Play Time
Mudpuppy Ring Flashcards My ABC's
$16.00These flashcards will help children learn their ABCs using colorful pictures! The back of the card pictures uppercase letters. Use as flashcards, practice sorting by color or type, or separate...
Mudpuppy Ring Flashcards Spanish To English
$16.00Encourage the love of language with these colorful Spanish to English flashcards. Each double-sided card features charming illustrations of 26 basic Spanish and English nouns. The re-closable ring makes these...
Little Chew Ring Freezer Teether Autumn
$22.00Soft silicone freezer toy will help to soothe sore and itchy gums as much as it will entertain your baby. Simple design is easy for small hands to grab and...
Jellycat Ring Rattle Bashful Cream Bunny
$18.00The Bashful Cream Bunny Grabber is here to lend a hand. Just one shake of that white chocolate fur and those grumbles will be gone with the last sip of...
Knitted World Ring Rattle Frog
$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...
Knitted World Ring Rattle Lion
$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...
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...
Londji Roads Connecting Game
$46.00Roads are truly one of the most unique and beautifully engineered creative games/playsets in the marketplace. Building 1000 different variations of the roads according to included instructions or free-form- there...
Fat Brain Toys Rock n Roller Piano
$34.00Roll 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...
Mudpuppy 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...
Jellycat Rolie Polie Giraffe
$50.00Rolie Polie Giraffe is ready for some serious cuddles! Beautifully tousled in custard fur, with soft toffee horns and a tiny tail, this gentle calf has trumpet-shaped hooves and waggly...
Hape Roller Derby Toy
$48.00With colorful, wooden balls, peek-a-boo holes, and fast tracks, this double-sided mountain rocks, and rolls. It features a bell that chimes when the balls reach the end of their trip...
Sophie La Giraffe Rollin' Sophie La Girafe
$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. Sophie La Girafe Rollin'...
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...
Land of Dough Rolling Pattern Kit
$25.00Let your children's imaginations run wild. This land of Dough set comes with two beautiful Land of Dough play dough rolls and the kit features three high quality real wood...
Gibbs Smith Romeo & Juliet
$10.00BabyLit® 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
$52.00The 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...
Jellycat Rose Dragon Bag Charm
$28.00The Rose Dragon Bag Charm brings a blush of magic to your everyday dashes. With a silver claw clip and Jellycat tag, blossom-soft fur and glitter jersey wings, spines and...
Tender Leaf Toys Rosewood Cottage Dollhouse
$110.00The 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...
Mon Ami Rosie Bunny
$34.00So hoppy to see you! Mon Ami's soft pink Bunny Plush Toy will brighten Easter baskets and year-round adventures. The floppiest ears, plushest fur and sweetest face make her a...
Hape Rotating Music Box
$22.00The Hape Rotating Music Box is a soothing and gentle toy that will encourage baby to experience music in a unique and interactive way. It plays delightful musical notes as...
Oli & 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...
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.