The Sophie La Girafe Shake Shake Rattle is an innovative and electronic rattle with a motion detector to awake baby and develop his curiosity! 2 choices of playing mode: Awaking...
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...
Ready, steady, go! The BRIO Remote Control Race Car will give children hours of racing fun with its bright red chassis and classic BRIO looks. The aim is to...
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....
Manny and Simon's eco-friendly wooden Elephant push toy is a contemporary and brightly colored twist on classic kid's heirloom toys. With an easy-grip built-in handle perfect for little hands to grab...
The luxury stroller that grows with your child. Designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and with your toddler’s needs in mind, the Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller / Tricycle is...
The luxury stroller that grows with your child. Designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and with your toddler’s needs in mind, the Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller / Tricycle is...
The luxury stroller that grows with your child. Designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and with your toddler’s needs in mind, the Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller / Tricycle is...
The luxury stroller that grows with your child. Designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and with your toddler’s needs in mind, the Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller / Tricycle is...
The luxury stroller that grows with your child. Designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and with your toddler’s needs in mind, the Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller /...
Modes of transportation are exciting and ever popular — and here they get an attractive makeover in a kid-friendly pop-up with pages of things that go, from ice-cream trucks to...
Dive 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...
Hop 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...
PlanToys Baby Car is the perfect toy for your child’s small hands to push and play with! This colorful toy car has a flexible body that reacts to your baby’s touch....
Ingela P Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers. Young children will be captivated by...
Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers who love farm animals. Young children...
Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers who love nature. Young children will...
Ingela P Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers. Young children will be captivated by...
Say hello to the Olli Ella Holdie Savannah Animals! Come and explore the Holdie™ Savannah, where you will meet its resident wildlife - Lion, Hippo and Giraffe. Handmade from a soft wool blend with...
Say hello to the Olli Ella Holdie Safari Animals! Join us on a Safari adventure where we tag along with our friends Zebra, Rhino and Elephant! Handmade from a soft wool blend...
Say hello to the Olli Ella Holdie Ocean Animals! Dive deep into the Holdie™ Ocean as wonder awaits you. Whale, Dolphin and Stingray will be your underwater guides. Handmade from a soft wool...
Say hello to the Olli Ella Holdie Marine Animals! The Marine Wildlife of Holdie™ World is wonderful and diverse. These three friends are all very different, but that doesn't stop them from having...
Say hello to Moppet! Your baby’s first baby and lifelong friend with the perfect amount of squish for cuddles and play. Like all the Olli Ella Dozy Dinkums, Moppet is...
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.