Play Time
Tegu Magnetic Wooden Swivel Bug Pink and P...
$16.00Twist & Pull this Swivel Bug to experience the magic of magnets! Turn the wings and then flip them back into place to hear the magnets “click!” together. Experiment with...
Wee Gallery Art Cards Baby Animals Collection
$16.00Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board, these cards will stand up to baby’s...
Wee Gallery Wee Galley Art Cards For Baby Jungle ...
$16.00Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board, these cards will stand up to baby’s...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Safari Collection
$16.00Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board book material, these cards will stand up...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bee
$16.50 – $25.00If you like to plant flowers, Bashful Bee has a few requests! He loves lilac, honeysuckle, and poppies - perfect for making heavenly honey! This beautiful bug is a real...
Jellycat Jellycat Storm Octopus
$16.50 – $53.00Storm Octopus is a bubbly sort, and you would be too, with eight amazing tentacles! Squishy and cheery in terrific teal, this softy is scrummy to curl up with. Shake...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Cream
$16.50 – $100.00Bashful Bunny is a popular fellow with scrummy-soft Jellycat fur and lovely long flopsy ears means that with just one cuddle, you’ll never want to let go. Irresistibly cute and...
Jellycat Jellycat Etoile Bunny
$16.50Etoile Bunny is just warming up for a starring role in the woodland ballet! This prima pip is always en pointe with a pink stitch nose, rosy shoes, neat perky...
Abrams Appleseed Book Cityblock
$16.95Cityblock explores city life in an exciting and unique way, from up in a high-rise building to down in the subway. Divided into three sections—things that go, things to see, and...
Sophie La Giraffe Bath Sophie Blue
$16.99The Sophie Bath Toy by Calisson from the Sophie La Girafa is the perfect addition to the tub to make bath time fun! Floats When squeezed, the Sophie bath toy...
Abrams Appleseed Book Sharkblock
$16.99In keeping with the rest of the series, Sharkblock features the charming art of British design team Peski Studio (formerly Peskimo), pages with die-cuts readers can peek through, and special flaps that...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Dove
$17.00Cute little Jellycat Birdling Dove has elegant creamed white fluffy fur. He loves to rise up early in the morning! Jellycat Birdling Dove Details: Suitable from birth. Hand wash only; do...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Cardinal
$17.00Adorable little Birdling Cardinal has elegant red fluffy fur and a typical black face. They are aggressive when defending their territory but loves to sing different melodies. Suitable from birth. Hand wash only;...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Robin
$17.00A gorgeously soft and squidgy Birdling Robin has a snuggly soft orange cream and brown fur with a suedey bill. He loves to fly around the garden and chirp all day. ...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Pigeon
$17.00Birdling Pigeon is the smart and thoughtful type. There's a lot of wisdom in that powder-blue bonce! With a suedey beak, slate-grey wings, and a sweet subtle highlight round the...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Mallard
$17.00Birdling Mallard is always on the go. A dipping, dabbling rover of rivers with suedey mustard bill, minty green head and rich fudge and charcoal plumage, this dizzy duck is...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Blue Jay
$17.00Birdling Blue Jay is a dashing chick with bright, curious eyes. Always on the lookout for bugs and fruits to snaffle with that blue suedey beak, this silky-soft forager makes...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Puffin
$17.00Birdling Puffin might look restful, but this little rascal is dreaming of fish! A podgy poppet in pebble and cream with a tufty tail and red suedey bill, this seabird...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Woodpecker
$17.00Knock knock! Who's there? It's just Birdling Woodpecker, hunting yummy bugs! Dandy and dashing in moss-green and cream, with a sleek grey beak and scarlet topknot, this woodpecker loves to...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Blue Tit
$17.00Hopping up to tweet a greeting, it's bonny Jellycat Birdling Blue Tit! Squat and sweet in swooping blocks of blue, green, mustard and white, this chick is gorgeously gentle. With...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Goldfinch
$17.00Perched on a branch looking very pleased, it's brilliant Jellycat Birdling Goldfinch! This bonny bird is a garden favorite, in sunshine-yellow and inky-black plumage! Plump and proud, with bright eyes,...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Kingfisher
$17.00Jellycat Birdling Kingfisher loves perching patiently, waiting to spy some dinner in the river! This striking scamp has soft, bright fur in pastel blue, rust-red and cloudy white, with a...
Jellycat Jellycat Birdling Swallow
$17.00Jellycat Birdling Swallow is a little tousled, but you would be too if you'd flown around the world! Beautifully bold in scarlet, white and navy, with a suedey grey beak...
Jellycat Jellycat Blossom Heart Bunny
$17.50Blossom Heart Bunny is a popular fellow with scrummy-soft Jellycat fur, and lovely long flopsy ears that carry a floral print heart that means that with just one cuddle, you’ll...
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.