Play Time
Plantoys Walk N Roll
$40.00When the wheel turns, the wooden balls inside the Walk N Roll hit the panels — creating a fun and exciting sound. Gain self-esteem by learning to walk on your...
Hape Walk-A-Long Pepe the Puppy
$30.00Walk-A-Long Puppy is the perfect adorable toy for your little walking explorer, with a pull-string so that he/she can take a friend for play on-the-go! Suitable for children 12m+ Made...
Candylab Wanderer Toy Car
$40.00Not all who wander are lost, especially in this case. Gear up and explore new frontiers with the artful vintage Candylab Wanderer truck. Made from solid beech wood with silicone...
PlanToys Water Blocks
$80.00These Water Blocks consists of 2 shapes. Children can put the blocks together to learn new color. Suitable for children 3 years and up. Product Details: For ages three years and...
Maileg Water Closet Mouse
$30.00This small water closet is just the right size for Little Brother and Little Sister Mouse. Its clever, compact design makes it a perfect toilet for the Suit Casa bathroom....
Stockmar Watercolor Paint 20ml Basic Set of 6
$62.00Stockmar Watercolor Paints make their mark with their excellent scumbling properties, natural transparency and lightfastness. The color range follows the extended version of Goethe's "Theory of Colors". Each tone has...
Crazy Aaron'S Watermelon Ellen 5oz
$12.00Discover the world’s friendliest dough! These friendly fruit themed Land of Dough 5oz play dough cups are vibrantly colored and individually handcrafted with natural colors, compostable glitter for a wonDOUGHful...
PlanToys Wautomobile - Blue
$26.00Line these water-filled cars up next to each other and see what colors you can create! These super-cool racers incorporate light, color and liquid play.
Penguin We Are Family Book
$17.99Through illness and health, in celebration and disappointment, families stick together. Some families are made up of many people, and some are much smaller. Sometimes family members look like each...
Penguin We Are Together Book
$17.99Celebrate the power of love and friendship in this beautiful book by Britta Teckentrup. With vibrant artwork and peek-through pages, this is a picture book to treasure. Age: 3-7...
Wee Gallery Wee Galley Art Cards For Baby Jungle ...
$20.00Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board, these cards will stand up to baby’s...
Penguin Welcome to Florida Book
$10.99Welcome to Florida! We’re glad you’re here! Introducing a new series of picture books about each US state.Children from Florida and those who’d like to visit Florida one day will...
Maileg Wellness Set
$14.00Your friends also deserve some relaxation and pamper time. This wellness set comes with a towel, a bathing hat and a bath mitten. The hat and glove fit the bunnies'...
Tikiri Whale Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00This rubber rattle from the ocean buddies collection. Easy-grip for smaller hands. Each marine animal character has an enclosed rattle that creates a soft sound when shaken. Sound Toys, like...
Tender Leaf Toys What's Up Wooden Face Playset
$40.00This set includes a wooden face shaped base, 2 hair buns and 28 magnetic facial parts to convey lots of emotions, from happy to sad, sleepy to excited! Encourages Social...
DAM Wheely Bug Bee
$96.00Wheely Bugs are ultra-sturdy ride-on toys in the shape of a friendly animal. They can make 360˚ turns and roll forwards, backwards, left, right and diagonally. Children can ride on...
Penguin Where's the Astronaut Book
$9.99Celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing with little ones by lifting the felt flaps to discover four hidden space-themed friends. Then find the mirror under the final flap!...
Penguin Where's the Bear Book
$9.99Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Chick Book
$9.99Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s...
Penguin Where's the Doctor Book
$9.99Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of people you might see in a hospital including a nurse, a paramedic, an orderly, and a doctor all hiding behind bright felt...
Penguin Where's the Dog Book
$9.99Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Duck Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Fire Truck Book
$9.99Five stylishly illustrated spreads show a series of friendly characters hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find inquiries. (Where...
Penguin Where's the Giraffe Book
$9.99Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
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.