Play Time
Gund Peek-a-Boo Flappy the Elephant
$22.00Flappy’s back — and cuter (and smaller!) than ever! This award-winning elephant is now in a travel-friendly 7” size, making him the perfect on-the-go buddy for babies and toddlers.With his...
Penguin Peekaboo Farm Book
$9.99Ingela P. Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers who love farm animals. Young children...
Penguin Peekaboo Sun Book
$9.99Ingela P Arrhenius’s unmistakable, enchanting artwork, combined with an ingenious slider mechanism on every page, make this a totally irresistible board book for toddlers. Young children will be captivated by...
Cuddle + Kind Penelope The Flamingo
$80.00 – $100.00I’m from a fantastically sunny place where palm trees sway and tropical flowers bloom. Of course, I have confidence in myself, why wouldn’t I, darling? No one’s better at being...
Maileg Penguin - Medium
$42.00A penguin is a funny character. It is made in soft fabrics and has pellets in the back so it can easily sit. It wears a warm scarf for the...
Maileg Penguin - Small
$32.00Our penguin is a sweet friend who can follow you everywhere. It is made in soft fabrics and has pellets in the back so it can easily sit. Sizes...
Oli and Carol Pepino the Cucumber Car
$28.00Roll, play & learn with the coolest & healthiest cars for babies! Meet Pepino, the eco-friendly baby car toy! Crafted with care from natural rubber and FSC wood, Pepino boasts...
Tonies Peppa Pig - George Audio Play Figurine
$19.99Join George, Peppa, and their family and friends in this new audio collection. The adventures continue with ten funny stories including “George’s New Dinosaur”, “The Biggest Muddy Puddle in the...
Tonies Peppa Pig Audio Play Figurine
$19.99It’s time to go on the road with Peppa Pig, George, and their family! Our favorite pig is here with a new audio collection of funny stories, music, and special...
Tonies Peppa's Bedtime Stories Audio Play Fi...
$19.99Our friend Peppa Pig is here with a new audio collection of ten short stories featuring dialogue, songs and sound effects from the show! Children will be transported to Peppa’s...
Mam Perfect Baby Pacifier 6-16 Months Pink
$14.99FLEXIBLE SHAPE FOR 6+ MONTH BABY : The nipple on these pacifiers for babies is 60% thinner and 4x more flexible than average, exerting less pressure on the mouth in...
Mam Perfect Night Baby Pacifier 6-16 Mont...
$14.99GLOWS IN THE DARK: These pacifiers for baby have a glow in the dark functionality, making it easy for you to locate quickly at night without any stumbling and searching,...
Calico Critters Persian Cat Family
$40.00A stylish and curious family full of charm and character! Father Lucas is the town’s trendiest dancer—he’s always practicing his moves and never misses a chance to check himself out...
Plantoys Pet Care Set
$30.00Prepare your kids for the responsibility of taking care of real-life pets with this lovely toy! This set includes pet food, a bowl, a brush, a pet toy (ball), a...
Tender Leaf Toys Pet Pencil Holders
$20.00Keep your pencils all in one place with these 3 pet pencil holders. A puppy, kitten and mouse face will look so cute sitting on your desk and will keep...
Maileg Pet Supply Harness and Leash
$20.00Extend playtime and bring your favorite pet along for a stroll with the Miniature Pet Walk Set. This charming set includes a quilted harness and a floral fabric leash, designed...
Gibbs Smith Peter Pan
$11.99BabyLit® is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar’s...
Tonies Peter Rabbit Audio Play Figurine
$19.99Immerse your imagination in four of Beatrix Potter’s most beloved tales in one endearing collection. This Tonie contains original language from the Beatrix Potter stories. Tonies Peter Rabbit Audio Play...
Le Toy Van Petilou Sensory Shapes
$50.00A wooden sensory toy for lots of fun activities to stimulate young minds. The set encourages color and shapes recognition to sort into the matching tray. Plus each of the 9 blocks...
Olli Ella Piki Picnic Basket Natural
$45.00Be it for a picnic, a pack of your little one's favorite crayons, a keeper of shells collected on the beach, the Olli Ella Piki Baskets will be a firm favorite of...
Olli Ella Piki Picnic Basket Straw
$45.00Be it for a picnic, a pack of your little one's favorite crayons, a keeper of shells collected on the beach, the Olli Ella Piki Baskets will be a firm favorite of...
Candylab Pink Cruiser Toy Car
$30.00The only pink Americana™ Vehicle! Built for work but mostly play. It’s all about cruisin’, catching waves, and turning heads with that popping paint job. Because when you drive a...
Candylab Pink Sedan Toy Car
$12.00Part of the Candylab new Candycar line, a cute 3 inches long. One of two of our racers, who said speed comes with size? Materials: Solid Beech Wood, water-based paint, and...
Tonies Pinocchio and Other Classic Stories A...
$19.99The littlest tall tale-teller of all time. Five timeless classics adapted for little listeners. These masterpieces have inspired generations of young minds -- and continue to do so today....
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.