Play Time
Plantoys Tie-Up Shoe Orchard
$14.00Learn how to tie your shoes! The laces on this wooden shoe can help little ones develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills so they can tie their shoes...
Magformers Tileblox Rainbow 60 Piece Toy Set
$69.99Arriving with 16 equilateral triangles, 22 squares, 2 trapezoids, 6 isosceles triangles, 4 rectangles, and 10 right-angle triangles this set is perfect for your young budding builder! Each geometric shape...
Tender Leaf Toys Timber Taxi
$38.00Call a taxi! Get around in style and pick up the Merrywood folks in this quirky log-shaped vehicle. Grabbing a ride today is Fungi, Robbie, and Woody. Age range: 18...
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Charlie the Honey Bear
$50.00Birthday: June 16th Won’t you join my family? I am a tender and loving bear who spends my time caring for adorable honey bees in the meadow where I live....
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Charlotte the dog
$50.00Introducing the Tiny Collection by cuddle+kind. Beautiful hand-knit tiny dolls with stunning craftsmanship and exquisite details that make them little works of art. You’ll love to collect and share these...
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Elliott the fawn
$50.00Birthday: March 30thth I roam a breathtaking forest every day in search of exciting new places and amazing new experiences. Travelling is my passion – it opens my heart, broadens my...
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Hannah the Bunny (Blush)
$50.00Birthday: July 10thth I’m always hopping from one big dream to another. There’s so much I want to accomplish in this beautiful world, and I know I can do it if...
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Henry the Bunny
$50.00I‘m a carrot connoisseur and love munching on them wherever I go. Would you like to share? They’re super delicious! I love hopping as fast as I can and working...
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Noah The Dog
$50.00Birthday: February 3rdth Hi! Hello! So glad to meet you! I can’t stop my tail from wagging! I’m super interested in everything and want to know all there is to know...
Cuddle + Kind Tiny Penelope the flamingo
$50.00About Tiny Penelope Birthday: June 21st I’m from a fantastically sunny place where palm trees sway and tropical flowers bloom. Of course I have confidence in myself, why wouldn’t I,...
Math for Love Tiny Polka Dot Card Game
$16.00Tiny Polka Dot is a playful way for children to fall in love with numbers. With eye-catching, colorful cards and 16 easy-to-learn games, Tiny Polka Dot is built to grow...
Bajo Tipper Sorting Truck
$90.00The Bajo Tipper Shape Sorter is a two-in-one toy that older babies and toddlers will love. Shape sorting is a great way to develop a child’s shape recognition, hand-eye coordination...
Artesanal Dolls Tita Muslin Doll Blonde Hair
$102.00TITA MUSELÍN is a doll that measures 45cm. It has vinyl limbs and a soft body made of hypoallergenic fabric. In this case, dressed in a very modern sport style...
Manhattan Toy Toadstool Cottage Fill and Spill Toy
$44.00A mushroom-themed fill and spill adventure. This whimsical mushroom is covered in a variety of fabric textures and offers fill and spill play for busy little ones. It comes with...
Oli and Carol Tomato Baby Ball
$22.00Featuring a seamless design, it's safe for playtime, even in the bath. Its ergonomic shape ensures a gentle, controlled roll, while its various textures stimulate babies' senses. It's not just...
Tonies Toniebox Starter Set
$99.99Your lovable little storytime friend Meet the Toniebox - a new audio system designed for little listeners. Turn it on, pop a Tonie on top and let the audio...
Tender Leaf Toys Tool Bench
$190.00This tool bench is perfect for any budding carpenter and is made of 19 pieces. The back panel holds a removable drill, and a circular saw as well as a...
Maileg Tooth Fairy Lil Sister Mouse Doll
$38.00At night the tooth fairy spreads fairy dust, collects teeth brings treats, and makes sure you have sweet dreams. Dressed magically and sleep tight in soft bedlinen - includes tooth...
Maileg Tooth Fairy Little Brother Mouse Doll
$36.00At night the tooth fairy spreads fairy dust, collects teeth and brings treats and make sure you have sweet dreams. Dressed magically and sleep tight in soft bedlinen - includes...
Maileg Tooth Fairy Mouse in Matchbox Blue
$34.00At night the tooth fairy spreads fairy dust, collects baby teeth, brings treats and always makes sure you have sweet dreams. Dressed magically in a blue starred top, a magic wand,...
Chronicle Books Touch and Explore Dinosaurs
$14.99Touch and Explore: Dinosaurs is a multisensory journey for children who want to do more than just listen!Big teeth, bony plates, long spikes, and even feathers — let's step back...
Chronicle Books Touch and Explore Jungle
$14.99The shaggy fur of a sloth, the scaly skin of an iguana, and the rough hide of a tapir—there’s so much to discover in this Touch and Explore™ book that’s...
Chronicle Books Touch and Explore Safari
$14.99Touch and Explore: Safari is a multisensory journey for children who want to do more than just listen!So much to discover on this safari adventure: The Touch and Explore™ series, already bestsellers in their...
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.