Play Time
Madame Alexander My First Powder Pink Light Skin Doll
$40.00Dressed in pink plush, this baby is the perfect first doll for any little one. Cute and cuddly, this 12"newborn baby doll with a soft fabric body is ready to...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Claire t...
$72.00 – $92.00I live in a beautiful treehouse perched high in the sky. Won’t you come to visit me? We can go on adventures in the magical treetops, take long, delicious naps,...
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...
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 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...
Manhattan Toy Llama Travel Toy
$16.00Travel toy llama features soft, and crinkle fabrics, pom-poms, soft and hard plastic textured teethers and ribbons. C-clip allows for attachment to most strollers, carriers, and cribs. Encourages motor skill...
Manhattan Toy Activity Toy Under The Sea Narwhal
$12.00Under The Sea Narwhal activity toy features a variety of fabric textures, soft sparkly tusk and giggle function. These Under The Sea-themed travel toys all feature a C-clip for easy...
Tikiri Marshmallow Collection Natural Rubber...
$49.00This delightful collection of your favorite animals, made from Natural rubber colored in soft pastel shades, each containing an enclosed rattle, will provide stimulation and comfort for any newborn. Includes: Pink...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Lilac
$28.00Jellycat 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 Dashing Dog
$70.00 – $120.00Flopsy, friendly Dashing Dog is as soft and creamy as an ice-cream sundae! Mottled in grey, with cute foldy ears, this loyal layabout will be your best friend. Don't forget...
Tikiri Sea Lion Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00These super cute Artic Animal Sea Lion have come from their winter wonderland to provide comfort and joy for bath times and bedtimes. Each containing an enclosed rattle that will...
Jellycat Jellycat Merry Mouse Wreath
$27.50Oh Holy Night! This cute little Merry Mouse Wreath has a cute red Santa hat and is carrying a wreath. A perfect holiday gift and cuddle buddy. Suitable from birth....
Jellycat Jellycat Merry Mouse Present
$27.50Merry Mouse Present has a cute little red gift box wrapped in gold ribbon. An adorable gift idea for your little kids during the holiday. Suitable from birth. Hand wash...
Jellycat Jellycat Merry Mouse Bedtime
$27.50Merry Mouse Bedtime in his matching sleepwear and hat is the cutest little mouse perfect for a holiday gift for your kids. Suitable from birth. Hand wash only; do not...
Jellycat Jellycat Book If I were an Elf
$13.50Skip into Santa's workshop with If I were an Elf! This beautiful board book has fun feely panels and lots of jolly, joyful pictures. A present to whirl little helpers...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Everest ...
$64.00 – $88.00Where I come from, the ice and snow are always sparkling. I love building snow forts, slurping marshmallows in hot chocolate, and most of all, helping people. I believe we...
Sophie La Giraffe Shake Shake Rattle
$42.00The Sophie La Girafe Shake Shake Rattle is an innovative and electronic rattle with a motion detector to awake baby and develop his curiosity! 2 choices of playing mode: Awaking...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Rainforest 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...
Knitted World Crochet Ring Rattle Lamb
$18.00This easy to grasp ring rattle is lovingly hand-crocheted using luxuriously soft yarn derived from the pulp of the organically grown and sustainably harvested bamboo trees. Bamboo is the world’s...
Knitted World Crochet Ring Rattle Fox
$18.00This easy to grasp ring rattle is lovingly hand-crocheted using luxuriously soft yarn derived from the pulp of the organically grown and sustainably harvested bamboo trees. Bamboo is the world’s...
Bear Company Cuddly Spot Puppy Dog Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and of all ages. This soft plush provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30 inches
Bear Company Belly Blanket Lil Spout Grey
$48.00Lil' Spout Belly Blanket is great for playtime and tummy time providing a soft surface for your baby. Your little one will enjoy playing with the stuffed head and tail. The...
Manhattan Toy Travel Toy Mini Apple Farm Avocado
$12.00Fruity fun for little ones on the go! This avocado travel toy has a variety of soft textured fabrics, crinkle leaf, embedded chime and embroidered facial features. The pit features...
Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby Ocean
$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...
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.