Play Time
Plantoys Baby Walker Orchard
$114.00Cruise through early developmental stages with the Baby Walker - Orchard! This toy can help develop fine and gross motor skills while encouraging children to walk on their own two...
Tender Leaf Toys Babyccino Maker
$58.00Who would like a cappuccino? The perfect addition to our Bird’s Nest Café, this babyccino maker is styled in soft mellow colors and has a cute bird clacking dial. This...
Corolle Backpack Baby Doll Carrier
$32.00Pretty practical simple doll travel backpack bag carrier and sleeping bag for children to carry their beloved doll. This is a multipurpose backpack, the front of the backpack can be...
Haba Bad Rodach Building Blocks
$46.00Bad Rodach Building Blocks allow you to recreate the town with its characteristic skyline. The different turrets, roofs, and staircases allow young builders to vary their constructions. At the same...
Moulin Roty Baking Set Toy
$84.00All you need to bake the best cakes in the world with this perfect role-play pastry suitcase! To imitate the grown-ups like a Chef: real kitchen utensils in wood or...
Maileg Ballet Classic Rabbit Cream
$36.00The well-known Maileg micro bunny dressed up as a ballet dancer. It wears a suit and tulle skirt and has a small decoration around the pointing ears. DimensionsHeight: 9.45in, Net...
Wee Gallery Bamboo Numbers
$60.00This beautiful sustainable Bamboo Numbers offer a whole new way to explore numbers and counting. Thick and sturdy pieces will hold up to play. Pair with Number Cards, or objects...
Plantoys Banjo Musical Toy
$40.00Banjo is the perfect toy to inspire your little ones' musical creativity, Banjo Details: Age: 3 years+ Strum to hear the music! Features various sounds Dimensions: 12.52 x 6.4 x...
Tender Leaf Toys Barbeque Play Set
$70.00A self-standing wooden barbeque toy with removable grill, with lots of fun accessories including: 3 glowing coals, rotisserie 5-part chicken, 2 sausages and prong, wooden skewer with 5 vegetable pieces...
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Comforter
$28.00Our most loved character makes the perfect comforting companion for naptime. Bartholomew Bear Comforter features his signature chocolate nose, sweet rounded ears and gently textured fur made with recycled fibres....
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Musical Pull
$46.00Bartholomew Bear Musical Pull from is sure to send little ones to a joyful dreamland. This tiny Bartholomew Bear suspends from a soft cream star with contrast piping; all created...
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Soother
$34.00Snuggle up with Bartholomew Bear Soother. This tufty, ruffly toffee bear is hugging a dreamy-soft fudgy blankie. With short fur paws and a choc-drop nose, this bear is more giggle...
Jellycat Bashful Black and Cream Puppy Comforter
$28.00The Bashful Black & Cream Puppy Comforter is a portable patch of softness. This characterful puppy has been designed to comfort with squashy paws to hold onto and an un-stuffed...
Jellycat Bashful Blush Bunny Musical Pull
$46.00Playing 'Rock a Bye Baby' when Bashful Bunny is pulled, this musical pull's star has risen high to become a firm favourite for bedtime. The musical box is tucked amongst...
Jellycat Bashful Cream Bunny Musical Pull
$46.00An enchanting newborn gift, let babies dream sweetly with a Bashful Bunny Musical Pull. Our most loved Bashful Bunny, made from recycled fibres can be gently pulled to hear an...
Jellycat Bashful Fox Cub Comforter
$28.00The Bashful Fox Cub Comforter is a portable patch of softness. This characterful cub has been designed to comfort with squashy paws to hold onto and an un-stuffed tummy to...
Jellycat Bashful Giraffe Musical Pull
$46.00An enchanting newborn gift, let babies dream sweetly with a Bashful Musical Pull. Our most loved Bashful musical pull, made from recycled fibres. Product Details: Size: 12" Main Materials: New &...
Jellycat Bashful Grey Bunny Soother
$34.00Rolled up tight and presented with a ribbon round it, Bashful Bunny Soother is the perfect gift for any newborn arrival. When the soother is untied, Bashful Bunny won't let...
Jellycat Bashful Puppy Musical Pull
$46.00Bashful Puppy Musical Pull from Jellycat is sure to send little ones to a joyful dreamland. This tiny Bashful Puppy suspends from a soft cream star with contrast piping, all...
Jellycat Bashful Soother Bunny Beige
$34.00Rolled up tight and presented with a ribbon round it, Bashful Bunny Soother is the perfect gift for any newborn arrival. When the soother is untied, Bashful Bunny won't let...
Mushie Bath Boats
$14.00Set sail with our stackable bath boats that encourage independent play for children of all ages. Packaged as a set of five, these plastic boats link together to create a...
Sophie La Giraffe Bath Sophie Blue
$22.00The Sophie Bath Toy by Calisson from the Sophie La Girafa is the perfect addition to the tub to make bath time fun! Floats When squeezed, the Sophie bath toy...
Sophie La Giraffe Bath Sophie Yellow
$22.00The Sophie Bath Toy by Calisson from the Sophie La Girafa is the perfect addition to the tub to make bath time fun! Floats When squeezed, the Sophie bath toy...
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.