10 Best Toys and Products for Sitting Up

You’d be hard-pressed to find a baby registry that doesn’t include a Boppy Nursing Pillow and Positioner, and it’s not hard to see why. The versatility of this pillow means it will grow with your little one throughout much of their first year since you can use it for tummy time and then as a tool for sitting up. Plus, many use it as a breastfeeding accessory to hold baby up and provide extra comfort.

In fact, Leah Rocketto, Associate Commerce Director at What to Expect, initially bought the Boppy for nursing but found it to be just as useful for tummy time and helping her daughter sit up. “I liked that it provided some cushioning, so I knew she'd be comfortable while working on this development,” she says. “My daughter also doesn't love being strapped into things, so the fact she could wriggle a bit made the experience more pleasant for both of us.”

To use it for sitting, you can position your baby in the middle, with the wider part of the ring against their back. The stretchy material allows it to fit snugly around the baby and the sides and back keep them supported. As Leah mentioned, it’s a less restrictive option that allows babies to move around more, which is especially great if you have a little one who is always squirming around. Parents especially love how portable it is so you can take it with you to give baby a comfy seated support at grandma’s, on vacation or at the park.

Aesthetically, it’s a fun choice as well. There are tons of different removable covers to choose from, whether you want a fun print, characters, or a solid hue. When it needs to be cleaned, simply remove the cover and throw it in the laundry. 

Age range: Newborn and up 

Product weight: 2.86 pounds 

Weight limit: None 

Dimensions: 20 x 16 x 5.5 inches

Many members of the What To Expect community rave about the Bumbo Floor Seat, a foam booster seat option that is consistently a baby registry favorite. With a cushiony yet supportive foam seat that’s comfortable and easy to clean, this option encourages good posture — and has Dr. Swain’s seal of approval.

Since this seat is often used during meals or for sitting while having a snack, parents liked that the rubber is very easy to clean. The soft foam material is wiped down in seconds, and it’s more comfortable to sit on than hard plastic. There are no cloth pieces that need to be thrown in the laundry, which is a plus. Like other floor seats, make sure that you only ever use this one safely on the ground and never on a raised surface.

Age range: 3-12 months 

Product weight: 2.91 pounds 

Weight limit: 22 pounds 

Dimensions: 14.96 x 14.96 x 9.25 inches

With a tall back that provides ample support so baby doesn’t lean backwards, the Regalo My Little 2-in-1 Booster Seat is a great floor seat and booster seat combo to encourage good posture. Plus, the removable foam insert can be used to keep small babies secure, then taken out to provide more space for them as they grow. 

Dr. Swain recommends this booster because of its excellent back support. “The back rest of the booster seat allows the child some support, but they are motivated to reach forward and sit up to play with toys on the tray,” she says. And, because this chair comes with a tray, you can put baby in it and give him snacks or toys to stay occupied while he sits.

Unlike floor seats, this one has retractable straps that allow it to be firmly attached to a chair to double as a booster seat. Parents love how sturdy it is, and they also love how easy it is to clean both the removable tray and foam insert.

Age range: 4-12 months

Product weight: 4.74 pounds 

Weight limit: 33 pounds 

Dimensions: 14 x 11 x 14 inches

Easily one of the most popular sitting products among parents in the What to Expect community is the Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat. Parents love the comfortable fabric seat and array of fun toys for baby to play with while he practices sitting. Unlike most floor and booster seats, this one is both chair and toy, so you probably won’t have a hard time keeping baby entertained while seated in it.

The softer back of this seat makes it a little less supportive than harder chairs and allows for a more rounded posture, says Dr. Swain. However, she likes that the position of the arm rest area is higher, which allows the baby to brace themselves on it so they can stabilize themselves more, making it easier to balance. 

Many parents’ favorite feature of this one is that it folds flat, making it easier to store and also making it more portable. Plus, it comes in a lot of different colors and patterns, and the cushion is removable and machine washable. 

Age range: 3-9 months

Product weight: 5.34 pounds 

Weight limit: 25 pounds 

Dimensions: 8.27 x 20.8 x 12.2 inches

Think of the Summer Infant 3-Stage SuperSeat as a small baby activity center and a sit-me-up chair all in one. With a rotating tray for baby to explore toys with different sounds and textures, this seat will definitely keep him entertained. When you remove the tray, it can be used as a booster seat, with retractable straps to keep it secure to a chair. 

Unlike the Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up, this one has a harder, more supportive back that offers a little more stability and forces your baby to sit upright more, which is better for their posture. And, because the foam seat insert is removable, a few What to Expect parents pointed out that they took it out as their babies grew to make more room for them in the chair. This way, it lasted as a booster seat and extended the length of use.

A lot of reviews also point out that this option has wider openings for legs, so it might be better for a chunkier baby. 

