Dorit Duckling is the star of the pond in bold yellow fur. With a funky yellow hairdo, Dorit has little wings and a high tail. With a soft orange beak...
Tousled and playful, the Peanut Penguin Bag Charm brings joy wherever it waddles! This blue-grey penguin has a soft vanilla tummy, orange suedette beak and feet, embroidered eyes and waggly...
The Timmy Turtle Bag Charm is the perfect ally when everyone's just too perky. Our grumpy turtle has a beige tummy, embroidered pout, and green textured shell. With a silver...
About this product With this colorfully illustrated board book version of the classic Christmas-time ballet, Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver present a new holiday favorite, The Nutcracker: A BabyLit® Dancing...
About this product Introduce little ones to the lovely city of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, in both English and Spanish! Introduce your little readers to Tegucigalpa, the ever-growing capital...
About this product Rubbabu's Modena Racer is a stylish and fun toy racer that kids will love. With a tactile velvety finish and a soft squishy material this natural rubber...
About this product Large Square blocks joined with circular connectors. Winner of the Parents' Choice Award, 2010, Recommended and Dr. Toy's Best Green Product Award, 2011. The Rubbabu Rubbablox Building...
About this product Features Size - 9 inches Safe for all ages Embroidered details 100% polyester Surface wash/Spot clean Look no further than Snowcone the Penguin for your soft and...
About this product This standing sketchbook is perfect for showing off your artwork. When you're done, turn back to the cover to display the lively cover filled with cute doodles....
About this product Delightful 31 page Enchanting Unicorns Coloring Book for kids with fun and inspiring designs, complete with perforated pages for easy framing and gifting. Enchanting Unicorns Coloring Book...
About this product Your little ballerina will be thrilled to sparkle and shine with a makeup kit made just for her, and you will be pleased that none of the...
About this product After The Rain are rainbows which create a beautiful landscape of color and dreams. What rainbows and Klee Naturals do NOT bring are nasty chemicals such as...
About this product It's time to kick around the world! Our three-wheel scooter is developed in line with Banwood values, with a focus on timeless design, high quality and safety....
Description: Each Jellycat creation is a work of art, meticulously designed and crafted with a whimsical touch that fosters a sense of wonder and sparks the imagination. These plush toys...
Description: Amuseables Sports Baseball Bag Charm is the perfect game day companion in soft cream fur. With red stitching detail and a navy cap, this baseball has a silver claw...
About this product Tiny body, big power! Unleash fun and creativity with Kidamento's exclusive Hello Kitty Model A camera! Perfect for kids aged 3 to 6, this special edition is...
About this product The Beach Bus is back! Now officially licensed by VW - check out the shiny emblem on the front. This iconic Volkswagen Type 2 comes with a...
About this product The Beach Bus is back! Now officially licensed by VW - check out the shiny emblem on the front. This iconic Volkswagen Type 2 comes with a...
About this product The BeginAgain 3, 2, 1 Blast Off was inspired by global space exploration! Designed to develop problem solving skills and teach numbers in four languages. This puzzle...
About this product This is the perfect addition to any little one's pantry! The 5-piece set features a tempting assortment of 4 deliciously flavour pots, including apricot, vanilla, raspberry and...
About this product Serve up a lovely afternoon tea with this lovely, vintage-style wooden tea set. Painted in the prettiest bold red and decorated with white polka dots, this traditional...
About this product Travel in style with this stunning, handmade toy train - a wonderful addition to any wooden train set. The Royal Express Locomotive is full of elegance, featuring...
About this product Introduce little ones to the lovely city of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, in both English and Spanish! Introduce your little readers to Santo...
About this product Valentine’s Day is a time to reflect on the themes of love and friendship, and what better way to introduce toddlers to these concepts than with a...
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.