Play Time
Hape Mighty Echo Microphone Toy
$14.00Do you dream of being a famous singer? With the high-quality, battery-free Mighty Echo Microphone, everyone can sing like a pop-star! Age:12+ Months
Milton & Goose Milton & Goose Essential Play Kitchen...
$729.00Whether your little one is whipping up an original recipe or taking first place in an imaginary cooking competition, our Essential Play Kitchen is the perfect canvas for imaginative play....
Milton & Goose Milton & Goose Play Food Set Dairy
$58.00Refrigerator staples that are so cute you might just want to leave them out! Each set includes Organic Milk, Almond Milk, Goat's Milk Butter, and 2 Free-Range Eggs and comes...
Milton & Goose Milton & Goose Play Food Set Pantry
$58.00A modern take on the pantry essentials every little chef should have in their arsenal. Jar and box open for expanded play. Each set includes Apple Cider Vinegar, Manuka Honey,...
Milton & Goose Milton & Goose Play Food Set Pasta
$54.00There'll be nothing plain about pasta night when your little chef whips up the classiest dish ever with our Pasta Set. Featuring little wooden anchovies that store neatly in their...
Milton & Goose Milton & Goose Play Food Set Veggies
$68.00Farm fresh and ready for play, our Veggies Set is the perfect haul from your local farmer's market. Featuring a variety of woods and 100% felt leaves and cotton stems,...
Milton & Goose Milton & Goose Refrigerator
$499.00Delivering a chic exterior and extra roomy interior, the Milton & Goose Refrigerator is the coolest (see what we did there?) kitchen appliance around. Open the classic french doors to...
Manhattan Toy Mind Cubes
$28.00This set of 4 soft cubes feature ribbons, numbers, letters, shapes and patterns in research proven high-contrast graphics. Stilumate baby's visual development with the Wimmer-Ferguson Mind Cubes. Ages 0 months+...
Hape Mini Band Toy Set
$56.00Start making your own music with Hape's Five Instrument Mini Band Set. Learn to play the ukulele, tambourine, clapper, rattle and rainmaker! Toddlers aged 3 years and older can explore...
Abrams Appleseed Mini Board Books Pantone: Box Of Color
$14.99“Pleasingly tactile variations of six colors.” ―Wall Street Journal“Smart and well-designed, showcase subtle shades of six colors.” ―Publishers Weekly Explore the world of colors with this boxed set of six...
Tender Leaf Toys Mini Chef Chopping Board
$28.00A cute little chopping board in the shape of a little chef made from sustainable rubber wood and plywood. Includes a wooden knife, a carrot in 3 parts, beetroot in halves,...
Tender Leaf Toys Mini Chef Kitchen Range
$300.00With an oven and integral microwave and plate rack, this kitchen range is made extra special with a multitude of original accessories. 2 wicker baskets provide lots of storage space...
Micro Kickboard Mini Deluxe Foldable LED Scooter
$120.00Micro Kickboard Mini Deluxe Foldable LED Scooter is for traveling tots and kids on the go. The new folding mechanism means that taking your child’s Mini with you wherever you...
Papoose Toys Mini Felt Fruit Set 6 pieces
$39.00Promote imaginative play with this unique and educational mini felt fruit set. Age: 3 years+ 6 Pieces Handmade Size: 5.5x5x2.5"
Papoose Toys Mini Felt Vegetable Set 6 pieces
$39.00Promote imaginative play with this unique and educational mini felt vegetable set. Age: 3 years+ 6 Pieces Handmade Size: 5.5x5x2.5"
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Black
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Green
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Pink
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Red
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Loog Guitars Mini Kids' Acoustic Guitar Yellow
$99.00With the 3-string Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar and its accompanying app, a child can learn to play songs - not just scales or exercises- on day one. This gives little rockers a sense of...
Alimrose Mini Lilly Kitty Pink Linen Doll
$30.00Mini Lilly is the sweetest mini kitten doll, with her own handbag! Lilly Kitty features a sweet pink linen dress & floral headband. She is ready for a playdate or...
Halilit Mini Orchestra Musical Toy
$30.00Babies will enjoy the musical sounds of the Halilit - Mini Orchestra Musical Toys. Set of 4 includes Mybell, ClipClap, Tambaring and Rock n Roll. Age: 6 months+ Each measures...
Hape Mix and Bake Toy Blender
$30.00Can't wait to grow up and become a real baker? Then practice makes perfect, and with the Mix & Bake Blender, children can pretend to bake using their own flour...
Chronicle Books Mix It Up! (English Edition) Book
$15.99Accept Hervé Tullet's invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of color and tones. Follow the artist's simple instructions, and suddenly colors appear . . . mix ....
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.