Babies will be enchanted by the Stay-put Rattle Set’s differing sounds, bright colors, and aquatic animals. Moreover, with their handy suction cups, playtime is possible anywhere, anytime! Age: 0+ Months...
Your little musician will create wonderful music and explore melody and rhythm with this Stacking Music Set by Hape! Children can stack differently sized blocks in any way they wish...
Spiral features space-themed fun from end-to-end, featuring a rocket with baby-safe mirror and crescent moon. Three dangling attachments include a crinkle star with a flexible elastic cord, stars with textured...
Kid O’s Sort-a-Shape House is the perfect toy to help your little one practice color and shape sorting! Suitable for infants 1 year+ Match the forms to assemble doors, a...
The Sophie Bath Book by Calisson is the perfect addition to the tub to make bath time fun! Features: Book consists of 8 pages filled with different kinds of...
A fun Sophie La Girafe takes on the traditional rubber duck! Fun bath toy made with the same all-natural rubber as the original Sophie teether. Made with 100% natural rubber from...
Lots of pacifiers lost? Say no more, this cute silly buddy will be the solution to this problem. Floppy, sloppy, silly and soft, this playful pacifier holding silly buddies, tie...
Lots of pacifiers lost? Say no more, this cute silly buddy will be the solution to this problem. Floppy, sloppy, silly and soft, this playful pacifier holding silly buddies, tie...
Lots of pacifiers lost? Say no more, this cute silly buddy will be the solution to this problem. Floppy, sloppy, silly and soft, this playful pacifier holding silly buddies, tie...
Lots of pacifiers lost? Say no more, this cute silly buddy will be the solution to this problem. Floppy, sloppy, silly and soft, this playful pacifier holding silly buddies, tie...
Dena Silicone Small Rainbow is manufactured with platinum silicone, which is BPA free, PVC Free, Latex Free, Phthalate Free, and 100% safe. Platinum silicone is a soft material that feels great...
Is it a piano or a puzzle? Well, the multifunctional Shape Sorter Xylophone is a piano, xylophone and shape sorting game all rolled into one! Product size L: 11.81, W:...
Chunky, tactile Shape Sorter blocks explore simple shapes and colors while encouraging cognitive development and kinesthetic learning. Appealing and easy-to-hold, screened rubberwood shapes have oversized knobs with soft-touch plastic grips...
Hape’s Shake and Match Shape Sorter is the perfect toy for your growing infant, helping them to develop multi-tasking skills! Suitable for children 12m+ Includes shape sorter with bead-filled blocks...
This senso ball A sensorial ball made from 100% natural rubber. Bright colours to stimulate baby 8 small holes to develop baby's curiosity and fine motor skills Multiple textures for...
The Hape Rotating Music Box is a soothing and gentle toy that will encourage baby to experience music in a unique and interactive way. It plays delightful musical notes as...
The Bajo Rope Abacus has ten columns, each stacked with wooden rings, from one up to ten. Attached to the end of each column is a rope and stopper, allowing...
With colorful, wooden balls, peek-a-boo holes, and fast tracks, this double-sided mountain rocks, and rolls. It features a bell that chimes when the balls reach the end of their trip...
Encourage the love of language with these colorful Spanish to English flashcards. Each double-sided card features charming illustrations of 26 basic Spanish and English nouns. The re-closable ring makes these...
These flashcards will help children learn their ABCs using colorful pictures! The back of the card pictures uppercase letters. Use as flashcards, practice sorting by color or type, or separate...
Make counting fun with Mudpuppy's Counting Ring Flash Cards, which feature 20 double-sided cards with numbers on one side and a corresponding illustration with the same number of objects or...
Little Learner Ring Flash Cards from Mudpuppy teach children age 1 years+ colors, shapes, and numbers with modern, high-contrast artwork. The re-closable ring makes these sturdy flashcards convenient for on-the-go...
This Raven Panther is a jet black feline made with amazingly soft fur that is in a resting position. Its understuffed body gives an extra comforting feel in your arms....
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.