Etsy Keywords, Tags & SEO Guide for selling baby toys & accessories

Understanding Your Ideal Target Customer

Before you dive into keywords, you need to understand who your target customer, including their needs, desires, and the language they use. Because when you know what they are looking for, you can target them with the same keywords that they would use in Etsy search. Here’s a closer look at your typical customer in the baby toys & accessories niche:

‍

The typical customer is an expecting parent, a new parent, a grandparent, or a friend looking for a unique baby shower gift. They are often safety-conscious, appreciate handmade quality, and are interested in toys that aid in a child's development.

‍

What problems are they trying to solve or desires are they trying to fulfill when searching for newborn & baby toys products?

They are looking for safe, stimulating toys to help their newborn with key developmental milestones like grasping, tracking, and sensory exploration, often preferring natural materials over plastic.

This can lead them to search for terms like: montessori newborn sensory toys

‍

They need a thoughtful and beautiful gift for a baby shower or to welcome a new baby that feels more personal and special than a mass-produced toy from a big-box store.

This can lead them to search for terms like: personalized crochet baby rattle

baby toys & accessories is a pretty competitive niche with high demand and high competition, so it's important to use long-tail keywords to niche down and have a better chance of ranking on Etsy.

Top 10 Broad Keywords for baby toys & accessories Sellers

Core keywords (also known as short-tail keywords) are the broad, popular terms that describe your main products. While they often have very high search volume and competition, they are the starting points for you to build your long-tail keywords for the next steps.

‍

Here are 10 popular broad keywords for the baby toys & accessories market:

Newborn Toys

This is the primary, high-volume keyword for the niche. It captures a wide audience of parents and gift-givers actively looking for age-appropriate toys for babies from 0-3 months.

‍

Sensory Toys

A crucial keyword that targets buyers focused on developmental benefits. These toys engage a baby's senses (touch, sight, sound) and are highly sought after by modern parents.

‍

Newborn Rattle

This is a classic, top-selling product category. It's a fundamental keyword for one of the very first toys a baby receives, making it a popular gift item.

‍

Teething Toy

A problem-solving keyword for parents of teething infants. Items that double as a teether are extremely popular, so this term attracts buyers with a very specific and urgent need.

‍

Wooden Toys

This material-focused keyword attracts buyers looking for durable, natural, and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic. It signals quality, a classic aesthetic, and safety.

‍

Crochet Toys

A massive keyword on Etsy that highlights the handmade, soft nature of your product. It's synonymous with amigurumi and is extremely popular for rattles, loveys, and stuffed animals.

‍

New Baby Gift

This is a powerful, occasion-based keyword that captures the huge gift-giving market. It's used by friends, family, and coworkers with a clear intent to purchase.

‍

Montessori Toys

This keyword targets a large and growing group of parents who follow the Montessori educational philosophy. It implies simple, natural, and purposeful toys that encourage independent play.

‍

Stuffed Animal

A timeless and essential keyword for plush toys. It's often modified with terms like "personalized," "newborn safe," or specific animals like "bunny" or "fox."

‍

Newborn Photo Prop

This keyword targets both parents and professional photographers looking for adorable items to use in newborn photoshoots. It's a great secondary keyword for visually appealing toys.

Top Long-Tail Keywords for baby toys & accessories

While core keywords are important, long-tail keywords are how you can really get found on Etsy. These are longer, more specific phrases (usually 2-5 words) that buyers use when they have a clearer idea of what they want or are closer to making a purchase. They often have lower search volume than broad keywords but higher conversion rates because they target a more specific need.

