Play Time
Londji My Big Blue Shape Puzzle
$30.00My Big Blue Puzzle is a colorful shape puzzle that depicts a friendly whale. 36 pieces fit together to show the whale breaching the surface and the detail of the...
Maileg My Carry Cot Toy Dusty Green
$16.00The cozy carrycot with a soft blanket will keep the small friends warm and secure a good and cozy sleep. Material: Cotton/Linen Size: 2.36 inches
Penguin My First Book of London
$18.99Take an eye-opening look at the wonders of London in a stylish big picture book for little travelers.From the Beefeaters at the Tower of London to the Changing of the...
Simon & Shuster My First Big Book of Dinosaurs
$9.99ALL DINOS ALL THE TIME! Dive into the prehistoric world of DINOSAURS with this jumbo coloring book featuring nearly 200 pages of large coloring images with chunky, bold outlines for...
Simon & Shuster My First Big Book of Princesses
$9.99Color with whimsical PRINCESSES in this jumbo coloring book featuring nearly 200 pages of kid-friendly coloring images with chunky bold outlines! Collect them all more in the My First Big...
Simon & Shuster My First Big Book of Unicorns
$9.99Color for hours with wacky UNICORN art in this jumbo coloring featuring nearly 200 pages of large kid-friendly coloring images with bold, chunky outlines! Collect them all more in the...
Penguin My First Book of New York
$18.99See all the best-loved sites of New York City in this stylish big picture book by Ingela P. Arrhenius.Visit the Statue of Liberty, climb the Empire State Building, catch a...
Penguin My First Book of Paris
$18.99Explore sites around the beautiful City of Lights in this stylish big picture book by Ingela P. Arrhenius. From the banks of the Seine to the top of the...
Lilliputiens My First Farm Toy
$90.00Such cheerful hustle and bustle on Farmer Jeff's yard. Ignace the donkey, Simon the pig, Rosalie the cow, Yvon the sheep, Paulette the chicken and Gaspard the duck are the...
Smart Games My First Magnetic Safari Animals
$29.00SmartMax My First Safari Animals is designed for kids ages 1 - 5 years, offering an early, safe, and fun introduction to magnetic discovery. Easily build and play with the...
Abrams Appleseed My First Nursery Book
$16.95A true masterpiece of book design and illustration for beginning readers, this collection pairs well-known nursery tales with uniquely beautiful period illustrations that look as fresh and vital today as...
Brio My First Railway Battery Operated Tra...
$80.00Start by building a track layout with the mountain blocks and the tunnel, and let your train go up and down and through the tunnel. Press the arrow button on...
Brio My First Railway Beginner Pack
$70.00It’s time for the youngest train drivers to track down some new fun! Extend the rail play with this bigger starter pack. Take the joyful train on a ride over...
Tender Leaf Toys My Forest Floor
$100.00An extensive open-ended play tinker tray box for your little one to sort, stack and arrange their woodland treasures. The lid is removable and can be turned around and used...
Londji My Little Red Riding Hood Puzzle
$30.00Revisit one of your favorite classic tales with this Little Red Riding-Hood puzzle. Made out of recycled paper and cardboard, the puzzle contains 36 pieces and comes in a sturdy...
Janod My Pastry Workshop
$36.00It’s time to make a snack! This baking set will enable your child to become a real little chef! To make great cakes, you need: an egg, some chocolate, some...
Manhattan Toy My Rocket
$20.00Blast off into space with My Rocket! Let your young one become an astronaut and pilot this colorful rocket for many missions to come. Featuring an internal rattle for simple...
Londji My Tree Reversible Puzzle
$28.00My Tree is a reversible shaped puzzle that shows the wonders of the changing seasons. One side is the tree in full bloom and one side shows the tree in...
Manhattan Toy My UFO
$16.00My UFO will instantly abduct baby's attention, with bright colors and a rotating bottom half that clicks. The internal rattle ball will keep your young one occupied for hours. This...
Nailmatic Nailmatic Kids Nail Polishes Set 3 Party
$28.00Set up a fancy nail corner to a kids party and it will definitely be a day to remember! Nailmatic Nailpolish water-based nail polishes are specially made for fun...
Nailmatic Nailmatic Totem Trio Set Dream Rocket
$32.00A fashionable way to play with your little girls with this water-based and toxic-free vegan nail polish, roll-on lip gloss, and glitter body roll-on. This set is specially made for little ones to enjoy in...
Tonies Nap Time Nature Sounds Audio Play Fig...
$14.99Nap Time: Nature Sounds Tonie plays the relaxing sounds of nature, providing rhythmic background noise to help your little one fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Tonies Nap...
Tonies Nap Time White Noise Audio Play Figurine
$14.99Nap Time: White Noise Tonie plays soothing white noise, providing an ambient environment that helps your child fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Tonies Nap Time White Noise Audio Play...
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.