Play Time
Olli Ella Dinky Dinkum Forest Friends Polly Poi...
$25.00Say hello to Polly Poinsettia! One of six Forest Friends new to the enchanting world of Olli Ella. With a Dinky Dinkum in your pocket, you never know what adventures...
Olli Ella Dinky Dinkum Forest Friends Bobby Bear
$25.00Say hello to Bobby Bear! One of six Forest Friends new to the enchanting world of Olli Ella. With a Dinky Dinkum in your pocket, you never know what adventures...
Olli Ella Dinky Dinkum Forest Friends Fifi Fox
$25.00Say hello to Fifi Fox! One of six Forest Friends new to the enchanting world of Olli Ella. With a Dinky Dinkum in your pocket, you never know what adventures...
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Soother
$28.00Snuggle up with Bartholomew Bear Soother. This tufty, ruffly toffee bear is hugging a dreamy-soft fudgy blankie. With short fur paws and a choc-drop nose, this bear is more giggle...
Jellycat Bashful Beige Bunny Star Musical Pull
$40.00Playing 'Rock a Bye Baby' when Bashful Bunny is pulled, this musical pull's star has risen high to become a firm favourite for bedtime. The musical box is tucked amongst...
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 Bucky Bigfoot Plush Toy
$32.50Forget what you've heard: Bucky Bigfoot isn't shy! This buttercream character loves meeting new people! Wonderfully scruffy from rambles in the forest, Bucky's got big ears, a big fanged grin...
Jellycat Soother Bashful Blue Bunny
$28.00Little Jellycat offers bunny security as standard, so when your little one’s not snuggling up to their Bashful Blue Bunny Soother, it’s being looked after by a fluffy expert! This...
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...
Jellycat Amuseable Birthday Cake
$32.50Amuseable Birthday Cake is snuggly-scrumptious, with tussly fur so beautifully baked. This party poppet wears a squashy hat of heavenly splodgy buttercream, topped with velvety strawberries and a striped jersey...
Jellycat Amuseable Pink And White Marshmallows
$28.00Trouble comes in twos! Amuseable Pink and White Marshmallows have a lot in common, like praline cord boots, stitchy smiles and rosy blushes. Linked with a pink satin ribbon, these...
Kaloo Lapinoo Rabbit Doll Cream
$34.00This cheerful cream rabbit of 13,65 inches has such long ears that you can hang it anywhere to keep it and never lose it. He can do anything with them:...
Lalaboom Zippered Tote Set 48 Pieces
$44.00A transport bag with 48 educational beads and accessories different colors and shapes to develop the first notions of fine motor skills of children. 5 evolutionary stages: the child will...
Lilliputiens Alice Fishing Game
$36.00Alice Fishing Game bath toys offer hours of entertainment for kids during bath time! 6-piece set Trains your child's senses and motor skills Recommended age: 12 months +
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.