Play Time
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Black
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Green
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Pink
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Red
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Yellow
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Alimrose Mini Lilly Kitty Pink Linen Doll
$30.00Mini Lilly is the sweetest mini kitten doll, with her own handbag! Lilly Kitty features a sweet pink linen dress & floral headband. She is ready for a playdate or...
Hape Mix and Bake Toy Blender
$30.00Can't wait to grow up and become a real baker? Then practice makes perfect, and with the Mix & Bake Blender, children can pretend to bake using their own flour...
Chronicle Books Mix It Up! (English Edition) Book
$15.99Accept Hervé Tullet's invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of color and tones. Follow the artist's simple instructions, and suddenly colors appear . . . mix ....
Waytoplay Mixed Extension Set 8 Pieces
$32.00This new extension set contains eight road parts: four curves, two straight parts (pedestrian crossing and parking) and two crossed road parts. The waytoplay road parts are printed on both...
Gibbs Smith Moby Dick A BabyLit Ocean Primer
$10.00Little Master Melville teaches little ones the language of the sea in Moby-Dick: An Ocean Primer. From ships and sailors to squawking gulls and moody good captains, Alison Oliver’s brilliant...
Le Toy Van Montecarlo Sports Car Set
$26.00The Montecarlo Sport Car Set includes 6 fun wooden sports cars and 2 cones. Compatible with wooden train tracks. (not included) Age: 3 years+ Made from durable sustainable rubberwood Decorated with non-toxic paints...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Plush Toy Bergamote The ...
$48.00From Under my Baobab Tree collection, Moulin Roty Bergamote the Elephant comes in an ideal medium size cuddle plush toy allowing the baby to grasp its long legs and two...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Coloring and Sticker Book...
$14.00"Oui, oui, Mademoiselle!" Join the elegant and fashion-forward Les Parisiennes for an afternoon stroll! Madame Constance and her companions enjoy a day trip to the magical streets of Paris, joined...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty La Grande Famille Doctor ...
$40.00The Doctor is in! Give pretend check-ups with the stethoscope and check temperatures with the smooth, wooden thermometer. Your little one will come to the rescue aiding patients with colds...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty La Grande Famille Wooden ...
$28.00Ideal for playing and making up stories, they are illustrated and screen-printed, representing the most emblematic members of The Big Family. Five assorted characters: Sylvain the Rabbit, Albert the Lamb,...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Plush Toy Bibiscus The Gi...
$48.00From Under my Baobab Tree collection, Moulin Roty Bibiscus the Giraffe comes in an ideal medium size cuddle plush toy allowing the baby to grasp its long legs. It features...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Plush Toy Paprika The Lion
$48.00From Under my Baobab Tree collection, Moulin Roty Plush Toy Paprika The Lion comes in an ideal medium size cuddle plush toy allowing the baby to grasp its long legs....
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Tea Party Metal Set Toy T...
$54.00From the “Parisiennes” collection, this new version of the Moulin Roty Tea Party Metal Set Toy The Parisiennes comes in a suitcase, delicately illustrated in pastel colors with a fine floral...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Wooden Dollhouse with Fur...
$189.00This Moulin Roty Wooden Playhouse The Big Family has beautiful and detailed wall and floor illustrations along with a complete set of furniture giving this set wonderful play value for...
Maileg Mouse Hole Farmhouse Annex
$64.00Add this annex to your Mouse hole Farmhouse if your mouse family needs more space. Decorate each room with your favorite furniture and make a cozy outdoor room on the...
Chronicle Books Mr. Bear's Birthday Book
$21.99Mr. Bear is having a birthday party, and everyone is welcome! It doesn’t matter if you’re big, small, don’t have teeth, or are afraid of the dark . . ....
Hape Music Maker 6 in 1 Toy
$36.00Give your child the musical introduction they want and need with the Hape 6-in-1 music maker, designed for the modern-day little musician. The musical toy provides them with everything they...
Penguin Musical Happy Birthday To You Book
$17.99Happy Birthday To You: A Musical Instrument Song Book A group of musicians is traveling to a café for a surprise celebration. Press the buttons to hear them play...
Manhattan Toy Musical Pull Toy Cherry Blossom Rainbow
$26.00Pull the cloud down from the rainbow to hear "Fur Elise" as it slowly moves back up. Fosters cause and effect learning. Attaches with fabric loop to most carriers and...
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.