Play Time
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Bath Toy
$24.00A fun Sophie La Girafe takes on the traditional rubber duck! Fun bath toy made with the same all-natural rubber as the original Sophie teether. Made with 100% natural rubber from...
Bunnies By the Bay Silly Buddy Plush Toy Bunny White
$19.00Lots 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...
Bunnies By the Bay Silly Buddy Plush Toy Bunny Pink
$19.00Lots 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...
Bunnies By the Bay Silly Buddy Plush Toy Bunny Grey
$19.00Lots 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...
Bunnies By the Bay Silly Buddy Plush Toy Bunny Blue
$19.00Lots 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...
Dena Silicone Small Rainbow Pastel
$27.00Dena Silicone Small Rainbow is manufactured with platinum silicone, which is BPA free, PVC Free, Latex Free, Phthalate Free, and 100% safe. Platinum silicone is a soft material that feels great...
Rattan Shopping Cart
$199.00Got Wheels! This toddler size shopping cart is light enough to take with you on a trip to the supermarket and perfect addition for pretend play! Made of sustainably sourced and...
Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone Musical Toy
$34.00Is it a piano or a puzzle? Well, the multifunctional Shape Sorter Xylophone is a piano, xylophone and shape sorting game all rolled into one! Product size L: 11.81, W:...
Guidecraft Shape Sorter
$50.00Chunky, tactile Shape Sorter blocks explore simple shapes and colors while encouraging cognitive development and kinesthetic learning. Appealing and easy-to-hold, screened rubberwood shapes have oversized knobs with soft-touch plastic grips...
Hape Shake and Match Sorter Box
$30.00Hape’s Shake and Match Shape Sorter is the perfect toy for your growing infant, helping them to develop multi-tasking skills! Suitable for children 12m+ Includes shape sorter with bead-filled blocks...
Guidecraft Sensory Rainbow Blocks Set 18 Pieces
$89.95An adventure in color, light and sound! Encourage sensory exploration by combining blocks to form new colors and sounds, or stack the blocks in a different order each time to...
Sophie La Giraffe Senso' Ball Toy
$28.00This senso ball A sensorial ball made from 100% natural rubber. Bright colours to stimulate baby 8 small holes to develop baby's curiosity and fine motor skills Multiple textures for...
Tender Leaf Toys Safari Binoculars
$18.00Solid wood binoculars with kaleidoscope lenses. These binoculars can be adjusted like real ones to alter the width of your eyes. Age range: 3 Years And Older Product size: 5.04...
Hape Rotating Music Box
$22.00The Hape Rotating Music Box is a soothing and gentle toy that will encourage baby to experience music in a unique and interactive way. It plays delightful musical notes as...
Bajo Rope Abacus
$52.00The Bajo Rope Abacus has ten columns, each stacked with wooden rings, from one up to ten. Attached to the end of each column is a rope and stopper, allowing...
Hape Roller Derby Toy
$48.00With colorful, wooden balls, peek-a-boo holes, and fast tracks, this double-sided mountain rocks, and rolls. It features a bell that chimes when the balls reach the end of their trip...
Mudpuppy Ring Flashcards Spanish To English
$16.00Encourage the love of language with these colorful Spanish to English flashcards. Each double-sided card features charming illustrations of 26 basic Spanish and English nouns. The re-closable ring makes these...
Mudpuppy Ring Flashcards My ABC's
$16.00These flashcards will help children learn their ABCs using colorful pictures! The back of the card pictures uppercase letters. Use as flashcards, practice sorting by color or type, or separate...
Mudpuppy Ring Flashcards Counting
$16.00Make counting fun with Mudpuppy's Counting Ring Flash Cards, which feature 20 double-sided cards with numbers on one side and a corresponding illustration with the same number of objects or...
Mudpuppy Ring Flashcard Little Learner
$16.00Little Learner Ring Flash Cards from Mudpuppy teach children age 1 years+ colors, shapes, and numbers with modern, high-contrast artwork. The re-closable ring makes these sturdy flashcards convenient for on-the-go...
Plushies Raven Panther Plush Toy 20 Inch
$48.00This Raven Panther is a jet black feline made with amazingly soft fur that is in a resting position. Its understuffed body gives an extra comforting feel in your arms....
Guidecraft Rainbow Blocks Shimmering Water
$40.00A great addition to the block plays family. Smooth hardwood frames with acrylic windows; choose from shimmering water, sand or crystal bead interiors. Sized to standard unit block measurements. Eight...
Hape Pyramid of Play Blocks Toy
$35.00Hape’s Pyramid of Play is the ideal toy to get your little one to start practicing matching shapes and colors! Suitable for children 18m+ Includes five nesting blocks, each with...
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.