Play Time
Sophie La Giraffe Classic Gift Set Teether
$59.00Calisson’s Classic Creation Set is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth! Made of 100% natural rubber Made in France Includes Sophie la Giraffe toy Soothes sore...
Sophie La Giraffe Cooling Teething Ring
$18.00Calisson’s Cooling Teething Ring is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth! Plastic ring makes it easy to grab withouth a cold feeling Made in France The...
Sophie La Giraffe Teether
$30.00The cute Sophie la Girafe Teething Toy from Vulli by Calisson is the perfect teething for your little one! Includes a squeaker to get your infant’s attention Made of latex...
Maileg Maileg Best Friends Doll Bunny
$38.00Every bunny needs a best friend. This friend will hop out of the beautiful gift box to greet you. They arrive wearing a stripped frosted orange top but you can...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Fire Flames
$32.00Grimm’s Fire is a versatile toy perfect for your growing little one. Toddlers can use the rainbow for stacking and sorting, and as they get older your children can use...
Hape Rotating Music Box
$22.00The 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...
Sophie La Giraffe Chewing Rubber Teether Set
$36.00Calisson’s Sophie So'Pure toy is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth! Includes: Sophie la Giraffe and Chewing Rubber Made of 100% natural rubber Made in France...
Sophie La Giraffe Award Gift Set Teether
$36.00Gift set, includes: Sophie la Girafe, the most beloved teether for over 59 years, 100% natural rubber Gift set for the photo competition "Sophie la Girafe bonniest baby" Made in...
Jellycat Jellycat Harry Panda Cub
$35.00Tubby and ticklish, Harry Panda Cub is such a cuddly chap. His charcoal-grey and creamy fur is velvety-soft and so beary snuggly. Harry's beany feet help him sit up, and...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Coloring Teether
$26.00Calisson’s Cooling Teething Ring is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth with its various soft chew parts! Made of 100% natural rubber Includes 4 geometrical shapes...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Wooden Pull Along E...
$68.00If children have learned to walk, they like to pull something behind them. The blue Elephant is a great companion! Materials: lime wood, non-toxic water based color stain. Authentic Grimm's...
Sophie La Giraffe Sophie Teether Ring
$19.00The Sophie So'Pure Teether by Calisson is the ideal teething toy for your little one when their teeth are beginning to grow! It is an all-natural teether designed to soothe...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Ring Teether
$22.00Calisson’s Cooling Teething Ring is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth! Made of 100% natural rubber Made in France Soothes sore gums Weight: 0.30 lbs Dimensions:...
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 Sacha Snow Tiger
$35.00 – $200.00Sacha Snow Tiger is romping across the ice to meet you! With warm grey and creamy stripes, this scamp is warm against the winter. Our sweet snow tiger is wonderfully...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Flamingo
$28.00For the King of the Beasts, Bashful Flamingo is looking sweetly, well, bashful! He wants a caring companion to ruffle his luxurious caramel mane. Give this squeezy, butter-bellied big cat...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Large Rainbow Toy
$96.00Grimm’s 12 Piece Rainbow is a versatile toy perfect for your growing little one. Toddlers can use the rainbow for stacking and sorting, and as they get older your children...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Rainbow Toy 6-Piece
$34.00Grimm’s 6 Piece Rainbow is a versatile toy perfect for your growing little one. Toddlers can use the rainbow for stacking and sorting, and as they get older your children...
Jellycat Jellycat Swellegant Sophie Sheep
$25.00Swellegant Sheep is fabaalous and knows it. With a rich, creamy fleece made of silky-soft fur, long, loping biscuity legs and superlong lashes, this glamour-lamb is looking divine! An elegant...
Jellycat Jellycat Mellow Mallow Pig
$26.50Mellow Mallow Pig is a pink delight! This cushion-soft pig has a huge squishy muzzle, wrinkly legs, and stretchy-warm grey pink- perfect for dozy cuddles. Wee foldy ears, a little straight...
Jellycat Jellycat Odell Octopus
$18.00 – $130.00Get tangled up with gorgeous Odell Octopus! A squishy, splendid brick-red octopus, she has so much love to give! Smiley and silly, with bright, glossy eyes, she's a very friendly...
Jellycat Jellycat Fuddlewuddle Lamb
$30.00Jellycat’s Fuddlewuddle Lamb is the perfect cuddly companion for your little one anywhere, whether it is snuggling in bed at night or during a nice stroll in the park. Product...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Pig
$28.00Jellycat Bashful Pig perky porker is always rambling and scrambling around to find the tastiest treats on the ground! In baby pink Bashful fur, with a snuggly wiggly tail, you’ll...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Avocado
$20.00 – $60.00Get your five-a-day in an adorable way with Amuseable Avocado! Scrummily green and soft, our veggie chum has a natty two-tone jacket in speckled fur. We love that squashy, suedey...
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.