Play Time
Mukikim Mukikim Rock And Roll It Piano Rainbow
$59.99Roll it out and rock out with the Mukikim Roll Up Rainbow Piano. Completely portable and loaded with unique features, it provides realistic sounds, includes an attached control panel/speaker and...
Sophie La Giraffe Multi-Support Activity Mirror
$46.00Sophie La Giraffe Multi-Support Activity Mirror is ideal for entertaining your baby while on the move! Use the 2 rings to easily attach it to multiple supports (pushchair, bed, playpen,...
Malarkey Munch Mitt Whales
$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...
Small World Toys Music Blocks
$98.00Making music is as easy as playing with blocks. Create over a million different musical compositions— simply by playing with blocks! This Music Blocks allows a child to creatively compose...
Hape Music Maker 6 in 1 Toy
$36.00Give your child the musical introduction they want and need with the Hape 6-in-1 music maker, designed for the modern-day little musician. The musical toy provides them with everything they...
Penguin Musical Happy Birthday To You Book
$17.99Happy Birthday To You: A Musical Instrument Song Book A group of musicians is traveling to a café for a surprise celebration. Press the buttons to hear them play...
Manhattan Toy Musical Pull Toy Cherry Blossom Rainbow
$26.00Pull the cloud down from the rainbow to hear "Fur Elise" as it slowly moves back up. Fosters cause and effect learning. Attaches with fabric loop to most carriers and...
Steiff Musical Pull Toy Ellie Elephant
$46.00The “My First Steiff” Ellie elephant as a music box is an amazing experience for all baby’s senses. Ellie radiates warmth with her cheerful smile and loving gaze, while her...
Vilac Musical tea set
$66.00It's snack time ! Doudou, sit here, between Doll and White Bear. I'll go get Dad and we'll be complete! On the program for this birthday snack, tasting of homemade...
Phaidon Press My Art Book of Friendship
$16.95Friends are an important part of every toddler's social life... and now, part of their first art collection! A brief, tender, read-aloud text accompanies each work, and the work's...
Phaidon Press My Art Book of Happiness
$16.95Emotions are part of every toddler's day... and now, part of their first art collection! 35 full-page artworks from a variety of periods introduce emotions through one of the...
Phaidon Press My Art Book of Love
$16.95A tender and wise ode to love, illustrated with an expertly curated selection of fine art for young children. Art, like anything else, is only as meaningful and interesting...
Phaidon Press My Art Book of Sleep
$16.95The second is an introductory series to fine art, curated for young children as never before: by theme. For children everywhere, sleep is part of their everyday... and now,...
Londji My Big Blue Shape Puzzle
$30.00My Big Blue Puzzle is a colorful shape puzzle that depicts a friendly whale. 36 pieces fit together to show the whale breaching the surface and the detail of the...
Chronicle Books My Big Book of Happy Sounds
$22.99“Good morning!” Kiss kiss! Clapping and laughing… Who or what’s making that sound? Press the buttons to find out! An interactive sound book: Young readers develop important listening skills as they...
Chronicle Books My Big Book of Nature Sounds
$21.99An interactive sound book: Young readers develop important listening skills as they explore sounds and words in their language development. Whether it’s a barking dog or crunching leaves, children learn that...
Chronicle Books My Big Touch and Feel Word Book
$21.99Child development specialists have shown that children learn best when they acquire knowledge through multiple senses. Not only sight and sound, but touch as well, are critical elements in their...
Penguin My First Book of London
$18.99Take an eye-opening look at the wonders of London in a stylish big picture book for little travelers.From the Beefeaters at the Tower of London to the Changing of the...
Simon & Shuster My First Big Book of Dinosaurs
$9.99ALL DINOS ALL THE TIME! Dive into the prehistoric world of DINOSAURS with this jumbo coloring book featuring nearly 200 pages of large coloring images with chunky, bold outlines for...
Simon & Shuster My First Big Book of Princesses
$9.99Color with whimsical PRINCESSES in this jumbo coloring book featuring nearly 200 pages of kid-friendly coloring images with chunky bold outlines! Collect them all more in the My First Big...
Simon & Shuster My First Big Book of Unicorns
$9.99Color for hours with wacky UNICORN art in this jumbo coloring featuring nearly 200 pages of large kid-friendly coloring images with bold, chunky outlines! Collect them all more in the...
Penguin My First Book of New York
$18.99See all the best-loved sites of New York City in this stylish big picture book by Ingela P. Arrhenius.Visit the Statue of Liberty, climb the Empire State Building, catch a...
Penguin My First Book of Paris
$18.99Explore sites around the beautiful City of Lights in this stylish big picture book by Ingela P. Arrhenius. From the banks of the Seine to the top of the...
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.