How to Brainstorm Your Long-Tail Keywords

A systematic way to build long-tail keywords is by adding descriptive modifiers to your broad keywords. Here are the modifiers I recommend:

Style/Aesthetic Long-Tail Keywords

boho rainbow wooden stacking toy
minimalist neutral color baby rattle
woodland animal crochet fox lovey
vintage style knitted teddy bear
scandinavian wood baby play gym

Occasion/Use Long-Tail Keywords

personalized baby shower gift for girl
newborn welcome home gift box
baby's first christmas ornament toy
baptism gift from godmother
hospital newborn photo session prop

Target Customer Long-Tail Keywords

gift for expecting mom
montessori toys for 0-6 months
newborn gift from aunt
sensory toys for baby with autism
natural toy for crunchy mom

Materials & Finishes Long-Tail Keywords

File Type/Platform Long-Tail Keywords

organic cotton amigurumi rattle
natural beech wood teether ring
food grade silicone teething toy
waldorf wool felted animal
non toxic wooden baby blocks

Technique/Production Method Long-Tail Keywords

hand crocheted octopus for preemies
laser engraved wooden name puzzle
hand knit stuffed bunny rabbit
hand painted high contrast wood blocks
sewn felt animal nursery mobile

Feature/Benefit Long-Tail Keywords

baby grasping and clutching toy
rattle with crinkle paper for sound
custom embroidered birth stat animal
high contrast sensory flash cards
stroller or car seat clip on toy

Theme/Subject Matter Long-Tail Keywords

safari animal theme nursery toy
woodland fox crochet rattle
celestial moon and stars play gym toys
ocean life crochet octopus toy
farm animal finger puppets

Size/Shape/Fit Long-Tail Keywords

small rattle for newborn hands
large wooden floor activity gym
easy to hold teething ring
lightweight soft toy for infants
travel size toy for diaper bag

Problem Solved Long-Tail Keywords

natural teething relief toy
tummy time sensory stimulation mat
calming toy for fussy baby
quiet activity for car rides
non toxic toy for mouthing baby

To speed up the process and get even more relevant long-tail keyword ideas, consider using SEO research tools like Alura which you can get a big similar keyword list with information like estimated search volume and demand. Their free plan is pretty generous and you can sign up for free here.

Analysing Best Selling Listing Titles

One of the best ways to improve your Etsy SEO strategy is to see what's working for other successful sellers. By analysing best selling listings, you can gain valuable insights into what effective keywords they use, and how they structure the titles, so that you can apply to your own listings as well.

‍

Let's look at the listing titles from two baby toys & accessories bestsellers to see what we can learn from them:

Bestseller Listing Title Analysis 01:

Personalized Toy Rattle · Baby gift · Animal Crochet Baby Rattle · Wooden rattle · Teether bites wood · Soothing rattle · Baby shower by GoldenEchoesCo

This title is highly effective because it targets multiple customer needs and search terms in one. It leads with the high-value "Personalized Toy Rattle," then includes keywords for function ("Wooden rattle," "Teether"), style ("Animal Crochet"), benefit ("Soothing rattle"), and occasion ("Baby gift," "Baby shower"). This comprehensive approach ensures the listing appears in a wide variety of searches from different types of buyers.

Bestseller Listing Title Analysis 02

Personalized Crochet Baby Rattle Toy for Girls and Boys, Animal Crochet Baby Rattle, Baby Shower Gift, Baby Rattle Grasping Toy,Newborn Gift by QuirkyAttireHub

This title excels by clearly identifying its audience and purpose. It uses "Personalized" to attract custom orders and "for Girls and Boys" to broaden its appeal. Crucially, it highlights a key developmental benefit with "Grasping Toy," which appeals to parents focused on milestones. Stating the primary occasions, "Baby Shower Gift" and "Newborn Gift," makes it highly visible to the lucrative gift-giving market.

Click here to see more Etsy bestseller title inspirations

How to Use Keywords to Optimise Your Etsy Listings

Now that you have a list of descriptive long-tail keywords for your baby toys & accessories, let's see how we can use them to optimise your Etsy listings.

How to Craft Highly Descriptive, Keyword-Rich Titles

Your listing title can make-or-break your Etsy SEO. Write your long-tail keywords to be highly descriptive. For example, compare these two:

Okay Title: Baby Rattle

‍

Better Title: Personalized Wooden Baby Rattle, Montessori Newborn Toy, Engraved Name Teether, Custom Baby Shower Gift

Then put your strongest, most descriptive keyword in the front. Separate each long-tail keyword with symbols like commas or dashes so that the title is easy to read.

