Play Time
Janod I Wood Shapes & Sounds 6 Block Puzzle
$36.00A fantastic puzzle for toddlers to teach them how to recognize shapes and help them develop their fine motor skills while having fun. Each cube has a different shape, colour...
Janod I'm Learning How to Tell Time
$36.00An ideal early-learning toy for learning to tell the time while having fun! This toy develops learning about the concept of time, discovery, and experimentation. A real clock complete with 13...
Tender Leaf Toys Ice Cream Cart
$84.00Who doesn't love ice cream? A gorgeous wooden push-along cart on wheels, with 4 wooden ice lollies, 4 cornets, 4 magnetized colorful ice creams, a magnetic ice cream scoop, and...
Le Toy Van Ice Cream Machine
$50.00Whip up unlimited ice creams with your very own machine! Decorated in delicate pastel colors, a touch of gold paint and unique illustrations bringing it to life. Suitable for ages...
Le Toy Van Ice Cream Trolley
$250.00Pretend Play All the fun of the fair! This classic toy is sure to transport little one to bygone days for imaginative play with a sprinkling of good old fashioned...
Wonder & Wise Ice Cream Truck Playhome
$219.00I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream! This canvas-printed Ice Cream Truck Playhome will provide hours of fun for kiddos. The graphics include whimsical images of tasty...
Calico Critters Ice Cream Van
$56.00Sweet treats on wheels for your Calico Critters adventures! Serve up smiles at the Amusement Park with the Ice Cream Van, a charming pink vehicle that turns into a fully...
Candylab Ice Cream Van Toy Car
$22.00Soft-serving up good looks. As far as a symbol of simpler times and a carefree way to stuff sugar and calories in your childhood, you can’t beat the ice cream...
Le Toy Van Ice Creams
$40.00Roll up, roll up! Serve up an icy treat with this sweet set of four, hand painted, ice-cream cones, from our inspired pretend play foods collection. Lovingly crafted from solid...
Jellycat If I Were an Owl Book
$13.50The If I Were an Owl Board Book is a playful gift full of inspiration. With a tufty cover and sweet feely panels, it's a playful flight of fancy. With...
Abrams In My Heart (A Book of Feelings)
$18.99Happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness . . . our hearts can feel so many feelings! Some make us feel as light as a balloon, others as heavy as an elephant....
Workman Indestructible Book - Humpty Dumpty
$5.95Indestructible Baby Book is the trusted series for easing little ones into story time. Beloved by babies and their parents, Indestructible Baby Book are built for the way babies "read"(i.e.,...
Jet Creations Inflatable Large Shark
$49.95This Beautiful Jet Creations Inflatable 84-inch Shark is great for pool parties, decorations, and birthdays. It is a perfect summer accessory for poolside soirées and beachside parties. One of the...
Corolle Interactive Toilet
$28.00Interactive toilet for doll. Pretend play in the bathroom is a great way to introduce and reinforce good potty-training behaviors and cleanliness. It's easy with the interactive toilet. Age: 3...
Halilit Interactive Tummy Time Kit
$40.00Give your baby endless happy moments of joy and discovery with this unique interactive collection. Including 5 smart toys designed for tummy time activities, the kit encourages babies to explore...
Maileg Iron + Ironing Board
$24.00To make the laundry room fully equipped, you must have an iron and iron board. This set will make the play even more authentic. The iron board is made in...
Maileg Iron and Ironing Board Mouse
$22.00This iron and ironing board is one thing you need for the perfect laundry room. It's made of metal, and covered with unique Maileg fabric. Make playtime playful and imaginative...
Maileg Iron and Ironing Board Toy Blue
$24.00To fully equip the laundry room, you need an iron and ironing board. This set makes playing even more real and authentic. It is made of metal and the ironing board is...
Lilliputiens Jack Sound Roll Rattle
$48.00Make some noise for Jack the lion! Jack is here to help your child develop his earing and fine motor skills. Thanks to “velcros”, you can take each roll apart...
Mon Ami Jameson Giraffe
$44.00Meet Jamison Giraffe, the ultimate life-LONG friend! Bring the safari adventure right into your child's bedroom with this adorable companion.Designed with long, floppy limbs, and weighted bottom for the perfect...
Plushies Jehlani The Giraffe
$69.00Jehlani's name comes from Swahili, meaning "strong" and "mighty." Swahili is one of the 68 languages of Kenya and its most popular native language. English of course is also spoken...
Jellycat Jellycat Jack
$50.00 – $120.00Jellycat Jack is finally here! This tuxedo cat has soft tufty fur, huge, stitched paws and a friendly smile. With a long-curved tail and L-shaped paws, Jellycat Jack has a...
Jellycat Jellycat Ring Rattle
$23.00 – $26.00Sweet, soft, and perfectly sized for tiny hands. These ring Rattles are designed to delight from the very first moments. Featuring a gentle rattle sound, plush fabrics, and an easy-to-grasp...
Toysmith Jigsaw Puzzle Nolja Easy As 123 36 Piece
$26.00Get ready to count, explore, and discover! Join Nolja on an exciting journey through the world of numbers from 1 to 20. Each number unlocks a fun fact, turning learning...
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.