Play Time
Corolle Backpack Baby Doll Carrier
$32.00Pretty practical simple doll travel backpack bag carrier and sleeping bag for children to carry their beloved doll. This is a multipurpose backpack, the front of the backpack can be...
Haba Bad Rodach Building Blocks
$46.00Bad Rodach Building Blocks allow you to recreate the town with its characteristic skyline. The different turrets, roofs, and staircases allow young builders to vary their constructions. At the same...
Maileg Bag with Beach Essentials Toy
$22.00Vacation time. This small bag includes all must-haves for a day in the sun: sunscreen and 2 sodas. All are made in a miniature size that fits the smallest Maileg...
Le Toy Van Baker's Basket Crate
$26.00A crate of wooden breads including a pretzel, an iced bun, a croissant, a pain au chocolate and a swirl bun. Age: 2 years+ Encourages creative interactive play Material: Ethically made...
PlanToys Bakery Stand Set
$34.00The Bakery Stand Set consists of 1 two-tier cake stand, 1 sandwich, 1 slice of Swiss roll, 1 chocolate cake, 2 biscuits, and 2 cupcakes. Bakery Stand Set Details: The set...
Moulin Roty Baking Set Toy
$84.00All you need to bake the best cakes in the world with this perfect role-play pastry suitcase! To imitate the grown-ups like a Chef: real kitchen utensils in wood or...
Maileg Ballet Classic Rabbit Cream
$36.00The well-known Maileg micro bunny dressed up as a ballet dancer. It wears a suit and tulle skirt and has a small decoration around the pointing ears. DimensionsHeight: 9.45in, Net...
Wee Gallery Bamboo Numbers
$39.95This beautiful sustainable Bamboo Numbers offer a whole new way to explore numbers and counting. Thick and sturdy pieces will hold up to play. Pair with Number Cards, or objects...
Plantoys Banjo Musical Toy
$40.00Banjo is the perfect toy to inspire your little ones' musical creativity, Banjo Details: Age: 3 years+ Strum to hear the music! Features various sounds Dimensions: 12.52 x 6.4 x...
Tender Leaf Toys Barbeque Play Set
$70.00A self-standing wooden barbeque toy with removable grill, with lots of fun accessories including: 3 glowing coals, rotisserie 5-part chicken, 2 sausages and prong, wooden skewer with 5 vegetable pieces...
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear
$35.00 – $66.00Tawny-tousled and full of softness, Jellycat Bartholomew Bear is the perfect bedtime buddy. Read him a story, sing him a teddy bear lullaby, or maybe just rest on his fluffy...
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Comforter
$28.00Our most loved character makes the perfect comforting companion for naptime. Bartholomew Bear Comforter features his signature chocolate nose, sweet rounded ears and gently textured fur made with recycled fibres....
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Musical Pull
$46.00Bartholomew Bear Musical Pull from is sure to send little ones to a joyful dreamland. This tiny Bartholomew Bear suspends from a soft cream star with contrast piping; all created...
Jellycat Bartholomew Bear Soother
$34.00Snuggle up with Bartholomew Bear Soother. This tufty, ruffly toffee bear is hugging a dreamy-soft fudgy blankie. With short fur paws and a choc-drop nose, this bear is more giggle...
Jellycat Bashful Beige Bunny Bag Charm
$28.00Bashful Beige Bunny Bag Charm is the perfect accessory to bring joy to your day! Our iconic Bashful Beige Bunny is soft and sweet, with lop ears and a pale...
Jellycat Bashful Beige Bunny Star Musical Pull
$46.00Playing 'Rock a Bye Baby' when Bashful Bunny is pulled, this musical pull's star has risen high to become a firm favorite for bedtime. The musical box is tucked amongst...
Jellycat Bashful Black and Cream Puppy Comforter
$28.00The Bashful Black & Cream Puppy Comforter is a portable patch of softness. This characterful puppy has been designed to comfort with squashy paws to hold onto and an un-stuffed...
Jellycat Bashful Blush Bunny Bag Charm
$28.00Bashful Blush Bunny Bag Charm makes every day rosy! Our iconic Bashful Bunny is soft and sweet in blush pink fur, with lop ears and a pale pink nose. Use...
Jellycat Bashful Blush Bunny Musical Pull
$46.00Playing 'Rock a Bye Baby' when Bashful Bunny is pulled, this musical pull's star has risen high to become a firm favourite for bedtime. The musical box is tucked amongst...
Jellycat Bashful Bunny Blush
$33.00Bashful Bunny is a popular fellow with scrummy-soft Jellycat fur and lovely long flopsy ears mean that with just one cuddle, you’ll never want to let go. Irresistibly cute and...
Jellycat Bashful Calf
$33.00Scrumping apples? Not Bashful Calf. She’s a daisy-munching, kooky little cow, whose favorite song is Old Macdonald! Can you guess which part she sings the loudest? With her soft white...
Jellycat Bashful Cream Bunny Musical Pull
$46.00An enchanting newborn gift, let babies dream sweetly with a Bashful Bunny Musical Pull. Our most loved Bashful Bunny, made from recycled fibres can be gently pulled to hear an...
Jellycat Bashful Duckling Soother
$33.00Sweet, gentle Bashful Duckling Soother is a perfect newborn gift, rolled up and presented in a Baby Jellycat grosgrain ribbon. Featuring our most loved farmyard friend, soft in a pale...
Jellycat Bashful Fox Cub Comforter
$28.00The Bashful Fox Cub Comforter is a portable patch of softness. This characterful cub has been designed to comfort with squashy paws to hold onto and an un-stuffed tummy to...
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.