Play Time
Tender Leaf Toys Hair Salon
$100.00For all hair types, colors and styles, this hair salon offers a full range of hair treatment and styling opportunities. Finished in gender-neutral colors, a tabletop swivel mirror with a...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Bunny (Rose with ...
$40.00About the Baby Animal Collection Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Duckling
$36.00Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our heirloom-quality baby animals are lovingly handcrafted with natural 100% cotton yarn and the most endearing details. Available in two endearing and huggable sizes...
Cuddle + KindBasic Retail Tax Group Hand Knit Doll Baby Elephant
$36.00Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal is lovingly handcrafted from natural...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Flamingo
$36.00Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal is lovingly handcrafted from natural...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby giraffe
$36.00Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal is lovingly handcrafted from natural...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Honey Bear
$36.00About the Baby Animal Collection Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Lion
$36.00About the Baby Animal Collection Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Puppy
$36.00Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal is lovingly handcrafted from natural...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Baby Rabbit (Powder Pink)
$36.00About the Baby Animal Collection Absolutely adorable and oh so collectible! Our hand-knit baby animals are the perfect way to start or grow your cuddle+kind collection. Every heirloom-quality baby animal...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Bea The Dog
$79.00 – $99.00About Bea Birthday: July 15th Has anyone ever told you something’s impossible? Let me share my little secret - the only thing that matters is that you believe in yourself! Let’s...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll George The Dog
$79.00 – $99.00About George Birthday: June 9th Wow, the world is a big, beautiful, incredible place, and I’m so happy we’re in it! There’s so much to see if you’re willing to forge...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Hayden The Dog
$79.00 – $99.00About Hayden Birthday: June 2nd Do you know what it means to be a friend? To me, being kind is the best thing you can be! I love getting to know...
Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Savannah The Lion
$74.00 – $95.00I’m happiest when leaping across the magnificent grasslands, looking for the next adventure. When I’m faced with a challenge, I hold my head up proudly and say, “I can do...
Moulin Roty Hanging Activity Toy Zimba Dans La J...
$30.00This hanging activity toy Zimba is made of bright blue plush and comes with different types of sensory activities to keep your little ones occupied. Size: 6.5 inches Age: 0+...
Moulin Roty Hanging Activity Toy Pakou Toucan Dan...
$46.00This hanging activity toy features Pakou a colorful toucan that will surely delight and stimulate your little one's senses. Size: 11.5 inches Age: 0+
Rattan Hanging Egg Shaped Chair
$65.00Just hanging around! Poppie’s cool egg chair is a real eye-catcher. Hang it where you'd like, just add your favorite soft toys. -For kids aged 1 year and upwards Fits...
Jellycat Hank Hamster
$28.00Hank Hamster is Gordy Guinea Pig's pal, and just as divinely podgy. This fuzzy hamster has apricot fur and gently folded peach ears. With soft stitch claws, an embroidered nose,...
Hape Happy Buckets Toy Set
$18.00Three colourful buckets featuring water drainage providing fun interactions. Perfect for water play! Fill up the buckets with water, bubbles or carry your bath time friends around in the pails....
Tender Leaf Toys Happy Folk Hotel
$56.00Meet the 9 folks who reside at the happy hotel. Made from solid wood, colored with a soft water-based stain, they can represent anyone you know. These little people are...
Hape Happy Grand Piano Musical Toy Black
$200.00Hape’s Happy Grand Piano is the perfect toy for your growing little musician! This music-maker lets your child practice scales, encouraging musical expression, creativity. Suitable for children 3 years+ Includes...
Hape Happy Grand Piano Pink Musical Toy
$200.00Budding concert pianists will easily scale the 30 keys of this colorful wood grand piano, made for small hands and big sounds
Cottage Door Press Happy Hanukkah, Little Dreidel Finger...
$7.99Mazel tov! It’s time to spin the dreidel! Hebrew school is in session for little dreidels everywhere, and they’re hard at work learning all the game rules and practicing their...
Hape Happy Harp Musical Toy
$44.00Play a favorite tune on this sturdy strummer sized for small hands and big voices. Includes playing and tuning tips and 5 songs plus a blank page to write your...
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.