Play Time
Sophie La Giraffe Bath Sophie Blue
$16.99The Sophie Bath Toy by Calisson from the Sophie La Girafa is the perfect addition to the tub to make bath time fun! Floats When squeezed, the Sophie bath toy...
Sophie La Giraffe Bath Sophie Yellow
$18.00The Sophie Bath Toy by Calisson from the Sophie La Girafa is the perfect addition to the tub to make bath time fun! Floats When squeezed, the Sophie bath toy...
Janod Bath Toy Fish Them All
$16.00This line fishing game for the bath with 4 squirters is ideal for developing your child's dexterity and concentration. To play, just catch the boats and small fish as quickly...
Manhattan Toy Beats To Go Musical Toy
$46.00Beats to Go musical toy includes a drum, a pair of drumsticks, washboard, cymbal, and 7-key xylophone. Three legs on the underside provide stabilization so little ones can jam on...
Bear Company Bensen the Teddy Bear Sitting Plush S...
$36.00A soft toy teddy bear sewn from a gorgeously soft and dense, thread textured pale-toffee plush, with glossy two-tone brown safety eyes and a sweet, stitched cocoa nose, with a...
Cottage Door Press Best-Loved Jewish Songs Book
$19.99Introduce your little one to the Jewish religion and its traditional songs with this beautifully illustrated children's songbook. Kids can read the lyrics, match the icons on each page with...
Penguin Big Little / Grande pequeño Book
$7.99Ladies are big, but ladybugs are little. Heads are big, but toes are little. Illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s bald, hilariously expressive baby acts out each pair...
Thames & Hudson Big Sticker Book of Beasts
$14.95This endlessly entertaining activity book brings the world of beasts alive in a creative way. With fascinating facts as a starting point, the activities invite children to draw, color, and...
Thames & Hudson Big Sticker Book of Blue
$14.95Starting with fascinating ocean facts, the activities in the book invite children to draw, color, and play games with ocean wildlife, inspiring their interest in nature as they play. The...
Thames & Hudson Big Sticker Book of Bugs
$14.95An interactive book that brings the world of bugs to a child’s fingertips. The activities in the book invite children to draw, color, decorate, and place bugs in their natural...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Koa the Koala
$66.00 – $78.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. Koa is a sweet and easy-going koala, He can climb all the way to treetops, as long as he never looks...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Andiamo The Dog
$66.00 – $78.00Andiamo is a dog from Italy. He is always in a hurry, and is a little forgetful. He has a Vespa and likes spaghetti. Handmade doll made from the softest...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Balthazar The Bunny
$78.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Approximately 18"in Hand or machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle Lay flat to dry.
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Lionel The Lion
$66.00 – $78.00Lionel is our coolest little feline who loves to nap in the sunshine and play reggae on rainy days. Without a shadow of a doubt, he will become your mane...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Luigi The Frog
$66.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Approximately 12"in Hand or machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle Lay flat to dry.
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Pearl The Dog
$66.00 – $78.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Hand or machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle Lay flat to dry. Size: Mini: 12"...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Pepper The Cat
$66.00 – $78.00Pepper, the purrfect grey kitten with a pocket purrfect for the tooth fairy! Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Hand or machine...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Pierre The Bunny
$66.00 – $78.00Pierre likes long walks in the country. He distributes letters with stamps, and loves radish marmalade. He would like to learn English to enlarge his horizons. Handmade doll made...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Rivier The Elephant
$66.00 – $78.00Rivier sailed the Nile all the way to the ocean. His heard the water whisper and made a promise to keep it blue. Handmade doll made from the softest...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Sandwich The Cat
$66.00This giant doll is the perfect size for toddlers, is perfect to cuddle and play everyday. Irresistibly soft and cuddly Hand-knit 100% cotton, eco-friendly 3 feet tall *Smaller doll in...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Socks The Fox
$66.00 – $78.00Socks is writer for a local newspaper, a dreamer and an airplane enthusiast. He has beautiful handwriting. Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Wooly The Sheep
$66.00 – $78.00WOOLY likes to sleep upside down with his feet on his pillow. He dreams in green and yellow. Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly...
Plushies Black Panther Plush Toy 25 Inch
$98.00Step into the jungle with the Black Panther plush, a stunning and lifelike representation of one of nature's most mysterious creatures. Made with luxurious black plush fabric, this panther embodies...
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.