Play Time
Maileg Maileg Large Wardrobe Toy
$68.00This wardrobe will make sure your Maileg friends have a place to put their clothes and accessories. The back wall inside is covered with a beautiful Maileg fabric. Maileg Large...
Maileg Maileg Dad Beach Mouse Doll in Cabin ...
$38.00Can't go for a swim without Dad Beach Mouse! Matching his checkered green shorts is a hat to keep him protected from the sun. His green cabin is also always ready when...
Jellycat Jellycat Huggady Dino
$30.00Floppy and mossy, with grassy green fur, Huggady Dino is a gentle giant. We love those kindly oval eyes! With a chunky muzzle, squidgy-soft paws, snuggly spines, and a perky...
Jellycat Jellycat Bashful Dino
$18.00 – $28.00Most dinosaurs were scaly and tough, but Bashful Dino is the softest stegosaurus we’ve ever snuggled! He likes to stomp around so his squishy spines wobble, and practice his adorable...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Spinosaurus
$16.00Holztiger’s Spinosaurus is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Suitable for children 3 Years+ Made of hardwood Colored with water-based...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Green Dragon
$26.00Holztiger’s green dragon is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 19...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Drake Swimming
$12.00Holztiger’s DrakeSwimming is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 2.6 ×...
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...
Banwood Classic Helmet Matte Mint
$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...
Candylab Candylab Big Sur Green Toy Car
$45.00Carved out of solid beechwood with a real metal roof rack, The Big Sur is our clearest nod yet at the bygone era of big, clumsy, and extremely charming vintage...
Bling2o Bling2O Swim Goggles Carnivore Brown
$24.00These swim goggles are unique, fun, and perfect for those days out in the water. Bling2O Swim Goggles Carnivore Brown Details: Adjustable strap Antifog polycarbonate lenses with UV protection Silicone....
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.