Play Time
Hape Toddler Beat Box Musical toy Set
$49.00Everything needed for an afternoon Jam session! this music set of 4 different instruments is perfect for young musicians to explore and discover their talents. Ages 12+ months
Ooh Noo Toy Pram White
$180.00This toy pram is just too cute for words. It is made entirely of wood, with the exception of the tiny tires on the wheels. It is extremely appropriate for...
Tonies Traveling Songs Audio Play Figurine
$17.99Hit the road (and the skies) with a collection of songs that will have you singing and dancing here, there and everywhere. An exciting compilation of original and popular...
Guidecraft Treasure Tubes Clear
$66.00What makes a fun noise when you shake it? Find trinkets, natural materials, and sensory objects to collect in the beautiful, stackable Treasure Tubes. The round, transparent acrylic tubes with...
Manhattan Toy Tree Top Adventures Activity Center
$137.00This wood activity center is packed full of exciting features! Includes 4 quadrants in the shape of a tree with a variety of activities for baby: 6 tracks with animal-themed...
Tender Leaf Toys Treetops Train Set
$46.00Take the train with its 2 carriages on a mountain trail to see a bear, moose, and fox. Balance the animals on 2 grassy parts, the fir tree or the...
Maileg Tricycle Mouse Big Sister Red
$30.00Big sister mouse is ready for a day in school, carrying her backpack on the back. She has magnets in her hands so she can hold the handles of the...
Trido Trido Magnetic Art Laguna
$90.00 – $150.00The Trido Magnetic Art Laguna allows your child to create their own shapes. Thanks to an ingenious array of magnets, the polyhedrons are able to be connected with each other by...
Fat Brain Toys Tugl Cube
$16.00Pull, pop, and discover!Built into each side of this sturdy, rounded cube is a soft silicone bubble with a tab to grab and pull. Fingers can't help but push them,...
Halilit Twirly Whirly Rainmaker Toy
$25.00The Twirly Whirly Rainbomaker is a delightful real musical instrument which creates a captivating combination of sound and colour. By turning the Rainbomaker, baby will be able to watch as...
Wobbel Waldorf Balance Board Natural
$159.00What is WOBBEL? It is a sturdy, beautifully crafted beechwood rocking balance board, a seat, a safe haven, a bridge, a house, a step, a slide, a yoga aid, a...
Wobbel Waldorf Balance Board Natural/Foliage...
$199.00What is WOBBEL? It is a sturdy, beautifully crafted beechwood rocking balance board, a seat, a safe haven, a bridge, a house, a step, a slide, a yoga aid, a...
Wobbel Waldorf Balance Board Natural/Forest ...
$199.00What is WOBBEL? It is a sturdy, beautifully crafted beechwood rocking balance board, a seat, a safe haven, a bridge, a house, a step, a slide, a yoga aid, a...
Wobbel Waldorf Balance Board Natural/Grey
$199.00What is WOBBEL? It is a sturdy, beautifully crafted beechwood rocking balance board, a seat, a safe haven, a bridge, a house, a step, a slide, a yoga aid, a...
Wobbel Waldorf Balance Board Natural/Wild Rose
$199.00What is WOBBEL? It is a sturdy, beautifully crafted beechwood rocking balance board, a seat, a safe haven, a bridge, a house, a step, a slide, a yoga aid, a...
Hape Walk A Long Pepe The Puppy Pully Toy
$28.00Hape’s Walk-A-Long Puppy is the perfect adorable toy for your little walking explorer, with a pull-string so that he/she can take a friend for play on-the-go! Suitable for children 12m+...
Hape Walk A Long Snail Pull Toy
$34.00Hape’s Walk-A-Long is the perfect toy for your little walking explorer, with a pull-string so that he/she can take a friend for play on-the-go! Suitable for children 12m+ Includes snail...
Tender Leaf Toys Wall Decor
$18.0010 accessories to give your dolls house interior a facelift! All have double-sided sticky tape on the back. Age range: 3 Years And Older Product size: 9.84 x 8.66 x...
Maileg Washing Machine Mouse
$26.00Every busy household needs a helping hand for the laundry - a washing machine is the right solution. It is made in metal and painted in off-white color, with many...
Stockmar Watercolor Paint 20ml Basic Set of 6
$62.00Stockmar Watercolor Paints make their mark with their excellent scumbling properties, natural transparency and lightfastness. The color range follows the extended version of Goethe's "Theory of Colors". Each tone has...
Stockmar Wax Block Crayons in Tin Case 16 Colors
$34.00Stockmar Wax Blocks, made from the same materials and available in identical colors to the stick crayons, have outstanding drawing properties and appeal to the senses. Their size and flat...
Stockmar Wax Block Crayons in Waldorf Tin Case...
$20.00Stockmar Wax Blocks, made from the same materials and available in identical colors to the stick crayons, have outstanding drawing properties and appeal to the senses. Their size and flat...
Stockmar Wax Crayons Combo Standard Tin Case 8...
$40.00Stockmar Wax Blocks, are made from the same materials and available in identical colors to the stick crayons, have outstanding drawing properties and appeal to the senses. Their size and...
Stockmar Wax Stick Crayons in Waldorf Tin Case...
$20.00Elegant design with an attractive packaging and pleasant fragrance, Stockmar Wax Crayons appeal to the child's senses. How the colors shine and how versatile they are! Whether drawing, painting, generously...
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.