I've been a big fan of Melissa and Doug toys for some time now, but my kids are eight and five, so I haven't ever had much reason to purchase their baby learning toys...until my best friend did my a big favor and had a baby! 

A few weeks ago, I sent her the Fishbowl Fill & Spill Soft Baby Toy for her seven month old daughter and they love it. 

The toy comes with a "fishbowl" that is see through and four diferent sea animals, including a fish, an octopus, a starfish, and a sea horse. Each animal is brightly colored and  each toy does something different - one is a rattle, one crinkles, one squeks, and one jingles. The best thing is that they are all machine washable for easy clean-up and because they come with (and fit in) the fishbowl, it's a great toy for when you are on-the-go. 

For some reason, many older babies and young toddlers seem to love to put things in and out of containers and this is a great toy that lets them do exactly that. It's a great learning toy for baby, as it can help with hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and color recognition.  

My favorite thing about Melissa and Doug and the reason I purchase so many of their products is that their toys are  all lead-free and non-toxic. They're basically a small company and seem to really care about the quality of the toys they manufacture. They constantly come up with items that are both fun and educational and I'm slowly replacing all the plastic stuff that my kids have with items from this company.