Play Time
PlanToys 40 Unit Blocks Set Natural
$32.00Show off your imagination and creativity through block building! The natural wood color blocks provide a limitless way of playing as they are open-ended toys, allowing kids to play as...
Kid O A to Z Cursive Magnatab Lowercase Let...
$30.00The Magnatab is a wonderful learning tool that provides an immersive, early writing lesson. Explore creating letters and numbers in a sensory-reinforced activity that allows children to process information and...
Kid O A to Z Cursive Magnatab Uppercase Let...
$30.00The Magnatab is a wonderful learning tool that provides an immersive, early writing lesson. Explore creating letters and numbers in a sensory-reinforced activity that allows children to process information and...
Chronicle Books A to Z Menagerie Alphabet Book
$22.99A to Z Menagerie is a multisensory alphabet book unlike any other. This unique reading experience features a die-cut letter to trace and a satisfying pull-tab reveal for each letter of...
Manhattan Toys Activity Center Toy Deep Sea Adventure
$116.00This wood activity center is packed full of exciting features! Includes 4 quadrants in the shape of a jellyfish with a variety of activities for baby: gliders, bead runs, spinning...
Moulin Roty Activity Cloud Il Etait Une Fois
$36.00A musical activity cloud to stimulate baby's senses and decorate the nursery. Includes sweet little star, moon and bird will keep little ones delighted. Size: 12 inches Age: 0+
Jellycat Activity Toy Cosmopop Rocket
$27.50The Cosmopop Rocket Activity Toy is cute and cordy in scarlet and silver with sparkly feet and a marvelous mirror! This smiley spaceship has a velcro tum, a squeaky tip,...
Moulin Roty Activity Toy Crocodile Sous Mon Baobab
$32.00This activity toy features a crocodile with a little one hanging from his body and a bird on his back. He carries with him a mirror, a rattle, a bell...
Manhattan Toys Activity Tree Top Adventures
$119.00This wood activity center is packed full of exciting features! Includes 4 quadrants in the shape of a tree with a variety of activities for baby: 6 tracks with animal-themed...
Haba Aircraft Swing
$170.00The little aircraft takes you on a swinging sweeping plane ride through the room. Why don't you make some rattling propeller sounds to accompany it? The height of the aircraft...
Jellycat Amuseable Avocado Huge
$50.00Get 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 Amuseable Avocado Medium
$22.50Get 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 Amuseable Avocado Small
$16.50Get 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 Amuseable Cloud Medium
$20.00Lost 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...
Maileg Angel Mouse Big Sister in Book Doll
$30.00Wherever you go and whatever you do, bring your Guardian Angel in book along with you. She watches over you from her heavenly cloud and you can create your story...
Wee Gallery Animal Alphabet Cards
$20.00Wee gallery animal alphabet cards are the perfect gift for newborn baby, toddler, or any age in between. The high-contrast animal illustrations create a mesmerizing display for babies, while the...
Djeco Animal Basic Wooden Puzzle
$12.00A unique wood puzzle with various shapes and levels; Can you find the animals hidden underneath? Find the animals under the squares, circles, and triangles and put them back in the...
Gund Animated Flappy The Elephant Plush Toy
$40.00Flappy the Elephant is an adorable singing animated plush with two different play modes. Press the left foot to play an interactive game of peek-a-boo, and the right to hear...
Gund Animated Flora The Bunny Plush Toy
$40.00Flora – a sweet, smiling bunny with two different play modes. Press the left foot to play an interactive game of peek-a-boo, and the right to hear the song "Do...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Black and White Co...
$12.95Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board book material, these cards will stand up...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Ocean
$12.95Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board, these cards will stand up to baby's...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Original Collection
$12.95Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board book material, these cards will stand up...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Rainforest Collection
$12.95Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board book material, these cards will stand up...
PlanToys Assorted Fruit Set
$32.00Plan Toys Assorted Fruit Set is the perfect toy for your aspiring little chef! The set includes a cutting board, knife, and 5 sliceable fruits - orange, lemon, kiwi, strawberry, and...
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.