Play Time
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 Kale Leaf
$13.50Vivacious Vegetable Kale Leaf is a veggie dandy with superfood style! Stretchy and soft with a ruched leaf ruffle, squidgy stalk, and chipper smile, this elegant leaf is a chef's...
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...
Abrams Appleseed Book Love is a Truck
$13.99Graphically appealing two-color illustrations pair perfectly with a spare, rhythmic ode to beloved trucks of all kinds - from fire trucks to dump trucks to ice cream trucks, the sweetest...
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
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...
Maileg Maileg Plush Toy Mini Bunny Cream Peach
$14.00A mini plush toy that is perfect for a tiny hand. The mini-sized bunny has the sweetest look and a very soft hand feel. All ages Material: Polyester; Filling: Recycled polyester/PE...
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...
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...
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...
Jellycat Jellycat Ring Rattle Lamb
$15.00Soft and soothing in gentle sage, the texture treat! This doughnut-shaped rattle has a gently jingling tum! Take this poppet along for buggy adventures! Suitable from birth Made from 100%...
Jellycat Jellycat Ring Rattle Bunny Beige
$15.00Soft and soothing in gentle sage, the texture treat! This doughnut-shaped rattle has a gently jingling tum! Take this poppet along for buggy adventures! Suitable from birth Made from 100%...
Jellycat Jellycat Ring Rattle Unicorn
$15.00Soft and soothing in gentle sage, the texture treat! This doughnut-shaped rattle has a gently jingling tum! Take this poppet along for buggy adventures! Suitable from birth Made from 100%...
Jellycat Jellycat Ring Rattle Black and Cream ...
$15.00Soft and soothing in gentle sage, the texture treat! This doughnut-shaped rattle has a gently jingling tum! Take this poppet along for buggy adventures! Suitable from birth Made from 100%...
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.