Play Time
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Golf Blue
$6.00 – $10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Torpedo Aqua
$6.00 – $10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Crater Red
$6.00 – $10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Bumpy Pink
$6.00 – $10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Chronicle Books Little Boat Book
$6.99When you're small and on the go, there's a lot to watch out for: big boats, waves, rain clouds, and more! But Little Boat can handle whatever comes his way,...
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 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...
Penguin Farm Animals Book
$7.99Calling little fans of farm animals—and design-loving parents! An oversize graphic showpiece has now been adapted as an accessible board book. This bucolic board book presents stylized animals in...
Penguin Wild Animals Book
$7.99From a grinning crocodile to an elegant flamingo, from a perky meerkat to an endearing hippo, there are many wild creatures to discover in this captivating book. Adapted from designer...
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 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...
Abrams Appleseed Book You Are Fantastic! (A Hello!Lucky)
$7.99From Hello!Lucky, the creators of My Mom Is Magical! and My Dad Is Amazing!, comes a joyful tribute to all the things that make YOU one of a kind! You are more lovable...
Penguin Big Little / Grande pequeño Book
$7.99Ladies are big, but ladybugs are little. Heads are big, but toes are little. Illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s bald, hilariously expressive baby acts out each pair...
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...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Grandma Is Great!
$7.99Is your grandma more fabulous than a flock of flamingos?More magical than a million mermaids?More adventurous than a pack of pirates? Celebrate all the things that make Grandma great with...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Grandpa Is Grand!
$7.99Is your grandpa more fun than a ton of treehouses?More adventurous than a sea of sailors?Smarter than a school of fish? Celebrate all the things that make Grandpa grand with...
Abrams Appleseed Book Bananas For You!
$7.99From the superstar creators of My Mom Is Magical! and My Dad Is Amazing! comes this vibrant, humor-filled board book—the perfect way to tell your loved ones you're bananas for them. Do you...
Abrams Appleseed Book Kindness Rules (A Hello!Lucky)
$8.99Manners don’t come naturally to everyone! But did you know that elephants are known for their impeccable etiquette? It’s true! This hilarious guide to good manners offers many fun teaching...
Simon & Schuster Neon Books: My First Book of the Alph...
$8.99The ABCs—brighter and bolder than ever before!Learn the ABCs with a bright new twist! From alligator to zebra, little learners will be captivated by the bold neon illustrations and die-cut...
Phaidon Press Boats Are Busy
$9.95The first book of boats for the youngest enthusiasts, featuring 15 different boats and a bonus nautical flag per vessel. From sailboats to ferry boats, tankers to clippers, young...
Abrams Appleseed Book Super Pooper and Whizz Kid
$9.99Introducing two new potty pals kids and parents will adore, Super Pooper and Whizz Kid: Potty Power! is a humorous potty-training book with a hip sensibility and a playful take on...
Mudpuppy Coloring Book Andy Warhol
$9.99Mudpuppy's Andy Warhol Coloring Book features the iconic pop artist's greatest hits ready to be colored in and customized by young artists. Introduce well-known classics like Andy's Campbell's Soup Cans...
Abrams Appleseed B is For Babar An Alphabet Book
$9.99B Is for Babar takes readers through an alphabet of fun with Babar and his family. Arthur plays the accordion, Flora feeds the fish, and more! Young children will love...
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.