Play Time
Le Toy Van Cafe Machine
$50.00Time for coffee! Welcome to the café. This realistic, award-winning toy coffee machine is one of the favorites and is sure to be a hit with budding baristas.With a host of...
Maileg Cakes + Cakestand, Mini
$46.00This little set of 3 delicious cakes on a beautiful decorated cakestand in rose color is a must have. The cakes are thoroughly decorated by hand. The cake set is...
Little People, Big Dreams Calendar Advent Little
$29.99The countdown to Christmas has never been more inspiring! Each day, children can unwrap a new story featuring trailblazers, pioneers, and dreamers who changed the world. From scientists and inventors...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Chinese Nursery Rhymes
$29.00Cali's Books Chinese Nursery Rhymes entertains with favorite Chinese tunes, including Pull up carrots. Singing in several languages is enriching for children and adults alike. Cali's Books Chinese Nursery Rhymes...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Count With Nursery Rhymes
$29.00Counting songs in Cali's Books Count with Nursery Rhymes include such favorites as Five Little Monkeys and One, Two, Three, Four, Five. Learning numbers has never been so much fun! Cali's...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Sing The Alphabet
$29.00With a push of the button, Cali's Books Sing The Alphabet makes learning the alphabet fun! This book’s delightful illustrations, easy first words and a well-known tune provide an ideal introduction...
Plushies Callie the Calico Cat
$30.00Cute black, orange and white calico cat plush toy with soft fur, xpressive face and string whiskers. Perfect for kids or cat lovers of all ages. Size: 15 inches...
Janod Candy Chic Dolls Bed
$60.00This superb bed with glittering reflections is ideal for tucking up baby dolls and having them drift gently off to dreamland. Featuring a pillow, mattress and polka dot blanket, it...
Janod Candy Chick Big Cooker Wood
$216.00An adorable kitchen display crafted from durable wood is touched up with bright colors. Enter the culinary world with this fantastic Candy Chic kitchen! including induction hotplate with noises and...
Hape Cargo Delivery Loop Toy
$56.00People are waiting for their cargo! Use the magnetic crane to load containers onto the train. Then press the button on the engine to drive around the oval track and...
Brio Cargo Harbour Set
$80.00Set sail into imaginative adventures with the BRIO Cargo Harbour Set! With this set, kids can guide the container ship across the water and dock at the busy harbour, ready...
Brio Cargo Mountain Set
$289.00Take playtime to new heights with the Cargo Mountain Set – a thrilling, multi-level train and cargo adventure packed with action from top to bottom. With five levels of crane...
Brio Cargo Railway Deluxe Set
$220.00With this 54 pieces cargo railway deluxe set, the freight and cargo world is almost complete. An action-packed BRIO train track world filled with mechanical and loading functions through the loader...
Le Toy Van Carlo's Ice Cream Stand
$40.00Roll up, roll up. Treat guests to a delicious frozen feast with this irresistibly cute gelato stand. A wonderful, traditional wooden toy to entertain and delight young minds. Crafted from...
Maileg Carry Cot, Large
$46.00A small portable bed for your soft friends - small Bunny plush and small Safari friends fit perfectly. With this carry cot, it is easy to bring along your friend. Your friend...
Indigo Jamm Casey Camper Van
$90.00Indigo Jamm Casey Camper Van is a retro camper van complete with a wooden mom, dad, two children, and a wooden dog. Made from durable rubberwood and plywood with an...
Le Toy Van Cash Register
$50.00A robust wooden cash register toy. This retro-style till includes a wooden till receipt, easy-open cash drawer plus wooden & paper play money. Vintage detailing illustrated on the sides in...
Magnatiles Castle 25-Piece Set
$48.00Fairy tale dreams come true with the Castle set! Open the working Drawbridge and step into a world of magnetic wonder or soar through the skies with an exclusive Dragon Figure. This set also includes our first Balcony and Spiral Staircase, along...
Plantoys Castle Blocks Orchard
$64.00Let your kid's imagination run wild and build a medieval fantasy world complete with a functional catapult, a king and queen, 2 knights, a horse, and even a flying dragon!...
Magnatiles Castle DLX 48-Piece Set
$84.00Imagination reigns supreme with the Castle DLX set! Open the working Drawbridge and step into a world of magnetic wonder or soar through the skies with an exclusive Dragon figure. This set also includes our first Balcony pieces and Spiral Staircases, as well as microMAGS pieces and plenty...
Maileg Castle Hall
$52.00This castle is a beautiful home for all mice. It is made of cardboard covered by unique Maileg prints. Use it as a small home for your mice or as...
Hape Caterpillar Fruit Feast Set
$18.00Each time one of your caterpillars nibbles through a new piece of fruit you can add it to the string until you have a whole line of delicious snacks! Caterpillar...
Janod Caterpillar Wooden Ball Track
$54.00This garden themed Ball Track toy will provide hours of entertainment while developing your little one’s fine motor skills and visual acuity. The three balls pass through the sun and...
Oli and Carol Cathy the Carrot Car
$28.00Roll, play & learn with the coolest & healthiest cars for babies! Introducing Cathy, the sustainable baby car toy! With a design inspired by carrots, Cathy is meticulously crafted using natural...
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.