The best new animal-themed toys for babies in 2024

If you are looking for gifts inspired by the natural world for your baby or a friend's, Fisher-Price's Planet Friends need to be on your radar

Animal-themed toys are always a great option for babies, they're brilliant for helping children start to recognise various animals and their characteristics, and spot 'their' toy in other settings – a bear or elephant in a picture book, for example.

Help language development

Playing with animal toys can have a positive impact on children's language development too, as they learn new sounds and words based on the animal's body parts. For example, when you point out the bird's beak, the pig's snout etc and imitate the noises the animals make.

Aid fine motor skills

And then, of course, there's the development of their fine-motor skills when they're playing with toys that have a variety of textures and different sized parts for them to reach for, grasp and pinch between their fingers.

For instance, when they sit twirling the ears on a soft toy between their thumb and forefinger, or purposefully reach for the toy animal's tail or trunk, fingers in pincer position!

Teach empathy

Animal toys can also help even the youngest children understand empathy and the importance of considering others' feelings, and taking care of those we love. As parents we very often first see this in our child's love of their animal toys.

Top tip: when your little one does have a toy they are totally attached to and takes everywhere, BUY TWO just in case one gets lost!

There are some animal-themed toys we just can't get enough of for their baby-friendly construction, gorgeous tactile fabrics, and ability to fulfil baby's sensory needs.

Top of this list is Fisher-Price's Planet Friend range – four brand new animal-themed products that have been inspired by the animals spotlighted by the World Wildlife Fund, and are made from post-consumer recycled plastics.

What is Fisher-Price’s Planet Friends range?

This new range focuses on the animal world and consists of four toys that are suitable for babies from either newborn or three months old, depending on the product.

Each is perfectly designed for little fingers and mouths to explore, with bright colours, and textured and noisy fabrics to stimulate the senses. The range consists of a stroller toy, a playmat, and two 'cuddly' toys, All Ear Lovey the elephant, and Spotting Fun Snow Leopard.

All Ears Lovey – elephant

This elephant toy is the perfect size and shape for babies to handle and grab, and to cuddle and stroke or chew bits of.

With its two huge plush ears, each with a different coloured lining, its grabbable trunk and silky-satin feel waistcoat, All Ears Lovey will give your baby a variety of textures to feel, and different shapes to hold and explore.

The elephant is made from 90 per cent post-consumer recycled plastics, and comes in FSC-certified packaging, and is also machine washable, so no worries about how grubby it gets from all those sticky-fingered cuddles!

We think All Ears Lovey would make the perfect first toy for little ones, and is sure to become a firm favourite for bedtime snuggles.

The All Ear Lovey elephant

Sea Me Bounce Turtle

For a toy to have on the go, Sea Me Bounce Turtle is a winner. It is designed to be attached to your pram, pushchair or changing bag, and is packed with bright colours, shapes and sounds to keep baby engaged and focused.

The handle of the turtle can also be used as a teether, so it's just the ticket for baby to chew on at one end while exploring the other bits of it with their hands.

Plus, the handle also makes the toy bounce and play a jingle sound when it is pulled down, so perfect for distracting and amusing a little one and encouraging those smiles!

And as with the whole Planet Friends line, Sea Me Bounce Turtle is made from post-consumer recycled plastics, the teether is BPA-free, and it comes in FSC-certified packaging.

Sea Me Bounce turtle

Spotting Fun Snow Leopard

This Snow Leopard is just such a character! Your little one is sure to fall in love with this lovely toy straight away, and with its easy-to-hold shape, over-sized head, and dangling legs, there are lots of bits baby can easily clutch hold of, explore, chew and grab.

It also has loads of different textures to stroke and feel, and is amazingly tactile and pleasurable to touch. There's a soft sliding ring on its arms for baby to pull up and down, and straps on its top that they can slide on and off, so it's really multi-sensory and has loads going on to keep your little one interested.

The Snow Leopard is also machine washable, and is made from 95 per cent post-consumer recycled plastics, and with FSC-certified packaging.

Deffinitely one for your baby shower wish-list, or as a gorgeous first gift for a friend's child.

Spotting Fun Snow Leopard

Roly-Poly Panda playmat 

Every parent welcomes a playmat as a baby gift.

They're so useful for home, when travelling, and for rolling up and sticking under the pram so you know you always have something soft and safe to put baby on when you're out.

And the Roly-Roly Panda playmat is a cute and practical option.

It comes in bright, but not garish colours, and is a brilliant size – there's nothing worse than a tiny play mat you are constantly having to re-position your baby on. It rolls up for travel or storage as well, so it's not going to be in the way when you are not using it.

When you roll it out, it forms a bear shape, and can be laid out entirely flat, or with the panda face pulled up and the supplied self-discovery mirror attached to it for tummy time fun!

It's a really versatile 3-in-1 product that that can be used for supervised lay and play, tummy time, and as a travel play mat.

It's comfy for baby to lie on as it's made from super-soft materials (which come from 90 per cent post-consumer recycled plastics), and it can be thrown in the washing machine when those inevitable spills occur! (Take the attached toys off first)

Roly-poly Panda playmat

We absolutely love this range and think you and your baby will, too!

Related stories

The baby 'Smilestones' every new parent needs to know about!

CHAT: talk all things newborn on our supportive forums

All the celebs who've had babies in 2024