Play Time
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Torpedo Aqua
$6.00 – $10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Grandma Is Great!
$7.99Is your grandma more fabulous than a flock of flamingos?More magical than a million mermaids?More adventurous than a pack of pirates? Celebrate all the things that make Grandma great with...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Grandpa Is Grand!
$7.99Is your grandpa more fun than a ton of treehouses?More adventurous than a sea of sailors?Smarter than a school of fish? Celebrate all the things that make Grandpa grand with...
Abrams Appleseed Book Bananas For You!
$7.99From the superstar creators of My Mom Is Magical! and My Dad Is Amazing! comes this vibrant, humor-filled board book—the perfect way to tell your loved ones you're bananas for them. Do you...
Mudpuppy Coloring Book Andy Warhol
$9.99Mudpuppy's Andy Warhol Coloring Book features the iconic pop artist's greatest hits ready to be colored in and customized by young artists. Introduce well-known classics like Andy's Campbell's Soup Cans...
Abrams Appleseed Book In Your Cozy Bed
$9.99From Jo Witek and Christine Roussey, the team behind In My Heart and the Growing Hearts series comes this soothing bedtime board book, In Your Cozy Bed. Told from the point of view...
Penguin Where's the Dog Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Bear Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
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...
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 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
Bunnies By The Bay Book Nibble's Big Surprise
$14.00Nibble, an ear-resistible little bunny, is in for a very BIG surprise! Delightfully illustrated board book all ages will enjoy. Size: 7” x 7” 12 pages
Maileg Maileg MY Rabbit Rose
$14.00The smallest member of our rabbit family. This rabbit fits all accessories and furniture in MY size. Age: All ages Material: Cotton/Linen Size: H4 inches
Maileg Maileg MY Rabbit Green
$14.00The smallest member of our rabbit family. This rabbit fits all accessories and furniture in MY size. Age: All ages Material: Cotton/Linen Size: H4 inches
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Cherry
$14.00The bubbly Fabulous Fruit Cherry buddies are stretchy-soft and squidgy in scarlet! These twins share a stalk in cocoa brown and a groovy green leaf with stitchy detail. Fuzzy, friendly,...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Banana
$14.00Fabulous Fruit Banana is so laid-back, lounging in stretchy golden fur! With a dapper brown stalk, stitchy peel and a splendid sunny smile, this bright banana might just hang out...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Orange
$14.00Fabulous Fruit Orange is holiday-happy, with zingy, stretchy, summery fur! Jolly and juicy, with cute stitchy freckles, this citrus silly wears a green leaf as a sun-hat! Time to find...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Apple
$14.00Goodness me! It's Fabulous Fruit Apple! With short, stretchy fur in fresh orchard green, this friendly fruit is squishably soft. Sporting a sweet stalk and deep green leaf, our apple...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Melon
$14.00Fabulous Fruit Melon brings the summer every day, with a green textured rind and squashy golden fur. Stretchy-soft, this chunky champ is even shaped like a smile. Grab a slice...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Strawberry
$14.00Bursting with scrumptious stitchy seeds, it's Fabulous Fruit Strawberry! Squishy and stretchy in rich red fur, this merry berry has a mop of soft green leaves! Pick this poppet for...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Peach
$14.00Tubby and fuzzy in cozy pink, it's Fabulous Fruit Peach! A stretchy-soft ball of scrumptious sweetness, this neat little fruit brightens up the bowl. Rocking a brown stalk and little...
Jellycat Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Pear
$14.00Jellycat Fabulous Fruit Pear has the funkiest freckles, all over that minty-green fur. This perky pear is stretchy-springy, with a velvety leaf and a cheeky, cheery smile. A funny, fresh...
Mudpuppy Board Book Set Little Artists
$14.99Mudpuppy's Little Artist Board Book Set is comprised of colorfully illustrated portraits of visual and performing artists who have made a historical impact on the world. Illustrations by Lydia Ortiz and words...
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.