Alilo Smart Bunny is a popular media companion especially designed for children aged 0-4 years. Due to its ease of use, robust material, and versatility, it encourages the kids’ creativity....
Primo ride on toys combines classic Italian design with the finest craftsmanship to create a timeless ride on the scooter for toddlers and design lovers. PRIMO is the ultimate...
A perfect little security blankie and tagalong for your child. The delicious cashmere-like material is perfect for babies and toddlers to snuggle. Each blankie features a sweet animal head that’s...
A perfect little security blankie and tagalong for your child. The delicious cashmere-like material is perfect for babies and toddlers to snuggle. Each blankie features a sweet animal head that’s...
Grimm's Large Convertible Car and the two Rainbow Friends will become loyal companions of your child and over time inspire many adventures both big and small, going beyond the boundaries of...
Large Water Waves Stacker is a unique, clever, and versatile Waldorf-inspired stacking and nesting puzzle/toy, hand carved from a single piece of wood. These nesting waves represent the element of...
These pebble blocks are perfect for balance and stacking challenges, decorating scenic play, making a stony puppet show landscape, and building cairns. This four-piece set is painted in gorgeous graduated...
Brachi the Baby Brachiosaurus rubber toy from the My First Dino Collection is beautifully decorated and is perfect for toddlers, both as a toy and as a teether. Age Recommendation: 12+...
The Scoot & Ride Baby Helmet comes in a beautiful array of colors to perfectly match your child’s Scoot & Ride kickboard! The innovative magnetic lock system keeps the helmet...
The 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...
The Bella Tunno Happy Links set includes 5 links for teething playing and organizing. Attach them to the stroller, rocker, play gym, or carrier to bring the fun wherever you go. ...
The Bibs Loops are meant to be both practical and great fun for your child. They are perfect in the stroller or bed for hanging toys, for playing, and even...
Handmade baby rattle made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Approximately 8" long
Perfect for displaying your sea creatures, three blue solid wood waves can be used as part of open-ended play. Including a little sailboat. Age range: 3 Years And Older Product...
A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Bunny in Blue with Gray Ears! Looking for a tiny, loving person to cuddle with and can be your child's best friend, or companion in sleep, on a journey, and in playing....
Part of the Candylab new Candycar line, a cute 3 inches long. One of two of our racers, who said speed comes with size? Materials: Solid Beech Wood, water-based paint, and...
In a quest to overcome the rush for your afternoon tea - or tee? Must take the unpaved shortcut? Does your antiquing passion require copious amounts of comfortable travel? The Cotswold has...
Can you say Mule Mississippi 5 times fast? This Royal Blue Mule Mississippi is not only a tongue twister but it is a jaw-dropper. Materials & Info: Solid Beech Wood, water-based...
The iconic shape, wood sides, magnetic canoe on top, beefy new tires, everything screams adventure, camping, and good old times. Miniature learning tool on how to adventure properly. Materials: Solid Beech...
Candylab Seagull Blue Toy Car: Taking inspiration from the huge superchargers, bold colors and playful graphics that defined 1970s racing, the Seagull 5 is a powerful machine that will give you...
The Rubbabu Choo Choo Train is the smallest sized train and some say the cutest. Made from soft rubber foam with rubber wheels. Size: 3.5" Length Safe for ages: 0+...
The Chubby Gummy is the ideal tool to soothe your baby when they are going through their teething phase, while also introducing dental hygiene. Suitable for infants 6m+ Includes two...
The Rubbabu Dump Truck is a colorful, soft and safe truck made from our signature natural rubber foam with a soft velvet-like flocked finish. It has a body that lifts...
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.