The handles are the whole idea, and they are the reason this one works at six months when a plain ball does not.

Five soft handles stand off the body of the ball. A baby does not need a developed grip: they hook a hand through and the whole toy comes with them. That first successful lift is what makes a child come back to a toy rather than give up on it.

Each handle is finished in a different fabric, so which one they grab changes what they feel. Inside there is a bell in the head and crinkle paper in the body, giving two distinct sounds. And tucked into the middle is a small owl, which pulls out and goes back in again, a removing-and-replacing game toddlers will repeat for a very long time.

Joe is the magician of the gang, working spells out of his grandfather Walter's old books.

Outer 100% polyester, inner 100% recycled polyester. Machine washable at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle. Lilliputiens is a Belgian brand, founded in 1995 and designed by a team largely made up of parents working alongside early-childhood specialists.

HANDLES ARE WHY THIS WORKS - Five soft handles stand off the body, so a baby can hook a hand into it and lift the whole thing without needing a developed grip. Grasping succeeds on the first try.

A HIDDEN OWL INSIDE - A small owl tucks into the body and pulls right out, then goes back in again. Removing and replacing it is the game toddlers repeat endlessly, and it is real fine-motor work.

BELL AND CRINKLE PAPER - A rattle in the head and rustling paper in the body, so it answers whichever way it gets handled. Two different sounds rather than one.

FIVE HANDLES, FIVE TEXTURES - Each handle is finished in a different material, so a baby gets a different sensation depending on which one they grab. Touch develops through contrast, not repetition.

SUSTAINABLY MADE AND WASHABLE - Outer 100% polyester, inner 100% recycled polyester. Machine washable at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle. Tested to EN71 and ASTM standards and screened for AZO dyes, cadmium and phthalates.

6 months and above

Outer 100% polyester, inner 100% recycled polyester; bell, crinkle paper, removable soft figure

JOE RATTLE WITH HANDLES