Play Time
Alimrose Mini Lilly Kitty Pink Linen Doll
$30.00Mini Lilly is the sweetest mini kitten doll, with her own handbag! Lilly Kitty features a sweet pink linen dress & floral headband. She is ready for a playdate or...
Llorens Soft Baby Doll Tasha
$70.00Tasha is dressed in a white star polka-dot dress, with a long-sleeve white sweater with a grey-white fur hood. The white pacifier is attached to the doll's clothing with a...
N&L Find Bunny Plush Toy Pink with Gray Ears
$33.00 – $106.00Bunny in Pink with Gray Ears! Looking for tiny, loving person to cuddle and can be your child's best friend, or companion in sleep, on a journey, and in playing. Perfect as...
Llorens Baby Doll Anna with Carrycot
$90.00Anna is the perfect first baby doll. Her small size is perfect for toddlers to hold and cherish. She is dressed in an adorable long-sleeve onesie that includes a sweet...
Llorens Soft Baby Doll Harper
$50.00Harper is dressed in a pretty pink floral dress and complementary knit hooded sweater, booties and hat. Harper has lovely brown hair with a fashionable flip and bangs. She has...
LLorens Soft Baby Doll Charlotte
$60.00Charlotte is dressed in a pretty triangle-shaped peach polka-dot dress and bloomers, with a complimentary hooded knit sweater and booties. Charlotte has adorable pigtails adorned with pom-poms. She has blue...
Banwood Classic Helmet Matte Coral
$49.00These kids' bike helmets are lightweight, stylish, and provide safety through design and tested materials. They are the perfect accomplice to any child’s adventure, designed in carefully selected colors with...
Miniland Baby Doll African American Boy 15 inches
$56.00Miniland African American - Boy 15" Doll is anatomically correct, which means that they show the physical differences between boys and girls in a realistic way. They are made of soft...
Posh Baby & Kids Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6in1 Strolle...
$500.00The luxury stroller that grows with your child. Designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and with your toddler’s needs in mind, the Posh Baby & Kids Bentley 6-in-1 Stroller / Tricycle is...
Corolle Corolle Baby Doll Lilou
$72.00Corolle Lilou Doll is the perfect large baby doll for caring for doll like real parents.At 14”, it is just the right size for a child's little arms - perfect for...
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.