Play Time
Bear Company Cuddly Dreamer Unicorn Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and unicorn lovers of all ages. This soft plush Dreamer provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30...
Bear Company Cuddly Spot Puppy Dog Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and of all ages. This soft plush provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30 inches
NL Find Dancing Cactus Mimicking Toy
$30.00Dancing Cactus is always a hit for whoever you gift it to, plus it's completely unique! The dancing cactus singing plush toy can also be a room decoration. It...
Tikiri Dolphin Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00This rubber rattle from the ocean buddies collection. Easy-grip for smaller hands. Each marine animal character has an enclosed rattle that creates a soft sound when shaken. Sound Toys, like...
Tikiri Elephant Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Elephant: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the fun elephant is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take him in the bath, or as a teething...
Bunnies By The Bay Fandango Flamingo Plush Toy
$26.00Straight from Miami beach the Good Friends by the Bay welcome this flamboyant bird to the neighborhood. Bubblegum pink soft squishy velour with dark gray feet and beak tip. Dangly legs in charcoal and cream pinstripe knit which also lines his wings. Hand-embroidered features...
Penguin Farm Animals Book
$7.99Calling little fans of farm animals—and design-loving parents! An oversize graphic showpiece has now been adapted as an accessible board book. This bucolic board book presents stylized animals in...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Fish
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Koala
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Narwhal
$7.99Baby Narwhal swims, dives, meets new friends and drifts off to bedtime with his family. Featuring a plush finger puppet that peeks into each lovingly illustrated page, this entry in...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby T Rex
$7.99Newborns will love snuggling up with Baby T. Rex! Baby T. Rex learns to stomp, roar, and explore her world before drifting off to bedtime with her loving family. Featuring...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Hug Me Little Bear
$9.99Share your love with this huggable finger puppet book! The sweetly reassuring stories in this brand-new series celebrate all the things a parent's arms can do for their child, from...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Hug Me Little Bunny
$9.99Share your love with this huggable finger puppet book! The sweetly reassuring stories in this brand-new series celebrate all the things a parent's arms can do for their child, from...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Hug Me Little Puppy
$9.99Share your love with this huggable finger puppet book! The sweetly reassuring stories in the Hug Me series celebrate all the things a parent's arms can do for their child, from playing...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Love Bug
$7.99Little Love Bug Finger Puppet Book is a sweet, entertaining board book with a finger puppet built right in. In this feel-good finger puppet book, a parent and their little...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Moose
$7.99Tiny tots will enjoy going for a dip in a mountain lake with an adventurous calf in Little Moose. These simple, comforting stories feature a permanently attached plush finger puppet and...
Tikiri Giraffe Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Giraffe: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the great giraffe is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take him in the bath, or as a teething...
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...
Gund Gund Animated Alora The Unicorn Plush...
$45.00Gund Animated Alora The Unicorn is ready to sing and clap with babies as they learn their numbers and ABCs! Baby GUND is proud to present Alora, a whimsical...
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 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...
Tikiri Hippo Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Hippo: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the cute hippo is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take her in the bath, or as a teething...
Bunnies By The Bay Holiday Sweets Ginger Plush Toy
$20.00What could be sweeter than the new Holiday Sweets plush friends? The perfect size for loving, and a dose of holiday cheer. Ginger is the cutest little gingerbread man stuffed...
Chronicle Books Hooray for Little Fingers!
$14.991, 2, 3, 4, 5! What can 5 little fingers do? Tickle, wiggle, dance—and much more!In this lively and irresistible board book, young readers learn to count and explore just...
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.