Sienna is now 11 months old and becoming more active and curious by the day. She loves to explore, mimic what we do, and get involved in everything around her. As she becomes more aware of her environment, we’ve been trying different toys and activities that keep her engaged while also helping her learn new skills.
Here are 9 of the things we’ve found most helpful in keeping her busy, happy, and growing with confidence. These are all things we use, plus I’ve added links to similar toys you can find on Amazon to make it easy for you to try them, too.
You can also browse my complete, curated list of Amazon toy picks for 11-month-olds.
9 Things To Keep An 11 Month Old Busy
Pop-Up Ball Pit
- Develops gross motor skills: crawling, sitting, and reaching
- Enhances hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness
- Provides sensory stimulation through tactile and visual engagement
Shop similar idea:
Drum Set
- Encourages sensory exploration through sound and movement
- Develops fine motor skills and rhythm
- Sparks early musical interest and auditory learning
Shop similar idea:
Toddler Sensory Instruments Set
Soft/Indoor Balls
- Encourage physical activity and exploration
- Develop hand-eye coordination and early motor skills
- Gentle and safe for indoor use
Shop similar idea:
Zip Bag full of small toys
- Encourages independent exploration
- Great for building fine motor control
- It helps contain toy clutter and keeps things tidy
Shop similar idea:
Toy Storage Bags, Clear PVC Toy Storage-Bags with Zipper
Foldable box with small toys
- Encourages independent exploration and curiosity
- Builds motor skills as babies lift, reach, and explore
- It makes toy rotation organised and straightforward
Shop similar idea:
Foldable Toy Storage Box with Handles
Big foldable box with bigger soft toys
- Encourages imaginative and nurturing play
- It helps develop emotional connections
- It makes toy rotation and storage easy and accessible
Shop similar idea:
Large Linen Style Toy Storage Box
Books
- Boost early language and literacy skills
- Encourage fine motor coordination
- Help establish positive associations with reading
Shop similar idea:
My First Library Board Book Set for Babies
Books with sounds
- Great for sensory development
- Reinforce early learning through repetition and sound
- Ideal for independent exploration
Shop similar idea:
Noisy Farm (Usborne Noisy Books)
Pet toy with sound and movements
- Supports gross motor development
- Encourages interactive, independent play
- Sparks curiosity with lifelike movements and sounds
Shop similar idea:
Interactive Walking and Barking Puppy Toy for Babies
Final Thoughts
Entertaining an 11-month-old can be a challenge, but with the right toys and activities, you can keep your little one happily engaged while also supporting their development. From sensory books to soft play, interactive pets to simple household toy boxes—these ideas have all worked wonders with Sienna and brought lots of joy into our day-to-day routine.
Every baby is unique, but I hope this list provides you with inspiration and practical options to try at home.
Explore More Baby Toy Ideas
Looking for even more inspiration? I’ve curated a dedicated Amazon Idea List with toys that are perfect for this age group. These are items we’ve personally used or that closely align with the types of activities that worked for us.
View my complete Amazon list of toys for 11 month olds here
If you have a slightly older child, you may be interested in checking out my other blog post, “10 Toys to Entertain a 1 Year Old.“
What do you do to entertain your baby? What other toys have you used, or what sort of activities have you done?
*Affiliate Disclosure:
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links — at no additional cost to you. This helps support my blog and allows me to continue sharing helpful content. I appreciate your support!
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
Súper interesante el artículo!! Me encanto!!
Ayy que linda gracias!! Si pues es todo un tema mantenerlos entretenidos! Te mando un beso grande!
You’ve got some great ideas here. I don’t have any children but I’m sure this’ll be a really helpful post for lots of people 🙂 xxx
Thank you lovely!! xx
All these look like great ideas but I do not have kiddies yet so not much help from me.
No worries, thanks for stopping by, xx
Happy little one 🙂 you clearly know the best ways to keep them entertained. I struggle to remember to take something out with us! There is so much to pack in the pushchair/car I forget the vital things like toys!!
LOL thanks for commenting Emma, 🙂 xx
Love this age!! Mine is just about there in another few months. Thanks for these tips – I will be using soon! #famjamlinky
I hope you find them useful when the time comes! Thanks for hosting! Sorry I’m late with my reply, I’m catching up now, xx
Fantastic ideas and advice for the babas entertainment. Love this. We did many of these with my two. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme
Thank you Jenny! xx
We so need to get out boy a ball pit! And that drum looks awesome fun too. Great post!
Thank you so much Julie! I’m so glad you like it! The ball pit is so handy, they really love it!! 🙂 xx
I’ve just followed your link from your 1 year old toys post… THis is a fab list too. H is 11 months this week, and loves her books, ball pit and soft toys too. I might have to find the drum set you’ve got, as it looks brilliant. H has never tried a wind instrument, and It’s never crossed my mind to give her one, I’ll need to try that too. Thanks, another fab post x
Hello there! Visiting from the #globalblogging pinterest board. I have an almost 1 year old and I’m loving the toy ideas. My son plays with a xylophone but we recently did a music class with him for a few weeks and he had so much fun with drums and maracas, etc. I never thought of a wood instrument. Will be trying that out.
He also has a ball pit at grandmas house which he adores. Thanks for the ideas!
Hello! So lovely to hear that you are visiting me from #globalbloggimg pinterest board! So happy to hear these ideas are helpful for you. Kids grow so fast and now my little one is almost 4 and ready to start school this Year! I still can’t believe it! Time flies! Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂 x
Unfortunately, don’t have any kids of my own but i’m usually the babysister for my 6 nephews and nieces… understand exactly difficult it is to keep the occupied with activities.
As you say, the drum set is great for sensory development, but also needs to be hidden frequently!
I used to really struggle with keeping my singleton amused at this age, I had twins a few years later and it was a bit easier to keep them entertained as they would enjoy each other’s company
Always open to new ideas
Cece loves anything that rattles or makes a noise. She loves joining in with music.
So great ideas here
Fantastic ideas to keep the little ones entertained!!
Fab ideas. Thank you x
some very helpful tips here, I don’t have a very little person but I know friends who would love these ideas
Good idea!
Some of these ideas will be great for my nephew
Thank you! Some wonderful and fabulous tips here! Will definitely be trying some of these out!
I have a one-year-old Grandson and my daughter has struggled, during lockdown, to stop him climbing the walls with boredom. I’ll be passing on this great advice to her. Thank you.
Been a while since my daughter was 11 months but I do remember how active she was
Some useful tips there, I’m out of practice but now have a niece so it starts all over again
Great ideas. You seem so organised with a place for everything…better than being cluttered!
Great ideas, can’t wait to have my nephews again and try these