Age range: 4 months to 4 years

Product weight: 4 pounds 

Weight limit: 33 pounds

Dimensions: 17 x 17 x 9 inches

If you’d prefer a toy that encourages your baby to sit up longer rather than a seat that positions them, then this V-Tech Sit-To-Stand Learning Walker is a great option. Meant to grow with your baby through the first few years of their life, this can be used in three different stages so you’ll get a ton of use out of it. In addition to the front panel that will help encourage baby to sit up, it can also be removed to make a tummy time toy or as a walker to help baby stand and eventually take steps.

As Dr. Swain notes, this is an ideal option for babies who are already able to sit up on their own, but need to be entertained so that they’ll want to sit for a longer period of time. There are several different toys to play with, including piano keys and rollers, as well as musical elements and sounds. 

Leah also found this toy to be well worth buying for the many ways her daughter could play with it. “The longevity of this toy is truly amazing. At first my daughter would sit in my lap and we'd play with front panel together, which I think helped keep her interest when she began to sit on her own,” she says. “But the panel isn't just lights and sound: I like that there were wheels and gears to help her work on her grasping skills.”

Thousands of positive reviews and several What to Expect community member testimonies express a similar sentiment, praising the V-Tech Learning Walker as a great multi-stage toy for baby’s development. Parents love the versatility and found it successfully captured their children’s attention with the music, lights and more. 

Age range: 9 months - 3 years 

Product weight: 5 pounds 

Weight limit: n/a 

Dimensions: 16.5 x 14.2 x 18.1 inches

For parents who are looking for something a little more comfortable, the Hugaboo Infant Sitting Chair might be a good option. Unlike the harder materials of the other floor seats included, this one is made with a soft, lightweight polyester fiber fill and covered in fleece to keep baby as comfortable as possible.

This newer edition of the Hugaboo chair has a more upright back to keep your baby more stabilized, although it could still lead to some slouching. But, because it’s a less restrictive chair and allows baby to move around more, he might find the experience more comfortable and therefore, more enjoyable. Parents like how soft this one is and appreciate the features like a carry handle and machine washable cover. And, because of the flexible material, it’ll allow for more space for chunkier babies.

Age range: 3-10 months 

Product weight: 3 pounds 

Weight limit: n/a

Dimensions: 22 x 18 x 11 inches

Another versatile pick is this Infantino 3-in-1 Discovery Seat and Booster, which offers a musical tray for baby to explore while he sits. With a sturdy back meant to encourage proper posture and wide leg holes, this one is stable and secure and will provide support where he needs it most. Baby will be occupied by the more than 20 songs and sounds aimed at providing an exciting sensory experience as he also practices his fine motor skills pressing buttons and moving discs. And, because the music tray is removable, you can take it off and let baby play with it on the floor to practice sitting by himself.

It also includes safety straps for using it as a booster seat during snack time. After all, the tray can slide open to reveal a space for snacking. 

Age range: 4 months to 4 years 

Product weight: 1.57 pounds 

Weight limit: 33 pounds 

Dimensions: 9.38 x 17 x 17 inches

What makes the Summer Infant Learn-to-Sit 3-Position Floor Seat different from the rest is the impressive adjustability. You can move between three different positions as baby grows and learns to sit on his own. Dr. Swain likes this pick because of the way it can elevate a baby’s legs instead of having them lay on the floor. Because this allows baby to sit with his legs dangling in front, it encourages him to do more than just sit, she points out. This way, baby can work on developing other gross motor skills like kicking his legs. And, you can attached the included toys to the tray for added stimulation. Parents also appreciate the portability of this one, which folds flat for easy storage and makes it convenient for moving all around the house. 

Age range: 6-12 months  

Product weight: 4.96 pounds 

Weight limit: 25 pounds 

Dimensions: 17.62 x 19.12 x 4.5 inches

Even something as simple as this Sassy Stacks of Circles Stacking Ring can be entertaining enough to keep your baby interested in sitting up. If you just want to encourage your baby to sit longer, this is an inexpensive option and it will get the job done. 

There are a lot of stacking toys to choose from out there, but for encouraging sitting up, you want to focus on something that is tall. “Taller toys force babies to sit in order to reach to place the rings over the centerpiece,” Dr. Swain points out. This one is a good size — at 8 inches tall, baby will be forced to sit up if they want to play with it upright. 

Parents also rave about the many different colors and textures that keep their little ones interested. As they learn to sit up, baby will also be practicing fine motor skills and exploring different textural sensations. And, because it’s a smaller toy rather than a bulky seat, it can be easily put away at the end of the day. 

Age range: 6+ months

Product weight: 9.6 ounces

Dimensions: 4.25 x 4.25 x 8 inches