Play Time
Tender Leaf Toys Blue Water
$28.00Perfect 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...
Maileg Maileg Miniature Fireplace
$28.00Use this wooden fireplace to warm your miniature home. It has an authentic look and a vintage finish. Remember to turn off the light when your friends go to bed....
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Dusky Blue
$28.00A gentle friend in soothing heather fur, Bashful Dusky Blue Bunny is here to hug. With squashable feet and long, snuggly ears, this sleepy sweetpea is dizzily dreamy. A soft-paw...
Maileg Maileg Vintage Lantern Toy
$28.00The camping experience will not be complete without this Vintage Lantern. Washing instruction: SURFACE WASH Material: Metal Height : 2.76 inches
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Bunny Mineral Blue
$28.00A sweet bunny who’s worth his weight in gold! Made of beautiful silky smooth Bashful fur. Jellycat Bashful Bunny is a popular fellow with scrummy-soft Jellycat fur and lovely...
Jellycat Soother Bashful Blue Bunny
$28.00Little Jellycat offers bunny security as standard, so when your little one’s not snuggling up to their Bashful Blue Bunny Soother, it’s being looked after by a fluffy expert! This...
BlaBla BlaBla Original Boy Elephant Rattle Blue
$29.00Handmade baby rattle made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Approximately 8" long
Rubbabu Cleanupper the Dump Truck Toy
$29.00The 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...
Knitted World Rattle Flower 6" Blue
$30.00The Crochet Rattle Flower is handmade from all-natural 100% cotton yarns and eco-friendly dyes. They are not only super soft but also safe for infants and newborns making them perfect for babies to grasp, hold and chew. These rattles are easy to care for too - just machine wash and...
PlanToys PlanToys Chicken Racing Car
$30.00Get in the racing car with this fast chicken! This vehicle comes with a vintage race car theme and features a turning wheel that gives the same movement as a...
Kiko+ & gg* Ofune Hinoki Wind-Up Boat
$30.00"Ofune", a wind-up boat made from Japanese hinoki wood. To set "Ofune" to sail, first wind the rotating knob. Then, place in the bath or small pool and watch...
Maileg Maileg Bunny Albin Plush Toy
$32.00This adorable and soft Bunny Albin has a floral detail on his ears and a light blue ribbon on his neck. Washing instruction: 30 C Material: Linen Height: 8.27 inches...
Maileg Maileg Micro Metal Cot Bed
$32.00A cozy cot bed made of metal, it comes with a mattress, blanket, and pillow. You can tuck in your micro-sized friends as well as the small mice. Age: 3...
Candylab Candylab Seagull Blue Toy Car
$32.00Candylab 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...
Jellycat Jellycat Dexter Dragon
$32.50 – $65.00Most dragons are fiery, but Dexter Dragon is flopsy! No scales for this scamp - just snuggle-soft fur in chalky blue and warm maroon red. Gorgeously detailed with soft horns,...
Hansa Creation Realistic Plush Animal Parrot Green Blue
$33.00Hansa Portraits in Nature is a hand-crafted collection of realistic plush animals. Artists working in a socially responsible and environmentally responsible studio create each Hansa animal from portraits of the...
Hansa Creation Realistic Plush Animal Parrot Blue Ye...
$33.00Hansa Portraits in Nature is a hand-crafted collection of realistic plush animals. Artists working in a socially responsible and environmentally responsible studio create each Hansa animal from portraits of the...
N&L Find Bunny Plush Toy Blue with Gray Ears
$33.00 – $106.00Bunny 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....
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Large Waterwaves St...
$34.00Large 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...
Maileg Maileg Little Brother Beach Mouse in ...
$34.00Little Brother Mouse is ready to join Big Brother Mouse to swim! Matches his striped swim shorts is a yellow beach towel and floaters. His cozy cabin is also always ready when...
Maileg Maileg Tooth Fairy Mouse in Matchbox ...
$34.00At night the tooth fairy spreads fairy dust, collects baby teeth, brings treats and always makes sure you have sweet dreams. Dressed magically in a blue starred top, a magic wand,...
Playforever Playforever Verve Malibu Toy Car Blue
$35.00On your marks...get set... go! You can almost hear the roar of the engine as Malibu stands poised, ready for the race. Drawing inspiration from the early Maserati Formula 1...
Playforever Playforever Loretino Toy Car Blue
$36.00We are excited to introduce Loretino Monaco racing car - a cute and playful scaled-down version of its big brother (and the very first car in the Playforever collection), Bruno. In...
Maileg Maileg Small Gantosaurus in Egg Dark ...
$36.00Gantosaurus collection will ensure a lot of playful hours. All dinos are made of the softest fabric and come with their own natural-looking Gantosaurus egg. Please note that the elastic...
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.