Amechan: Sweet bubbles. Make magic eco-friendly bubble for a fun summer!! A welcome alternative to plastic bubble wands and a lovely little sweet-shape dish. Includes 3 x handcrafted wooden wands...
Ever had an American breakfast? Enjoy pancakes and a sweet-savory mix of bacon, maple syrup, fried eggs, strawberries and blueberries. Served with some delicious orange juice. Yummy! Includes: 2...
Amuseabean Highland Cow comes from bonny Scotland, where cosy cuddles help in chilly weather! This quirky cow is diddy-delightful, with suedey-soft horns and a punky ginger mane! Cinnamon fur, a...
The pasture coiffeur, Amuseabean Ram is a dandy among the daisies! With a shock of splendid creamy-soft fur, curly stitch horns and cocoa boots, this petal-eared poppet is one special...
Amuseabean Unicorn is not your typical fable. This kawaii legend is dumpling-soft, with pink cordy hooves and a suedette twist horn. Rocking a silky rainbow mane and pastel-pink ears, this...
Amuseable Bonsai is a serene presence. After all, it takes quite a lot of wisdom and patience to grow your own miniature tree, complete with twisty, suedey trunk and a...
Amuseable Birthday Cake is snuggly-scrumptious, with tussly fur so beautifully baked. This party poppet wears a squashy hat of heavenly splodgy buttercream, topped with velvety strawberries and a striped jersey...
Amuseable Coffee Bean is little but powerful, giving a much-needed boost to all! With russet-brown fur, skippy cord feet, shiny eyes and stitched detail, this merry bean has even more...
Amuseable Coffee Cup is a classic blend of rich textures and delicious colours, with notes of quirky charm! This charcoal cup perks up any desk, filled with a suedette ombre...
Freshen up your space with Amuseable Daisy! This trio of flowers have golden fur faces, suedette fold petals and deep green stalks. Sat in a beautiful yellow linen pot with...
With a satin soft diamond set in glitter jersey on a ring of velvet soft silver fur, Amuseable Diamond Ring is a solitaire ready to make a statement. Recommended for...
Amuseable Espresso Cup is mini but mighty, with a huge personality! Sparky and soft, this creamy cup holds a scrummy serving of rich, fuzzy coffee. With adorable chocolatey cordy feet...
Pickles are meant to bring festive good luck, but Amuseable Pickle is a year-round star! Plump and green with embroidered freckles, nutty cord boots and a zingy smile, this gherkin’s...
Trouble comes in twos! Amuseable Pink and White Marshmallows have a lot in common, like praline cord boots, stitchy smiles and rosy blushes. Linked with a pink satin ribbon, these...
Amuseable Sun Musical Pull will send little ones to a joyful dreamland. A tiny white cloud suspends from a bright yellow Amuseable Sun, all created from recycled fibres. Pull down...
Amuseables Avocado Bag Charm is beautifully plump with a chunky suedette stone. With a bold green tummy and tufty shell, toffee cord boots and a Jellycat disc, this smiley fruit...
Amuseables Boiled Egg Scuba can't wait to explore! With super-soft fur in cream and yellow, embroidered goggles and blue suedette flippers, this egg is ready to dive for cuddles! Sitting...
Peeping out of a festive stocking, it's Amuseables Candy Cane! Stripey-silly in scarlet and cream, with cordy brown boots and a friendly grin, this soft little scamp can't wait for...
Mix it up with Amuseables Cassette Tape! This retro charmer is full of fun details, like ink-black fur, silver embroidered reels and a printed label in orange and butterscotch. Kicking...
Rolling in from the sunny field, it's Amuseables Cauliflower! This bobble of goodness has fleecy florets, a cheery smile and cordy booties! This veggie's in vogue, with a funky jacket...
Amuseables Cherry is a scrumptious pal with magenta fur and a friendly stitch smile. With cocoa cord boots, a two-tone stalk and a green embroidered suedette leaf, this cheeky berry...
Trust the Amuseables Coffee-To-Go Bag Charm to perk up gloomy mornings. With biscotti fur, a frothy cream lid, a chunky cord holder and toffee cord boots, as well as a...
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.