8 Best 3D printed baby toys

You can find 1000s of toys to print, but what are the best 3D printed baby toys? And what is important when 3d printing for babies?

The best toys to 3D print for your baby are large, very solid, models the few to no moving parts and nothing to break off. It’s also important to print with Food-Grade/Non Toxic filaments and print with a nontoxic (such as Stainless Steel) nozzle.

Besides feeding and sleeping, babies need playtime to stimulate their growing brains and boost their sensory skills.

Toys help babies come to terms with their surroundings through touch and sight. Luckily, you can 3D print your baby’s toys and help them create an awesome collection of play toys.

There are so many 3D printed toy models from different repositories. Choosing ideal toys for your young ones may be a challenge. We tested different 3D-printed toys to come up with this roundup. Everything on this list is tested for safety but, it’s always good to follow your instincts.

And be sure to check out the dozens of alternates to Thingiverse we found.

Factors to Consider for 3D Printing Toys for Babies

You can’t just print any model you come across for your child. The toy you print should tick each of these criteria.

Safety

A toy should be safe from causing choking or strangulation. It also should be printed with food safe filaments and with a food safe nozzle.

Make sure that toys don’t have small parts or have small features made of rigid material that could easily break off. 

Then, be sure to use lead-free, safe pain if you plan on painting the toys. Let’s face it – the toy will end up in your child’s mouth. 

The toy should also be easy to clean, or you will have to deal with bacteria growth and/or infections.

Food safe filaments

Most PLA and PETG plastics are food safe. However, most facilities’ production standards are not food safe and may include trace amounts of chemicals.

However, you can find food safe/non-toxic filaments at:

• Filaments.ca (not an affiliate)
• The Extrudr line of filaments (sold at Matterhackers). At first we just saw “non toxic”, but digging around in their materials sheets we found this:

• Fillamentum (also at MatterHackers)

Food safe nozzles

Stainless steel is (generally) food safe. Finding good nozzles, however, is difficult. Reviews on Amazon were mixed and we struggled to find other websites with good stainless steel nozzles.

Either way, be sure to thoroughly wash a stainless steel nozzle with soap and water to remove any machining oils that might still be on them.

Simplicity

Baby toys should be simple, meaning they don’t have many parts. Toys without many contours are easy to clean, hold, and durable.

Stimulation

A good toy should stimulate one or more senses in your child. 

While printing, ensure that you incorporate color (sight) and texture (touch). The toy should also help them coordinate their motor skills, such as movement.

Age Appropriateness

The toy you hand your child should be age-appropriate. 

Ensure that small babies don’t play with older kids unsupervised because they may end up picking up older kids’ toys. Toys for older children may be small, contain loose parts, and are probably not well cleaned. 

Best 3D printed baby toys

1. COS – the Container Ship

This container ship is a great addition to your bath toys or sand playset. You don’t need any support to print this model. A resolution of 0.2 mm, 35 percent infill for the lower part, and 10-15 percent infill for the upper part of the boat will give you a perfect toy.

Whether loaded with cargo or not, the boat should float just fine. Ensure that the baby doesn’t play with the toy unsupervised due to the many small parts, especially on the cargo. Here is a video you can watch to make your printing easy and fun.

2. Cute Dragon

Do you have bedtime stories involving dragons? We all know the usual “In a faraway land, there lived a dragon” storyline. Adding this cute dragon to your storytime will make it more interesting.

There are different versions of this model. You can either print with support or without, depending on the make of your printer. The original toy is gray, but you can play with colors because babies love bright colors.

3. Baby Sword Rattle

Prop your little fighter with this rattle sword. The toy is made of different parts glued together to form this sturdy sword. The part that rattles consists of plastic peas that are then placed inside the hollow part of the sword and glued together.

The best practice is to print the peas first, then when the blade is halfway done, toss the peas inside so that they enclose completely.

Baby’s First Mace project inspired this model by Targ’s Workshop. The inventor of the Rattle Sword toy also cautions that a child shouldn’t play unsupervised because the toy has some parts that can break, causing a choking hazard.

4. Winnie the Pooh 3d Print

Has your baby watched the cartoon already? How about printing for them a real Winnie the Pooh toy?

You may need to paint after printing, depending on whether you have the required filament colors.

It’s important to note that it may take more time to print due to the texture of this model. I’d print this with 0.1 or 0.12 mm height to be sure to see all those wonderful details.

5. Rubber Duck

We all want our babies to enjoy baths, but some babies just don’t. This rubber duck will keep your baby distracted while you bathe them.

We found that making the bottom using 15 mm, 65 percent infill, and the rest of the body at 10 percent infill will make it float well. You’ll also need support for the belly, but the beak will print without any support.

6. Magical Rod / Wand Baby Rattle

If you have a baby girl, this is the perfect toy for them. As you print, ensure to use safe plastic because the toy may end up in their mouths.

The best resolution for this print is 0.2 mm and 10 percent infill for the triangles. For the first layer, set your printer such that the nozzle is at 235 C and the bed at 65 C. you need support materials for the head but the other parts should print flat on the bed.

When the head is halfway printed, insert the peas so that they enclose together. Also, ensure that the head, handle, and pommel connections have a 0.5 mm tolerance for a perfect fit. Use super glue to fix the different parts and the star to the head.

7. Baby’s First Mace

Baby’s first mace is a rattle designed by Dutchmogul. The model prints fine without any support materials. The original design stitches the different parts using super glue.

However, you can print the head and the pommel completely sealed to the center part to make it child-friendly. Also, place the plastic peas inside while the head is printing so that they seal permanently.

8. Cute Unicorn

Rainbows and unicorns don’t have to be imaginary. You can 3D print this cute unicorn for your baby. When printing, you have to be careful with the orientation to print all parts correctly.

To cut down on supports print the tail-side down. Be sure to enable supports, of course.

You can play around with colors if you have more than one baby. Other than a toy for your little one, this model is perfect as a gift to friends and relatives.

FAQs

What to do next

The first thing to do is pick a model and get printing!

3D printing is a great hobby for adults and older children. As a parent, you can have fun printing toys for your baby.

As you print toys, ensure they are safe and age-appropriate. Most importantly, don’t leave babies to play unsupervised. 

If your kids are slightly older be sure to check our post on free 3D printed toys (for toddlers and kids).

Or if you’re looking for more models, check out our mega-post on all the top places to get free 3d printer files.