Play Time
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Golf Blue
$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...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Crater Red
$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...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Bumpy Pink
$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...
Chronicle Books Little Boat Book
$6.99When you're small and on the go, there's a lot to watch out for: big boats, waves, rain clouds, and more! But Little Boat can handle whatever comes his way,...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Koala
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Fish
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Penguin Farm Animals Book
$7.99Calling little fans of farm animals—and design-loving parents! An oversize graphic showpiece has now been adapted as an accessible board book. This bucolic board book presents stylized animals in...
Penguin Wild Animals Book
$7.99From a grinning crocodile to an elegant flamingo, from a perky meerkat to an endearing hippo, there are many wild creatures to discover in this captivating book. Adapted from designer...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby T Rex
$7.99Newborns will love snuggling up with Baby T. Rex! Baby T. Rex learns to stomp, roar, and explore her world before drifting off to bedtime with her loving family. Featuring...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Love Bug
$7.99Little Love Bug Finger Puppet Book is a sweet, entertaining board book with a finger puppet built right in. In this feel-good finger puppet book, a parent and their little...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Narwhal
$7.99Baby Narwhal swims, dives, meets new friends and drifts off to bedtime with his family. Featuring a plush finger puppet that peeks into each lovingly illustrated page, this entry in...
Penguin Big Little / Grande pequeño Book
$7.99Ladies are big, but ladybugs are little. Heads are big, but toes are little. Illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s bald, hilariously expressive baby acts out each pair...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Moose
$7.99Tiny tots will enjoy going for a dip in a mountain lake with an adventurous calf in Little Moose. These simple, comforting stories feature a permanently attached plush finger puppet and...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Baby Octopus
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Abrams Appleseed Book Kindness Rules (A Hello!Lucky)
$8.99Manners don’t come naturally to everyone! But did you know that elephants are known for their impeccable etiquette? It’s true! This hilarious guide to good manners offers many fun teaching...
Simon & Schuster Neon Books: My First Book of the Alph...
$8.99The ABCs—brighter and bolder than ever before!Learn the ABCs with a bright new twist! From alligator to zebra, little learners will be captivated by the bold neon illustrations and die-cut...
Bear Company Shaker Ratle Lamby Lamb
$9.00Adorably cute rattle toy with plastic shake ring. This soft plush shaker rattle provides comfort and is a fun play activity for newborns and babies. A great gift for baby...
Abrams Appleseed Book Super Pooper and Whizz Kid
$9.99Introducing two new potty pals kids and parents will adore, Super Pooper and Whizz Kid: Potty Power! is a humorous potty-training book with a hip sensibility and a playful take on...
Penguin Peekaboo Apple Book
$9.99Ingela P Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers. Young children will be captivated by...
Penguin Peekaboo Farm Book
$9.99Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers who love farm animals. Young children...
Penguin Peekaboo Bear Book
$9.99Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers who love nature. Young children will...
Penguin Peekaboo Sun Book
$9.99Ingela P Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers. Young children will be captivated by...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Hug Me Little Puppy
$9.99Share your love with this huggable finger puppet book! The sweetly reassuring stories in the Hug Me series celebrate all the things a parent's arms can do for their child, from playing...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Hug Me Little Bunny
$9.99Share your love with this huggable finger puppet book! The sweetly reassuring stories in this brand-new series celebrate all the things a parent's arms can do for their child, from...
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.