Play Time
Knitted World Ring Rattle Monkey
$18.00This easy to grasp ring rattle is lovingly hand-crocheted using luxuriously soft yarn derived from the pulp of the organically grown and sustainably harvested bamboo trees. Bamboo is the world’s...
Waytoplay Ringroad Set 12 Pieces
$46.00The Ringroad is the smallest set with twelve road parts to lay out a small road of almost 67 inch length. Each part is printed on both sides with different...
Plantoys Road System
$120.00Enhance your kid's pretend-play transportation system with the Road System set! Complete with 27 tracks, 1 bridge, 1 car, 1 light, and 4 bushes, children have everything they need to...
Plantoys Robot Tool Box
$50.00It’s a tool box that can transform into a robot! Not only you can build amazing things but also have your own robot play buddy. This set consists of 18...
Mukikim Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow
$59.99Roll it out and rock out with the Roll Up Rainbow Piano. Completely portable and loaded with unique features, it provides realistic sounds, includes an attached control panel/speaker and is...
Fat Brain Toy Rock n Roller Piano
$38.00Roll into a ruckus of melody-making fun! The included mallet lets little ones bang out tunes both wild and wonderful. Meanwhile, flip to the other side and spin the wheels. Each...
Hachette Rocket Ships Magnetic Build-it Game
$18.00Mudpuppy's Rocket Ships Magnetic Build-it includes 2 illustrated scenes and 3 sheets of mix and match magnets for creating your own galactic spacecraft! The sturdy tin package offers hours of...
Maileg Rocking Chair Mouse
$20.00The perfect chair for a rest or a small nap. This chair fits the mouse family perfectly and can easily be mixed with other mouse furniture and accessories to create...
Maileg Rocking Horse Mouse Spotted
$20.00A delightful classic for all playful mice! This wooden rocking horse is beautifully crafted and designed for hours of fun. Its metal handles make it easy for mice with magnetic hands...
Plantoys Roller Pastel Colors
$18.00This Roller toy has a pastel color design that makes it a vibrant and visually stimulating toy for newborns. Explore each color as the Roller makes its way across a...
Plantoys Roller Primary Colors
$18.00This Roller toy has a rainbow color design that makes it a vibrant and visually stimulating toy for newborns. Explore each bright color as the Roller makes its way across a variety of...
Sophie La Giraffe Rollin' Sophie La Giraffe Once Upon A...
$42.00A roller to climb, roll, and sit astride, and to develop Baby's motor skills and balance. The Inflatable Structure covered with fabric provides comfort softness and Security. A mirror and...
Gibbs Smith Romeo & Juliet
$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...
Bajo Rope Abacus
$56.00The Bajo Rope Abacus has ten columns, each stacked with wooden rings, from one up to ten. Attached to the end of each column is a rope and stopper, allowing...
Tender Leaf Toys Rosewood Cottage Dollhouse
$116.00The cutest woodland cottage you ever did see. With a rose-colored gabled roof, opening front doors and a removable back panel, this little house can be carried to be played...
PlanToys Round Table
$108.00Spend quality time with your little one at this Round Table! This multi functional table is perfect for active toddlers. They can use it for studying or other activities. Use...
Le Toy Van Royal Express Train & Carriages
$40.00Travel 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 5 interconnecting carriages,...
Plantoys Rubber Road + Rail Set
$50.00 – $140.00Pave your own path and go on a journey with the large version of the Rubber Road & Rail Set! The flexibility of the rubber allows kids to create unique city...
Oli and Carol Rubber Teether - Ana Banana
$22.00Ana Banana is a chewable fruit-shaped baby toy for sensory play, teething and bath time. Little gums love the texture of Hevea rubber. Soft and easy to hold by babies’...
Oli and Carol Rubber Teether - Coco The Coconut
$22.00Designed with no holes so when they’re floating, no bacteria or mold is created! No Holes = No Mold Product Features: Made from 100% natural rubber from Malaysian Hevea...
Oli and Carol Rubber Teether - Lou The Lemon Car
$28.00Introducing Lou, the sustainable baby car toy! A lemon-inspired design handcrafted with natural rubber & FSC wood. This baby car promotes interactive play, cognitive development and social skills. It’s packaging...
Oli and Carol Rubber Teether - Ramona The Radish
$22.00Ramona The Radish is a chewable baby toy for teething, bath time and sensory play. Handmade in 100% natural rubber and hand-painted with natural pigments.Introduce your baby into a healthy lifestyle...
Oli and Carol Rubber Teether Cindy the Bellflower
$22.00Ding, ding, ding! Cindy the Bellflower is a baby teether, bath toy & sensory play toy for babies. Its ring makes it easy for babies little hands to hold while...
Oli and Carol Rubber Teether Eli The Clover
$15.00Eli the Clover is designed with an ergonomic shape making it easy to hold and chew on. Including a range of textures, such as raised spots or ribbing, making it very pleasing...
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.