Play Time
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
Alimrose Isabelle Bunny Doll Pink Linen
$36.00Little Isabelle bunny in her stylish pink linen dress with a ruffled collar. Sweetest little pom poms on the side of her ears. Suitable from 3 years Untreated pure cotton...
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...
Alimrose Sienna Bunny Crown Doll
$60.00Beautiful, soft, and cuddly Alimrose Sienna doll in Pale Pink design. A beautiful addition to any girl's room, ideal for playtime, decor, or as a special keepsake. Age: 3 years+...
CUCU Silicone Beach Play Set
$38.00This Silicone Beach Play Set is eco-friendly and made to last! This beach bucket play set contains all the essentials for keeping your children engaged for hours. Set includes a Bucket,...
Land of Dough Natural Dough Glitter Cup Princess Pink
$10.00Pretty in pink. Shades of blush, rose, and magenta topped with sparkling pixie dust create a fairytale world where any little dreamer can be a princess for a day. Product...
Banwood Kids Trike
$195.00The Banwood Trike for kids is minimalistic and timeless and fits the youngest family member perfectly. An outdoor adventure with the smallest one on a kid's trike awaits! This Tricycle for Kids is suitable for...
Jellycat Jellycat Amuseable Heart
$15.00 – $25.00How about a heart-to-heart? Who wouldn't want to give Amuseable Heart a big squeeze? This fluffy, sentimental softy was just made for hugging, with cordy feet like plump little coals...
Cucu Silicone Beach Castle Play Set
$38.00This Silicone Beach Castle Play Set is eco-friendly and made to last! This beach bucket play set contains all the essentials for keeping your children engaged for hours. Set includes a...
Corolle Corolle Bebe Bath Doll Coralie Flowers
$50.00Corolle Bebe Bath Coralie Flowers just loves water play! This small baby doll is the perfect swimming companion, helping your child to gently get to know all types of aquatic...
Moulin Roty Moulin Roty Plush Toy Bibiscus The Gi...
$48.00From Under my Baobab Tree collection, Moulin Roty Bibiscus the Giraffe comes in an ideal medium size cuddle plush toy allowing the baby to grasp its long legs. It features...
Corolle Corolle Mon Grand Poupon Carry Bed Pink
$42.00Corolle Carry Bed Pink is a cozy and comfy way for make-believe moms -- dads, too! -- to take their favorite baby doll with them wherever they go. From the...
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.