Use All 13 Tags with Specific, Long-Tail Keywords

Tags are another important place to tell the Etsy algorithm what your product is about. Use all 13 tags for your listings.

Focus on specific, long-tail keyword phrases
Tags have a 20-character limit
While it's ok for some broad keywords to appear in multiple tags, try to use a wide variety of descriptive terms across your 13 tags

Find Accurate Attributes & Categories

When you list a product on Etsy, you'll select a category and then be prompted to fill out attributes specific to that category (e.g., colour, material, size, occasion). These are just as important for SEO and helping buyers find your items through Etsy's filters.

‍

Be thorough and fill out as many relevant attributes as possible and be accurate for your product category.

Write Description for Shoppers & Etsy search algorithm

Etsy now uses keywords in your listing description for SEO. What I recommend to Etsy seller is to write compelling short paragraph (1-3 sentences) at the very beginning of your listing description that naturally include 3-5 relavant long-tail keywords for the product. Clearly communicate what the product is, its key features, and the benefits it offers the customer.

‍

Let's look at some listing description examples for baby toys & accessories:

‍

Listing Description Example 01

Soothe your little one with our adorable crochet animal rattle, the perfect first toy for a newborn. Handmade with soft, organic cotton yarn and a natural beech wood teething ring, this toy is designed for tiny hands to grasp, helping to develop fine motor skills. This personalized rattle makes a beautiful and thoughtful baby shower gift that is sure to become a cherished keepsake.

Listing Description Example 02

Engage your baby's developing senses with our wooden Montessori-inspired play gym, a beautiful addition to any nursery decor. This activity gym includes a set of hanging sensory toys designed to encourage reaching, batting, and grasping during tummy time. Made from smooth, unfinished wood, it provides a safe and natural environment for your baby to explore and learn.

Listing Description Example 03

Capture your baby's birth details forever with our personalized stuffed animal, a uniquely cuddly keepsake. This ultra-soft plush toy is custom embroidered with your baby's name, birth date, weight, and length, making it a perfect nursery decoration and a treasured memory. It's an unforgettable newborn gift that parents will love as much as their little one does.

6 Ways to Find More Keywords for baby toys & accessories

Keyword research is an ongoing process. I recommend these 6 ways to find effective long-tail keywords for your listings:

Etsy Search Bar

Start typing your core keywords into Etsy's search bar and pay close attention to the auto-suggestions that appear (guide here). These are real searches from actual Etsy shoppers.

Competitor Research

Look at the titles of listings that rank on page 1 (especially those with "Bestseller" badges). Don't copy directly, but use their keyword choices as inspiration for terms you might have missed.

Your Own Shop Stats

Your shop stats show you the exact search terms shoppers used to find your listings. Pay special attention to those that you are not directly targeting, and consider targeting them in listing titles.

Alura

One of my favourite Etsy keyword research tools. Alura speeds up the process of giving you a list of related popular keywords, and analyse which ones are the best for you.

eRank

Another popular tool among Etsy sellers, eRank offers robust keyword tools, trend analysis, grading your current listings, and checking keyword strength.

Everbee

Another great keyword research tool. I especially love Everbee's Chrome extension that shows you the estimated search volume directly on Etsy.

Your baby toys & accessories Etsy SEO Checklist

Phew, that's a lot of information. Let's do a little recap:

‍

Understand My Customer: Do I understand my target customer and their primary search motivations?
Core Keyword Research: Have I identified the top core keywords for the baby toys & accessories niche?
Long-Tail Keywords: Have I brainstormed a diverse list of long-tail keywords using various modifiers?
Ongoing Etsy SEO: Am I using at least 2-3 methods (from Section 7) to regularly find new keyword opportunities for baby toys & accessories?
Optimised Titles: Are my listing titles highly descriptive, front-loaded with strong keywords?
Maximised Tags: Am I using all 13 tags with specific, long-tail phrases?
Compelling Descriptions: Does the opening paragraph of my listing descriptions naturally include 3-5 important keywords and clearly state benefits/features?
Analyse & Improve: Am I reviewing my Etsy stats and competitor listings in the baby toys & accessories niche regularly to improve my SEO strategy?