Manhattan Toy Winkel

From birth, at its best once hands start grabbing. The Winkel is the rattle that small, uncoordinated hands can actually hold: a loop of soft, bendy tubes means there is always something to catch hold of, whichever way it lands. The rattle sits inside the central cube, so a wave of the arm makes a sound and a baby slowly connects the two. The tubes are polyurethane, easy to gum, and the whole toy can go in the refrigerator for a cool chew on sore gums. At under $20 it is also one of the easiest gifts on this list.