Play Time
Maileg Sleepy Wakey Doll Bambi
$32.00Cute Sleepy Wakey Bambi is so tired it can hardly stay awake. Take it home and give it a cozy spot to rest. Comes with spots on its body and...
Maileg Sleepy/Wakey Baby Mouse Doll in Match...
$24.00A classic item. This mouse is ready for hours of play and sleeps tight in the little matchbox. The clothes and bedlinen are made of soft fabrics with unique prints...
Sonria Slime Slime Toy
$19.99Indulge in the fun and sensory delight of Slime — a premium, fluffy, and visually irresistible slime collection crafted for play, stress relief, and creative expression. Each variant features a...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Sprite
$48.00Promotes: Grief & Loss Coping with grief and loss can be overwhelming, and finding the right words to talk to our children about it can feel impossible. Sprite helps you...
Maileg Small Easter Egg
$10.00The easter egg has a beautiful new all over print. Take a good look at the print and see if you can find the different animals. The egg comes with...
Maileg Small Puppy
$44.00Meet your new best friend! This Puppy Plush features soft, vintage-style fur and a charming floral collar, making it irresistibly cuddly and lifelike. Designed for imaginative play, the puppy comes...
Alilo Smart Bunny Baby Rattle
$56.00Smart Bunny is a popular media companion especially designed for children aged 0-4 years. Due to its ease of use, robust material, and versatility, it encourages the kids’ creativity. SOUND:...
Brio Smart Tech Sound Rescue Action Tunnel...
$30.00“Oh no! There’s a fire!”. This Brio Rescue Action Tunnel Kit brings firefighting adventures to your BRIO World layouts. Join the fire brigade and put out the roaring fire using...
Smart Games SmartMax Mega Ball Run
$134.00Get into magnetic excitement where building is just as fun as playing!With a click and magnetic snap, a sleek ball run is easily put together. From then on out, the...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Animal Train
$50.00Build your own traveling zoo with magnets! Magnetic rods fit inside the train engine and the three train cars while magnetic spheres connect them in a line and let them...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Dinosaurs
$32.00Travel back in time (to a land before time?) with Smartmax My First DInosaurs! This 14 piece set includes magnetic bars to connect the bright, flexible dinosaur parts together. Encourage...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Explorer
$32.00Kids can mix and match the chunky, magnetic, toddler-friendly pieces to create a rocket, a plane, and a car, or create new vehicles. This tactile set joins other Smart Max:...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Farm Animal
$32.00SmartMax My First Farm Animals is designed for kids ages 1 - 5 years, offering an early, safe, and fun introduction to magnetic discovery. Easily build and play with the...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Sounds and Senses
$32.00Smart Games My First Sounds and Senses includes 8 building pieces (4 bars and 4 balls) that feature different textures for a tactile experience, different sounds for an audible experience, and...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Tractor Set
$44.00The fun factor is guaranteed with the SmartMax My First Tractor Set, as children start creating their own stories with the farmer and his horses! With the My First collection...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Vehicles
$32.00My First Vehicles includes 13 pieces that are building blocks to create 4 different trucks. When clicked together the trucks move on their wheels, resulting in a truly creative and...
Smart Games Smartmax Power Vehicles Max
$44.00Smart Games Smartmax Power Vehicles Maxis the perfect construction set for your little one to use during play time for endless fun and creativity! This set is includes everything needed...
Smart Games SmartMax Roboflex
$34.00Let your little ones expand their imagination with the SmartMax Roboflex set as they build and create their own version of robots. Age: 3 years+ Roboflex Medium includes 12 pieces Roboflex...
Smart Games Smartmax Start
$50.00Have fun building incredible structures with SmartMax! SmartMax allows children to explore magnetism safely. The oversized pieces are specifically designed for handling by young kids as they learn about the...
Smart Games Smartmax Start XL 42 Pieces
$78.00Smart Games Smartmax Start XL is the perfect construction set for your little one to use during playtime for endless fun and creativity! Suitable for children 3 years+ Compatible with...
Smart Games SmartMax Wobbly Cars
$32.00Go on a fun-filled, wobbly adventure with these magnetic, motion-powered cars! Build your very own wobbly train—connect the cars and pull them along on exciting journeys. Mix and match the...
Plushies Smiley World Daisy
$14.00Brighten up your day with the cheerful charm of the SmileyWorld Daisy Palm Pal! This delightful plush brings together the sunny spirit of a smile and the sweetness of a...
Plushies Smiley World Shades
$14.00Look cool, feel cooler with the SmileyWorld Shades Palm Pal—your ultimate beach-ready buddy! With a bright yellow body, chill black sunglasses, an irresistible smile, and tiny feet that add extra...
Ooly Smooth Stix Watercolor Gel Crayons 24...
$24.00Begin your next art project with a rainbow of colors with a set of Smooth Stix watercolor gel crayons. With 24 brilliant colors there’s a near endless amount of creative art...
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.