Play Time
Jellycat Sassy Sushi Hosomaki
$14.00Sassy Sushi Hosomaki is squat, neat and super-cute. This cheery roll has fluffy white rice and a dark green nori wrap – all set off with a fetching hat of...
Jellycat Sassy Sushi Nigiri
$14.00Always a style leader, Sassy Sushi Nigiri knows how to accessorise! This fleecy rice snack has an unusual hat – a pink shrimp with red-stitched segments and tail! Such a...
Jellycat Sassy Sushi Uramaki
$14.00Sassy Sushi Uramaki is inside-out with cuteness! A fluffy ball of rice lined with dark green nori, this sushi has three tiny segments: avocado fur, fuzzy carrot and cord cucumber....
Cottage Door Press Say It, Hear It: ABC Animals Book
$30.99Listen, play, and learn ABCs with amazing silly animals! 26 sound buttons and 78 unique sounds for hours of the alphabet and first words fun! This big board book is...
Tender Leaf Toys Scoops and Smiles
$46.00Five delicious and very friendly solid wood ice cream cornets adorn this pretty little shop. Choose your flavor and have fun matching the characters to their names. Age: 3 years...
Guidecraft Screw Block
$16.00This simple manipulative refines hand-eye coordination, fine motor, and color-matching skills. The nylon interior ring holds the screwdriver in place when not in use. Suitable Age: 2 years+ Wooden matching...
Tikiri Sea Horse Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Made from all-natural rubber, this playful little Sea Horse from our Ocean Buddies Collection is easy for tiny hands to grip. And when shaken, it responds with a gentle sound that is...
Tikiri Sea Lion Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00These super cute Artic Animal Sea Lion have come from their winter wonderland to provide comfort and joy for bath times and bedtimes. Each containing an enclosed rattle that will...
Candylab Seagull Blue Toy Car
$32.00Candylab Seagull Blue Toy Car: Taking inspiration from the huge superchargers, bold colors and playful graphics that defined 1970s racing, the Seagull 5 is a powerful machine that will give you...
Candylab Seagull Red Toy Car
$32.00Taking inspiration from the huge superchargers, bold colors and playful graphics that defined 1970s racing, the Seagull 5 is a powerful machine that will give you all it's got, on...
Vilac Seaplane Black
$68.00Children can perform all kinds of acrobatic tricks and imagine themselves as pilots, rescuers or firefighters thanks to this superb black wooden seaplane. This plane is a very beautiful decorative...
Vilac Seaplane Red
$68.00Children can perform all kinds of acrobatic tricks and imagine themselves as pilots, rescuers or firefighters thanks to this superb black wooden seaplane. This plane is a very beautiful decorative...
Pasito A Pasito Security Blankie Blue
Pasito a pasito security blanket blue crown is made of soft fabric. It helps to relax the baby by touching it. Size: 37 x 37 cm
Pasito A Pasito Security Blankie Pink
Pasito a pasito security blanket pink crown is made of soft fabric. It helps to relax the baby by touching it. Size: 37 x 37 cm
Nolja Play LLC See the USA! Puzzle - 100 Large Pieces
$26.00About this product Take a fun and quirky tour of the United States and learn about its great historical landmarks, monuments of nature, foods and people that make up each...
Jellycat Selma Sloth
$28.00Selma Sloth is the perfect mascot for hard-working folks who need to relax. Deliciously dreamy in tufty banoffee fur, this elegant sloth has long, silky arms with embroidered suedette paws....
Miniland Sensorial Reef
$50.00Sensory stimulation is one of the most important and fun things for your baby. They will have a great time looking, touching, biting, and listening with the Miniland Sensorial Reef. They...
Caaocho Sensory Ball Rainbow 3"
$16.99Sensory Ball Rainbow provides a wonderful sensory experience for a baby with bright rainbow colours to provide visual stimulation and 6 different textures to encourage tactile exploration through both hand...
Caaocho Sensory Ball Rainbow 4"
$22.00Sensory Ball Rainbow provides a wonderful sensory experience for a baby with bright rainbow colours to provide visual stimulation and 6 different textures to encourage tactile exploration through both hand...
Sophie La Giraffe Sensory Ball Toy
$28.00This sensory ball A sensorial ball made from 100% natural rubber. Bright colors to stimulate baby 8 small holes to develop baby's curiosity and fine motor skills Multiple textures for...
Miniland Sensory Balls
$54.00The Miniland Sensory Balls are 100% made of natural rubber from hevea trees. Their especially soft natural material makes them very easy to grip and suitable for handling and biting by...
Sophie La Giraffe Sensory Cube
$34.00Sophie La Girafe Sensory Cube has a multitude of activities to discover to stimulate the baby’s senses and develop his motor skills. Sophie La Girafe Sensory Cube Details: Hangs easily thanks...
Tonies Sesame Street Elmo Audio Play Figurine
$17.99Elmo is so excited to play with you! Come along as Elmo learns all about music with Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster. Dance, play, laugh, and sing along with your...
Hape Shake and Match Sorter Box
$30.00Hape’s Shake and Match Shape Sorter is the perfect toy for your growing infant, helping them to develop multi-tasking skills! Suitable for children 12m+ Includes shape sorter with bead-filled blocks...
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.