Play Time
Gibbs Smith Book Black and White/Blanco y Negro
$10.00The colors black and white paint a fun story in this bilingual Spanish/English board book. Did you know that colors can tell stories? The illustrations in this charming board book...
Gibbs Smith Book Green/Verde
$10.00Did you know that colors can tell stories? The illustrations in this charming board book introduce your brilliant baby to all kinds of things that are green, including yummy spinach,...
Gibbs Smith Book Red/Rojo
$10.00Did you know that colors can tell stories? The illustrations in this charming board book introduce your brilliant baby to all kinds of things that are red, including a clanging...
Gibbs Smith Book Blue/Azul
$10.00Did you know that colors can tell stories? The illustrations in this charming board book introduce your brilliant baby to all kinds of things that are blue, including finny fish...
Gibbs Smith Book Yellow/Amarillo
$10.00Did you know that colors can tell stories? The illustrations in this clever board book introduce your brilliant baby to all kinds of things that are yellow, including tall giraffes...
Gibbs Smith Book Christmas Carol: A BabyLit Color...
$10.00This series celebrates the tradition of literary naturalists—writers who embrace the natural world as the setting for some of our most euphoric and serious experiences. These books map the intimate...
Gibbs Smith Book The Life of La Vida de Pele
$10.00Known to the world as the greatest soccer player of all time, Pelé's career started at age 15. He soon helped the Brazilian national team to three world championships. Your...
Penguin Where's the Puffin Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of birds that include a kingfisher, a blackbird, a swan, and a puffin all hiding behind bright felt flaps. With a mirror on...
Penguin Where's the Fire Truck Book
$10.00Five stylishly illustrated spreads show a series of friendly characters hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find inquiries. (Where...
Gibbs Smith Book Good Night Buenas Noches
$11.00A bilingual slide-the-tab board book, with text in English and Spanish. Cleverly provides a number of gentle good night wishes for baby at bedtime, as baby along with the cat,...
Gibbs Smith Book Good Morning Buenos Dias
$11.00A bilingual slide-the-tab board book, with text in English and Spanish. Cleverly introduce basic ideas about what happens in the morning when you wake up, including a rooster crowing, an...
Manhattan Toy Atom Teether Toy
$12.00The Atom Teether Toy is out of this world! Twelve bendy arms perfect for teething, surround the colorful plastic ball center. Each arm features vibrantly colored plastic clacking rings that...
Penguin Pop Up Jungle Book
$12.00Hop aboard a riverboat for a colorful trek into the depths of the jungle with its many wonders. Tree frogs, monkeys, and jewel-toned birds are just a few of the...
Gibbs Smith Book Frankenstein: A BabyLit Anatomy ...
$12.00A BabyLit® Anatomy Primer BabyLit® is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design...
FL Children's Books Baby Loves Yoga An ABC of First Poses...
$12.99Baby Loves is a new range of giftable preschool ABC books that taps into the trends that matter. Stunningly illustrated with a cut-to-white aesthetic, each pocket-sized book is a perfect...
FL Children's Books Baby Loves Earth An ABC of Our Planet
$12.99Baby Loves is a new range of giftable preschool ABC books that taps into the trends that matter. Stunningly illustrated with a cut-to-white aesthetic, each pocket-sized book is a perfect...
Jellycat Jellycat Book If I were a Polar Bear
$13.50Jellycat’s exciting If I were a polar bear book is colorful and sturdy enough for your child to grip by themselves, perfect for interactive play. Product Details: Suitable from birth. Features...
Jellycat Jellycat Book If I were a Lamb
$13.50If I Were a Lamb' is a leaping, springing, joyful ride through the imagination. Little lamb fans can picture being a lamb with this fun and funky board book. They...
Jellycat Jellycat Book If I were a Dinosaur Or...
$13.50Life as a dino is one big stomp, as you'll find out in If I Were A Dinosaur! Happy, bold, and easy to hold, this board book is full of...
Jellycat Jellycat Book If I were an Elf
$13.50Skip into Santa's workshop with If I were an Elf! This beautiful board book has fun feely panels and lots of jolly, joyful pictures. A present to whirl little helpers...
Jellycat Jellycat Vivacious Vegetables Radish
$13.50More stretchy than crunchy, Vivacious Radish is a refreshing friend! Perky in pink-white ombre fur, with a plume of stitchy green velour leaves, this affable vegetable pops up to say...
Hape Mighty Echo Microphone Toy
$14.00Do you dream of being a famous singer? With the high-quality, battery-free Mighty Echo Microphone, everyone can sing like a pop-star! Age:12+ Months
Fat Brain Toys Teeting PipSquigz Loops Orange
$14.00Little explorers can’t help but get sucked into the sensory excitement of these bendy, rattly, chewy, suction-cup creations!Their vivid textures instantly inspire little fingers to grab and feel while their...
Penguin Pop Up Ocean Book
$14.00Dive into a cool underwater who’s who and what’s what of the sea in this palm-size pop-up treasure. Discover ocean dwellers like the crab, octopus, and sea horse as they...
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.