Play Time
Malarkey Malarkey Munch Mitt Grey/Stars
$19.99The Malarkey Munch Mitt Teether is a “handy” textured teething solution that prevents your little one from dropping it. It provides easy access pain relief to sore gums for infants who are still...
Malarkey Malarkey Munch Mitt Pastel Pink/Hearts
$19.99The Malarkey Munch Mitt Teether is a “handy” textured teething solution that prevents your little one from dropping it. It provides easy access pain relief to sore gums for infants who are still...
Malarkey Malarkey Munch Mitt Rosewood
$19.99The Munch Mitt Teether is a “handy” textured teething solution that prevents your little one from dropping it. It provides easy access pain relief to sore gums for infants who...
Candylab Malibu Beach Tower Toy
$40.00This here is a sweet accessory to any beach-themed playset, or discerning shelf. Pastel-painted plywood and rubber lifesaver included. Age: 3 years+ No sand included! Please note: Some assembly...
UPPAbaby Mamaroo Smart Swing
$299.99 – $349.99The Mamaroo Smart Swing is designed to move like you do, mimicking your natural motion to create the perfect place for baby to safely relax while you take a break....
Crazy Aaron's Mango Monroe 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...
Bajo Manhattan Blocks
$74.00Bajo’s Manhattan blocks feature minimalist non-toxic painting styles and easy to stack skyscrapers. Teach your children about architecture while helping them learn to stack with these beautiful blocks. Product...
Plushies Manny Manatee Plush Toy
$32.00Grand Flopsies is an expanding category for the Flopsies series - still as adorable as other Flopsies, but in a brand new, bigger size! Manny Manatee is a plump manatee...
Bajo Marble Tree
$110.00 – $151.00This beautifully crafted wooden tree not only looks amazing, but it makes music as well! Just drop the marble on the highest petal and listen to the different notes!...
Le Toy Van Market Meat Crate
$26.00A wooden play food crate complete with sausage, steak, chicken, salami & bacon pieces. Perfect for market and shopping pretend play. Age: 2 years+ Encourages creative interactive play Material: Ethically made from sustainable...
Calico Critters Marshmallow Mouse Family
$46.00Wholesome fun and big personalities—meet the perfect addition to your Calico Village! Father Bernard is a talented cook with a passion for cheese—he’s proud of his homemade cheese collection and...
Tonies Marvel Spidey & His Amazing Friend-Sp...
$19.99Join Spidey and his amazing friends on an adventure to stop Electro from ruining all the fun at the amusement park Description When Peter and his friends Gwen...
Rubbabu Mascot Car
$18.00The Rubbabu Mascot Car is an easy-to-hold, easy-to-roll car. With a cute rounded design, in bright colors, this 5" high car is available in many colors and is popular in toy, baby,...
Playforever Maverick Heat Police Blue Car
$66.00Straight out of 1960s New York, Maverick Heat vehicles are a bold representation of the famous slab-sided vehicles of the era. With distinctive flat sides, super large surface areas and...
Playforever Maverick Heat Shadow Black Car
$66.00Straight out of 1960s New York, Playforever's Maverick Heat vehicles are a bold representation of the famous slab-sided vehicles of the era. With distinctive flat sides and super large surface...
Playforever Maverick Heat Sheriff Toy Car Black a...
$66.00Straight out of 1960s New York, Playforever's Maverick Heat vehicles are a bold representation of the famous slab-sided vehicles of the era. With distinctive flat sides and super large surface...
Micro Kickboard Maxi Deluxe Foldable LED Scooter
$179.99This scooter has it all! The Maxi Deluxe Foldable LED offers our customers favorite Maxi features - foldability AND light-up wheels! The Maxi Deluxe Foldable LED takes the multi-award-winning, much-revered scooter for...
Micro Kickboard Maxi Deluxe LED Scooter
$159.99The Maxi Deluxe LED Scooter takes the multi-award-winning, much-revered children's three-wheeled scooter to the next level. This deluxe version has LED light-up front wheels, an anodized stem for extra protection against...
Micro Kickboard Maxi Deluxe Scooter
$149.99This Maxi Deluxe Scooter version has an anodized stem for extra protection against wear and tear, a unique, silicone-injected footplate for improved grip, and an adjustable T-bar, meaning that as your child grows,...
Micro Kickboard Maxi Pro LED Scooter
$169.99Built with wider LED wheels and a wide grip, plus chopper-style handlebars for the smoothest ride! Your kiddo can ride and glide ANYWHERE with kickboard-style turning that is more stable,...
Cuddle + Kind Maya The Mermaid
$100.00I’m from a magical, watery kingdom and I love learning every magnificent thing about it! My mind is quick and full of questions – do you like to invent and...
Le Toy Van Mayberry Manor Doll House
$300.00Welcome to Mayberry Manor. This truly stunning, deluxe dollhouse is ready for any aspiring Duke or Duchess to move right into and makes a perfect addition to your child’s imaginative...
Me&Mine Me&Mine Cooking Set
$48.00Inspire the creativity of cooking with this 6-piece kitchen playset! Inside, you will find a wooden spoon, spatula, rolling pin, and pestle, enamel mortar, and a fabric carrying bag. On...
Plantoys Meadow Ring Toss
$36.00Practice your aim with this Meadow Ring Toss! Features 6 rope rings with colored beads and 3 wooden posts of various heights. Place the posts close for beginners and spread...
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.