Play Time
Wee Gallery Stroller Toy with Crinkle - House
$22.95What color is that house? Encourage baby to observe the world around with this house toy that attaches to stroller or car seat. Embroidered roof and crinkly smoke coming from...
Wonder & Wise Submarine Playhome
$159.00Where’s the best place to be? In a submarine under the sea, of course. Kids will love the sub with its mesh windows realistic printed details and plush propeller. And who...
Mushie Suction Spinner Toy Sunshine
$16.00Featuring a playful design and soothing colors, our sunshine suction spinner toy will captivate your little one’s imagination. Littles can spin the 100% food-grade silicone clouds around the sun to...
Maileg SuitCasa Little Sister and Brother Mouse
$84.00Welcome to the Suit Casa, a charming portable mouse house perfectly sized for Little Brother and Little Sister mice. With a convenient handle, it transforms into a suitcase when the...
Sunnylife Sunnylife Baby Float Sonny the Sea Cr...
$49.00Let your Sunnykid pick their BFF (Best Float Friend) for a summer full of adventures. Let the little one have fun with the Sunnylife Baby Float Sonny SC. Sunnylife Baby Float Sonny...
Sunnylife Sunnylife Luxe Pool Ring Shell
$40.00The makeover your pool has been waiting for. Make the sunny season one to remember with Sunnylife's Insta-famous floats. If you like summer then put a ring on it with...
Sunnylife Sunnylife Mini Lucite 4 in a Row Neon
$110.00The range of luxurious and limited edition Lucite games in the new gleaming Neon colorway is inspired by the warm sunshine beaming through the sky on a hot summer's day....
Glueckskaefer Sunset Stacking Puzzle Purple
$62.00A stacking and building puzzle in the beautiful tones of the sunset! Build and play with the blocks, and then you can reassemble them as a delightful sunset!Handcrafted in Europe...
Tender Leaf Toys Sunshine Baby Activity Walker
$158.00A contemporary and stylish activity walker designed for toddlers learning to take their first steps. Inspired by the weather, including a sun that flips to a mirror, a windmill that...
Tender Leaf Toys Supermarket Grocery Set
$48.00A set of Tender Leaf branded grocery products. Each item has a beautifully printed label illustrated with fun food. Set includes ice cream tub, popcorn, cat food, a tin of...
Maileg Surfer Big Brother Beach Mouse Doll
$46.00Vacation time. This mouse is ready for a day at the beach. He is dressed in a surf suit and brings his surfboard, and to complete the surfer look, he...
Maileg Surfer Little Brother Beach Mouse Doll
$40.00Vacation time. This mouse is ready for a day at the beach. He is wearing a surf suit and brings his surfboard as he prefers to use the time on...
Maileg Surfer Little Sister Beach Mouse Doll
$40.00Vacation time. This mouse is ready for a day at the beach. She is wearing a swimsuit and brings her surfboard as she prefers to use the time on the...
Plantoys Surgeon Set
$46.00Roleplay as a surgeon and learn about the human body with the Surgeon Set! This playset includes a fabric piece labeled with different organs (the bronchus, lungs, heart with...
Madame Alexander Sweet Baby Nursery Blossom and Bows Doll
$56.00This 12" Sweet Baby Nursery - Blossoms & Bows doll is perfect for your little one to hold and to have years of play with! This light skin tone with...
Janod Sweet Cocoon Activity Table
$108.00Here is the ideal toy to satisfy a toddlers' desires for discovery and manipulation! With this pretty wooden multi-activity table, baby will be delighted! Its size and the games offered...
Janod Sweet Cocoon Alphabet Puzzle
$36.00It's time to get to grips with the alphabet! Introducing a toy that will amuse your child whilst prompting them to discover the letters of the alphabet! These include placing the...
Janod Sweet Cocoon Ant Racing Ramp
$42.00Ready for the race of the century? Here are the ants lined up and raring to go!! A ball run made from natural wood featuring 4 intrepid ants in hot...
Janod Sweet Cocoon Rainbow Turtle Wooden Toy
$46.00Your child will love to walk this pretty wooden turtle with its rainbow shell composed of 6 wooden arcs of circles. The rainbows pile up at will to form an...
Janod Sweet Cocoon Stackable Ducks
$22.00Quack, quack! The duckling is itching for a ride on his mother’s back! Help your child put together mother duck so the little duckling can go for a ride on...
Janod Sweet Cocoon Wooden Multi Activity Wa...
$108.00This beautiful multi-activity push-along walker toy is great for helping children learn to walk. It’s suitable for children aged 12 months and over and comes with an invisible, removable brake...
Tender Leaf Toys Sweet Swan Doll Pram
$116.00Swanning about with dolly in the pram? A beautiful white buggy in the shape of a swan with cutout features and a fabric canopy. Natural wooden wheels with rubber trim....
Sophie La Girafe Sweetie Plush with Musical Box
$32.00An ultra soft plush made with micro velvet material for a soft touch and very flexible thanks to the microbeads placed in the body and to the legs tip. She...
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.