here are nine essential baby toys parents (or nonparents searching for a gift) can turn to if you’re unsure where to start.

You may notice that your baby's play becomes much more vigorous around age 6 to 9 months. Now when you offer them a spoon, ...