Play Time
Smart Games Smartmax Power Vehicles Max
$42.00Smart Games Smartmax Power Vehicles Maxis the perfect construction set for your little one to use during play time for endless fun and creativity! This set is includes everything needed...
Smart Games SmartMax Roboflex
$34.00 – $45.00Let your little ones expand their imagination with the SmartMax Roboflex set as they build and create their own version of robots. Age: 3 years+ Roboflex Medium includes 12 pieces Roboflex...
Smart Games Smartmax Start
$42.00Have fun building incredible structures with SmartMax! SmartMax allows children to explore magnetism safely. The oversized pieces are specifically designed for handling by young kids as they learn about the...
Smart Games Smartmax Start XL 42 Pieces
$78.00Smart Games Smartmax Start XL is the perfect construction set for your little one to use during playtime for endless fun and creativity! Suitable for children 3 years+ Compatible with...
Ooly Smooth Stix Watercolor Gel Crayons 24...
$24.00Begin your next art project with a rainbow of colors with a set of Smooth Stix watercolor gel crayons. With 24 brilliant colors there’s a near endless amount of creative art...
Hape Smoothie Blender Toy
$24.00Healthy smoothies are a delicious way to eat your fruit and vegetables! Make your own play smoothies with this cool blender set that comes with two cups and includes fruits...
Jellycat Smudge Bear Bag Charm
$25.00Classically sweet in warm golden fur, the Smudge Bear Bag Charm brings any bag to life. Beautifully soft, with holdable paws, embroidered face and bobble tail, this bear clips on...
Jellycat Smudge Fox Medium
$35.00Smudge Fox is a woodland wonder in super soft dark orange fur. With trumpet legs, fluffy cream ears and muzzle, and a chunky cream-tipped tail, this little cub is a...
Jellycat Smudge Hippo
$35.00Smudge Hippo is a smiling sweetie in super soft lilac fur. With dainty ears, stitched nostrils and a curved tail, this lilac lovely has long legs and a squishy tummy....
Jellycat Smudge Rabbit Bag Charm
$25.00As soft and calming as a scoop of oatmeal, it's the Smudge Rabbit Bag Charm! This lop-eared bunny has soothing beige fur, a pompom tail and a gentle stitch face....
Estella Sneaker Security Blanket
This organic cotton sneaker lovey will be your little athlete's best friend. With a vibrant red athletic shoe design, classic cream and red stripe, and fun 3-dimensional shoelaces, this lovey...
Jellycat Snow Dragon Bag Charm
$28.00Whatever the weather, the Snow Dragon Bag Charm will be there for you. This loveable dragon is snowball-soft, with rich vanilla fur and silver sparkles on the ears, spines and...
Sophie La Giraffe So Pure Natur'Soft Rattle
$28.00This Sophie La Giraffe So Pure Natur'Soft Rattle is easy to grasp, Sophie’s head to chew and bell to shake. Sophie La Girafe So Pure Natur'Soft Rattle Details: Age: 3 months+ First...
Sophie La Giraffe So Pure Rubberwood Boat Bath Toy
$28.00Make bath time fun with the Sophie La Giraffe Rubberwood Boat. The boat floats on water and its buoy is removable and can be used as a teether for the...
Sophie La Giraffe So Pure Totem Rattle
$27.00The Totem Rattle has everything to stimulate the baby's senses: Age: 3 months+ Little balls inside the handle and 2 wooden rings t listen to while they bang together Two different...
Sophie La Giraffe So' Pure Balls and Cubes Toy
$24.00The Sophie the Giraffe Balls & Cubes set contains two balls and two cubes made from 100% natural rubber, for developing baby's dexterity! Light and easy to manipulate your baby...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Bath Toy
$24.00A fun Sophie La Girafe takes on the traditional rubber duck! Fun bath toy made with the same all-natural rubber as the original Sophie teether. Made with 100% natural rubber from...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Coloring Teether
$26.00Calisson’s Cooling Teething Ring is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth with its various soft chew parts! Made of 100% natural rubber Includes 4 geometrical shapes...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Early Learning Gift Set
$32.00An ideal set to develop baby's dexterity and senses! Contains two products made from 100% natural rubber a colo'rings teething ring and 2 balls and 2 cubes. Age: 0 months Colo'rings...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Natur'chew Rattle
$27.00A Rattle and a teething ring at the same time, it combines 2 natural materials: A bio-based material with vegetal origin that come from starch and cassava. It is guaranteed...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Natur'rings Teether
$18.00Healthy and natural, this rattle is made from 100% bio-based material with vegetal origin, pulled from starch and cassava. It is guaranteed without oil and it represents an environmental alternative...
Sophie La Giraffe So'Pure Ring Teether
$22.00Calisson’s Cooling Teething Ring is ideal for your little one, perfect for their growing teeth! Made of 100% natural rubber Made in France Soothes sore gums Weight: 0.30 lbs Dimensions:...
Manhattan Toy Soft Activity Book Deer One
$18.00Soft textured fabrics for tummy-time play. The animal-themed soft activity book folds out flat doubling its as a pat-mat for tummy time. Each page features nostalgic illustrations, various fabric textures,...
Manhattan Toy Soft Activity Book Flutter By Birdie
$24.00Little ones will have a fun time with the Flutter by Birdie soft book. Featuring 6 pages of follow-along fun with a tethered crinkle birdie. Includes crinkle, peek a boo...
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.