Play Time
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...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Rainbow Ball
$22.00Awaken your child's curiosity with this colorful little Rainbow Ball has a velvety soft texture will engage a baby's senses. A toy that infants and toddlers will use over and...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Beads Grasper Natural
$22.00A beautifully natural grasping toy to keep the baby's interest. The beads--held together by an elasticized string--can be safely moved about to provide a tactile experience. Feels so great to children...
Maileg Maileg Iron and Ironing Board Toy
$22.00The new iron and ironing board are sized just right for the dollhouse and just the right height for our Mini friends, including Size 1 Bunnies and Rabbits. Includes bright...
Maileg Maileg Soft Small Bunny Plush Toy Brown
$22.00This adorable and squishy brown bunny has a brown ribbon on his neck that adds cuteness to it. Your little ones will surely fall in love and will make playtime and...
Maileg Maileg Soft Small Bunny Plush Toy Off...
$22.00This adorable and squishy off white bunny has a brown ribbon on his neck that adds cuteness to it. Your little ones will surely fall in love and will make playtime...
Jellycat Jellycat Nimbus Hippo
$22.50Nimbus Hippo is marshmallow-soft in scrambly lilac-brown fur. This cuddly calf has a tasselly tail and a beany bottom for sitting upon! With perky petal ears and a squidgy snoot,...
Jellycat Jellycat Wally Whale
$23.50 – $32.50Fresh from the ocean and full of smiles, it's wonderful Wally Whale! He's a beautiful buddy with vibrant teal fur and the softest, most tickly underbelly. This quirky whale holds...
Jellycat Jellycat Perry Polar Bear
$23.50 – $48.50For the coziest cuddles in the whole North Pole, skate on over to Jellycat Perry Polar Bear! Unbelievably snuggly, this cloudy cream cub is as soft as freshly fallen snow....
Maileg Maileg Miniature Bathtub Toy
$24.00All your beloved Maileg friends will need a bath once in a while. The vintage bathtub fits perfectly in the Maileg Dollhouse & Bathroom. *Mouse is sold separately* Material: Metal ...
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 Bashful Medium Llama
$25.00Dreamy, dapper and delightful - that's Bashful Llama! This nuzzly-neutral long-necked lovely has a very fine ruff in biscuity fluff. With a punky-soft hairdo, snuffly snoot, squidgy hooves, and waggly...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Unicorn
$25.00 – $67.50Sugar-sweet in pink and white, Bashful Unicorn is such a delight. Full of magic and moonlight, she loves the forest, so be sure to take her on any picnic. So...
Jellycat Jellycat Swellegant Kitty Cat
$25.00Swellegant Kitty Cat steps onstage and swishes that long, chunky tail! Oh-so-cool in charcoal grey, this cat wears a wild mane of cream and black fur to go with her...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Beau
$25.00Jellycat Bashful Bunny is a popular fellow with scrummy-soft Jellycat fur and lovely long flopsy ears mean that with just one cuddle, you’ll never want to let go. Irresistibly cute...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Grey Elephant
$25.00Bashful Elephant has an amazing sense of smell, thanks to that tremendous trunk! If you’re doing some baking, don’t be surprised if you feel a supersoft nudge and find a...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Medium Raccoon
$25.00So, so soft and ever so pretty, Bashful Raccoon is a brilliant soft toy buddy for bedtime. This cuddly raccoon, with her cloudy-soft fur and fuzzy brown nose, is the...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Soother Monkey
$25.00Bashful Monkey clutches to this silky soft soother, it's just too irresistible to let go of! The soother is rolled up tight and presented with a ribbon, but once undone...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Soother Bunny Beige
$25.00Rolled up tight and presented with a ribbon round it, Bashful Bunny Soother is the perfect gift for any newborn arrival. When the soother is untied, Bashful Bunny won't let...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Soother Fudge Puppy
$25.00Irresistible to touch and accompanied by cute as a button Bashful Puppy, this soother is a favorite for bedtime hugs and quiet time cuddles. Suitable from birth Dimension H13"
Jellycat Jellycat Riverside Rambler Hedgehog
$25.00Fancy a wander? Ask Riverside Rambler Hedgehog, who knows every green lane and peaceful path! With soft coffee spines, oatmeal fur, a dapper tweed jacket and cheery tartan scarf, this...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Duckling
$25.00Bashful Duckling is anything but bashful! Quackity-quack! With his big soft beak and fluffy, sunny wings, he’s an adorable gift, full of springtime giggles. Give him a tickle on those...
Hape Double Bubble Maze Toy
$26.00Hape’s Double Bubble toy is the perfect toy for your developing little one! This toy introduces problem solving to your baby; there’s always a new way to move around its...
Haba Haba Happy Quartett Block Set Toy
$26.00The Haba Happy Quartett Block Set is perfect for baby's first blocks! Not only does each vibrant and colorful block make a different sound but they are also super soft!...
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.