Play Time
Sophie La Giraffe Bath Sophie Yellow
$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...
Bunnies By The Bay Book Nibble's Big Surprise
$14.00Nibble, an ear-resistible little bunny, is in for a very BIG surprise! Delightfully illustrated board book all ages will enjoy. Size: 7” x 7” 12 pages
Bunnies By the Bay Bye Bye Buddy Plush Toy Bunny Grey
This security blanket is ready to be on the go. With a handy loop on the back to attach to the car seat, stroller or crib you're sure to never...
Manhattan Toy Classic Baby Beads
$20.00Keep baby stimulated and occupied with Classic Baby Beads. The wood beads are strung together with an elastic cord and can be manipulated into an endless number of configurations making...
Manhattan Toy Classic Baby Beads Natural
$20.00Manhattan Toys Classic Baby Beads go natural. The wood beads are strung together with an elastic cord and can be manipulated into an endless number of configurations making it a...
Manhattan Toy Click Clack Ball
$20.00The colorful Click Clack Ball features handles that click with every twist. Filled with tiny beads inside, this baby ball also rattles when shaken. Perfect for infant stimulation! Ages 0...
Bunnies By The Bay Cubby Bear Plush Toy
$26.00Lots of pacifiers lost? Say no more, this cute silly buddy will be the solution to this problem. Floppy, sloppy, silly and soft, this playful pacifier holding silly buddies, tie...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Everest ...
$62.00 – $85.00Where 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...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Hannah T...
$72.00 – $92.00I’m always hopping from one big dream to another. There’s so much I want to accomplish in this beautiful world, and I know I can do it if I don’t...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Henry Th...
$72.00 – $92.00I‘m a carrot connoisseur and love munching on them wherever I go. Would you like to share? They’re super delicious! I love hopping as fast as I can and working...
Bear Company Cuddly Dreamer Unicorn Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and unicorn lovers of all ages. This soft plush Dreamer provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30...
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
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...
Plushies Grand Flopsie Goldie Retriever Plush ...
$32.00Goldie Grand Flopsie is a large golden retriever that comes in a resting position. Suitable for all ages and personalities. High-Quality Materials make for a soft and fluffy touch. Quality...
Haba Haba Clutching Color Snake Toy
$20.00Haba Clutching Color Snake Rattle is the perfect toy to entertain your little ones as well as to help them work on their grasping skills. The Snake Rattle offers limitless...
Haba Haba Clutching Magica Toy
$20.00Haba Clutching Magica teether is the perfect toy to entertain your little one as well as to help them work on their grasping skills! Haba Clutching Magica Details: Suitable for...
Haba Haba Clutching Rainbow Ring Toy
$20.00Your little one will be delighted with the Haba Rainbow Ring Clutching Toy. This adorable clutching toy features brightly colored wooden pieces tightly and securely fastened together with a unique, tested...
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!...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Avocado
$20.00 – $60.00Get your five-a-day in an adorable way with Amuseable Avocado! Scrummily green and soft, our veggie chum has a natty two-tone jacket in speckled fur. We love that squashy, suedey...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Cloud
$29.00Lost in a daydream? Let Amuseable Cloud be your dreamy companion. This cumulus cutie is tufty and tussled in scrumptious cream fur, with cordy grey feet for running across the...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Rainbow
$33.00Amuseable Rainbow loves everybody, and welcomes one and all for big, colorful hugs! With pastel stripes in peach, yellow and turquoise, cordy arms, and a goofy smile, this squidgy rainbow...
Jellycat Jellycat Bailey Sloth
$28.00 – $35.00Bailey Sloth is so chilled out, he falls asleep here, there, and everywhere! This groovy guy has soothing mocha fur, with a cute creamy face and a neat eye mask....
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 Bashful Black and Cream Puppy
$18.00 – $80.00Silky-soft and lovingly loyal, Bashful Black & Cream Puppy wants to play all day! He comes in five sizes, from huge and huggable to itsy bitsy baby. His smudgy black...
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.