Play Time
Kinderfeets Kinderboard Waldorf Balance Board Cha...
$99.00Watch your child’s imagination take over as the Kinderboard becomes a seesaw, balancing toy, slide, stepping stool, boat, resting nook and so much more! Originally introduced in Waldorf Early Childhood...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Grey
$18.00 – $28.00Bashful 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 Bashful Duckling
$25.00Bashful Duckling is anything but bashful! Quackity-quack! With his big soft beak and fluffy, sunny wings, he’s an adorable gift, full of springtime giggles. Give him a tickle on those...
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 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...
Bajo Wooden Classic School Bus Yellow
$22.00This bright yellow bus is perfect for playtime and its little windows provide a comfortable grip for little hands! Made for ages 1+ years and up Size: 5"x2"x3"
Jellycat Jellycat Fuddlewuddle Pig
$30.00Fuddlewuddle Pig is rumply-scrumptious, in tousled marshmallow fur. Flumpy and dreamy, this podgy pink piglet has squidgy-soft trotters and suedey ears and snout. A cute curly tail and gentle expression...
PlanToys PlanToys Wooden Numbers 1-10
$26.00This 20-piece wooden tileset makes learning numbers as easy as 1-2-3! The two-sided tiles feature numbers 1-10, colorful pictures, and words that help children count, match, spell and trace the...
Rebel Girls Book Good Night Stories: 100 Immigran...
$35.00Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World is the third book in the New York Times bestselling series for children. Packed with 100 all-new bedtime stories about...
Le Toy Van Petit Four Wooden Cupcakes
$18.00A set of four, hand painted and individually decorated wooden cupcakes with a finishing touch of gold paint. Presented in a sweet window gift box. Age: 2 years+ Made from...
Le Toy Van Wooden Ice Lollies and Popsicles
$23.00Cool down with a set of 6 brightly painted wooden “ice-lollies” complete with a wooden holder & presented in a color window box. Age: 2 years+ Plastic-free - toy made from durable, sustainable...
Le Toy Van Wooden Fruits 5 A Day Crate
$23.00A selection of vibrantly colored fruits in a crate. Includes bananas, strawberries, a peach, and a watermelon slice. A great accessory for Honeybee market (sold separately). Age: 2 years+ Encourages creative interactive...
Le Toy Van Wooden Vegetables 5 a Day Crate
$23.00A selection of wood and fabric garden vegetables in a crate. A great accessory for Honeybee market (sold separately). Age: 2 years+ Encourages creative interactive play Material: Ethically made from sustainable wood; decorated...
Maileg Maileg Big Sister Beach Mouse in Cabi...
$36.00Big Sister Mouse is ready to swim! Matches her 2 piece swimsuit is a visor and a pair of fins. Her cozy cabin is also always ready when it's time to rest. ...
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...
Jellycat Jellycat Tawny Reindeer
$60.00Tawny Reindeer has the coziest coat on, in a two-tone fluff. This elegant deer has soft caramel fur and brown booties to match her antlers. The delicately detailed ears, stitched eyelashes,...
Jellycat Jellycat Fluffkin Doll
$27.50Fluffkin Doll is so happy to meet you! This fuzzy-headed fairy has a cream fluffy body and lives in a cream rosebud that turns into a skirt or simply tuck this pal...
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 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 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 Crimson Santa
$27.50 – $50.00Crimson Santa is very busy, packing his sleigh with toys and treats! This merry-berry pal has a silky-soft beard, tied with a sparkly bow! His scarlet hat has a pompom...
Jellycat Jellycat Onyx Dragon
$32.50 – $65.00Lounging around, it's loveably lazy Onyx Dragon! This beautiful black dragon comes with all the classic dragon features including soft black fur and soft, shiny silver wings, ears, tail point,...
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....
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.