Play Time
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Everest ...
$64.00 – $88.00Where I come from, the ice and snow are always sparkling. I love building snow forts, slurping marshmallows in hot chocolate, and most of all, helping people. I believe we...
Bear Company Cuddly Spot Puppy Dog Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and of all ages. This soft plush provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30 inches
Tikiri Dolphin Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00This rubber rattle from the ocean buddies collection. Easy-grip for smaller hands. Each marine animal character has an enclosed rattle that creates a soft sound when shaken. Sound Toys, like...
Tikiri Elephant Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Elephant: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the fun elephant is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take him in the bath, or as a teething...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Fish
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Koala
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Narwhal
$7.99Baby Narwhal swims, dives, meets new friends and drifts off to bedtime with his family. Featuring a plush finger puppet that peeks into each lovingly illustrated page, this entry in...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby T Rex
$7.99Newborns will love snuggling up with Baby T. Rex! Baby T. Rex learns to stomp, roar, and explore her world before drifting off to bedtime with her loving family. Featuring...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Love Bug
$7.99Little Love Bug Finger Puppet Book is a sweet, entertaining board book with a finger puppet built right in. In this feel-good finger puppet book, a parent and their little...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Moose
$7.99Tiny tots will enjoy going for a dip in a mountain lake with an adventurous calf in Little Moose. These simple, comforting stories feature a permanently attached plush finger puppet and...
Tikiri Giraffe Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Giraffe: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the great giraffe is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take him in the bath, or as a teething...
Jellycat Harvey Bear Plush Toy
$150.00Harvey Bear is the king of naptime. Golden-brown and wonderfully lazy, Harvey will flop at the drop of a hat. With a rumpled tummy, huge weighted paws, a bobble tail...
Jellycat Hibernating Bunny
$22.00Hibernating Bunny is a teeny-tiny, caramel-coloured dreamer. Tucked cosily in a fleecy, berry nest, or sometimes snoozing beside it, this sweet little bun has soft, foldy ears, a snuffly muzzle...
Tikiri Hippo Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Hippo: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the cute hippo is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take her in the bath, or as a teething...
Jellycat Jellycat Amore Cat
$40.00Jellycat Amore Cat is a great snuggle in cat form. This sleepy silly is perfectly podgy in textured fur. With waggly whiskers, dreamy eyes, a swooshy tail, and teeny paws,...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Avocado
$20.00 – $60.00Get your five-a-day in an adorable way with Amuseable Avocado! Scrummily green and soft, our veggie chum has a natty two-tone jacket in speckled fur. We love that squashy, suedey...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Cloud
$29.00Lost in a daydream? Let Amuseable Cloud be your dreamy companion. This cumulus cutie is tufty and tussled in scrumptious cream fur, with cordy grey feet for running across the...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Rainbow
$33.00Amuseable Rainbow loves everybody, and welcomes one and all for big, colorful hugs! With pastel stripes in peach, yellow and turquoise, cordy arms, and a goofy smile, this squidgy rainbow...
Jellycat Jellycat Bailey Sloth
$28.00 – $35.00Bailey Sloth is so chilled out, he falls asleep here, there, and everywhere! This groovy guy has soothing mocha fur, with a cute creamy face and a neat eye mask....
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bee
$16.50 – $25.00If you like to plant flowers, Bashful Bee has a few requests! He loves lilac, honeysuckle, and poppies - perfect for making heavenly honey! This beautiful bug is a real...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Black and Cream Puppy
$18.00 – $80.00Silky-soft and lovingly loyal, Bashful Black & Cream Puppy wants to play all day! He comes in five sizes, from huge and huggable to itsy bitsy baby. His smudgy black...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Blue Elephant
$28.00Bashful Elephant has an amazing sense of smell, thanks to that tremendous trunk! If you’re doing some baking, don’t be surprised if you feel a supersoft nudge and find a...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Blush Poodle
$28.00Bashful Poodle comes from fabulous France, and has sugar-pink fur that you can’t help but cuddle. She skips down the avenue, fluffy ears flapping, and snaffles a croissant - what...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Beau
$25.00Jellycat Bashful Bunny is a popular fellow with scrummy-soft Jellycat fur and lovely long flopsy ears mean that with just one cuddle, you’ll never want to let go. Irresistibly cute...
Play is essential for children because it contributes to their intellectual, physical, emotional and social development. When children play, they exercise their creativity, develop their imagination, master their dexterity, improve their cognitive ability and build physical strength. Experts agree that the best kinds of play allow kids to set their own goals, negotiate challenges, develop and share ideas, and make their own rules.
But how can we make sure our kids are getting enough healthy, unstructured play time when they’re growing up in an overscheduled and stressful environment, when parents are overly focused on producing high academic achievers, and safety concerns prevent us from letting our kids roam around freely and unsupervised? Perhaps the best thing we can do for our kids is to make sure they have the right kinds of toys at home to make play time most rewarding.
First and foremost is safety. Safe toys for young children are sturdy, without sharp parts or splinters, free of pinching hazards, and easy to clean. If the toy will be used by an infant, it’s important that parts aren’t small enough to become a choking hazard.
Toys must be made from non-toxic materials and coated with lead-free paints. You should steer clear of antique toys, second-hand toys and homemade toys that have not been tested and approved by a certified testing lab, or may have been produced before the current regulations governing toy manufacturing were in effect.
In addition to being safe, a good toy will match the child’s appropriate stage of development and abilities.
The best baby activity toys for infants between 0-6 months are things they can reach, grasp, suck on, shake, and make noise with. Some age-appropriate toys for little babies are squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and board books.
Infants between 6-12 months are starting to crawl, sit up and pull themselves to a standing position. They are capable putting things in and out of containers and placing objects on top of each other. Some of the best baby activity toys for this age group are dolls, vehicles with wheels, bath toys, large beads, nesting toys, large soft blocks, wooden blocks, and push & pull toys.
As your child continues to grow, look for toys that will encourage them to explore, create, pretend, imagine, and learn from trial and error.