Play Time
Halilit Twirly Whirly Rainmaker Toy
$25.00The Twirly Whirly Rainbomaker is a delightful real musical instrument which creates a captivating combination of sound and colour. By turning the Rainbomaker, baby will be able to watch as...
Plushies Grand Flopsie Goldie Retriever Plush ...
$32.00Goldie Grand Flopsie is a large golden retriever that comes in a resting position. Suitable for all ages and personalities. High-Quality Materials make for a soft and fluffy touch. Quality...
Plushies Asha White Leopard Plush Toy 20 Inch
$48.00This Asha White Leopard is a spotted feline made with amazingly soft fur that is in a resting position. Its understuffed body gives an extra comforting feel in your arms....
Plushies Raven Panther Plush Toy 20 Inch
$48.00This 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....
Plushies Luxe Boutique Jira Jaguar Plush Toy 2...
$48.00This Jira Jaguar is a spotted feline made with amazingly soft fur that is in a resting position. Its understuffed body gives an extra comforting feel in your arms. Suitable...
Bear Company Bunny Hugs
$44.00Bunny Hugs is a plush, stitched attached, soft toy bunny and chick duo.Bunny has been sewn from a luxuriously soft and dense white faux fur plush, with pink smooth inners...
Bear Company Fifi the Flamingo
$29.00Adorable Fifi Flamingo Plush pink stuffed animal with soft plush fur and sparkling eyes. Fill material: Polyester Age: 1 year+
Jellycat Jellycat Smudge Rabbit
$35.00 – $75.00Smudge Rabbit is such a sleepy sweetie - always sprawling out, lazing on the bed or rug! Scrumptiously soft in oatmeal fur, this lop-eared laser just captures the heart. An...
Maileg Maileg Safari Friends Rhino Plush Toy...
$28.00Safari Friends are made of the softest linen and are available in many different colors. They can sit and give the best hug you can imagine. Recommended age: All ages...
Maileg Maileg Rabbit Doll Size 2 Classic in ...
$38.00A classic rabbit made of soft natural linen and cotton fabric that gives a lovely hand feel and look. Size 2 rabbits fit into the Maileg dollhouse and all furniture...
Maileg Maileg Rabbit Doll Size 1 Brown in T-...
$34.00This little rabbit is sure to steal your heart! The rabbit looks very handsome in a striped sweater and complementary pants. Have fun watching your little one's imagination unfold to...
Maileg Maileg Rabbit Doll Size 1 Classic in ...
$34.00A classic rabbit made of soft natural linen and cotton fabric that gives a lovely hand feel and look. This adorable rabbit doll wears a classic striped t-shirt and brown...
Bunnies By The Bay Cubby Bear Plush Toy
$26.00Lots 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...
Jellycat Jellycat Odette Ostrich
$40.00Jellycat Odette Ostrich is the perfect special companion for your little one anywhere, with her silky feathers in a unique dusty pink, and her long fluffy legs, whether it is...
Jellycat Jellycat Didi Hedgehog
$22.50Jellycat Didi Hedgehog is a roly-poly scamp, with a soft ruched caramel tummy, bobble nose, and silky ombre fur. This happy hoglet loves ambling around the garden, snuffling for bugs,...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Koala
$28.00All the way from sunny Australia, it's Jellycat Bashful Koala! This cuddler from Down Under has the softest grey fur and flopsy limbs for bonza cuddles. A big, squidgy nose in...
Maileg Maileg Dog Plush Toy
$40.00If the dream about a dog is far away, it can come true now with this sweet puppy. It is made in exclusive materials that give the dog a beautiful...
Maileg Maileg My First Bunny Plush Toy Dusty...
$26.00My first bunny in Dusty Rose is perfectly made for small hands. It is made in a soft plush quality and has a gold ribbon around the neck. It is...
Jellycat Jellycat Rolbie Sheep Cream
$35.00Jellycat Rolbie Sheep is gorgeously round, with a fluffy cream fleece and gentle beigey face. Friendly and fluffy, this sheep may be tubby but can leap over any stile or...
Maileg Maileg Mini Dining Table Set Toy
$60.00Invite your friend for Sunday supper at the dining table. The set contains a round table and 2 metal chairs. Oval table measures 6.5" x 3.5" Chairs are 5" tall...
Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks Stunt Team Dar...
$45.00Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks Stunt Team Daredevil Car is the perfect toy for your little innovative racer, ideal for building the coolest race car! Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks Stunt Team...
Corolle Corolle Bebe Bath Doll Coralie Flowers
$50.00Corolle Bebe Bath Coralie Flowers just loves water play! This small baby doll is the perfect swimming companion, helping your child to gently get to know all types of aquatic...
Maileg Maileg Safari Friends Panda Toy
$36.00 – $80.00This sweet panda is made of cotton and corduroy. It is a dear friend to all the other animals in the popular Maileg Safari friends category. Maileg Safari Friends Panda...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Small Donkey
$15.00Time for a trot with this fuzzy, squashy donkey! Hee-haw! That’s Bashful Donkey chuckling. He’s a practical joker who loves to play pranks! He’s a softy though, in squashy...
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.