Play Time
Bella Tunno Happy Links Cool Sky
$15.00The Happy Links set includes 5 links for teething playing and organizing. Attach them to the stroller, rocker, play gym, or carrier to bring the fun wherever you go. ...
Bella Tunno Happy Links Soft Bloom
$15.00The Happy Links set includes 5 links for teething playing and organizing. Attach them to the stroller, rocker, play gym, or carrier to bring the fun wherever you go. ...
Bella Tunno Happy Stacks Cool Blue
$20.00The Silicone Happy Stacks are the new must-have Montessori toy. Classic stacking cups just got a massive upgrade. This set of 7 square silicone stackers teaches stacking, nesting, counting, and...
Bella Tunno Happy Stacks Jeweled Pink
$20.00The Silicone Happy Stacks are the new must-have Montessori toy. Classic stacking cups just got a massive upgrade. This set of 7 square silicone stackers teaches stacking, nesting, counting, and...
Bella Tunno Happy Stacks Warm Neutral
$20.00The Silicone Happy Stacks are the new must-have Montessori toy. Classic stacking cups just got a massive upgrade. This set of 7 square silicone stackers teaches stacking, nesting, counting, and...
Guidecraft Hardwood Unit Block 5 Piece Set
$16.00This block set is perfect for use with Block Mates Classic unit blocks for home or school use Set includes 5 (5.5″ x 2.75″) blocks Durable design with sanded smooth...
Jellycat Harvey Bear Plush Toy
$150.00Harvey Bear is the king of naptime. Golden-brown and wonderfully lazy, Harvey will flop at the drop of a hat. With a rumpled tummy, huge weighted paws, a bobble tail...
Tikiri Havah the Bunny Natural Rubber Squeak...
$22.00This friendly little squeaker Havah the Bunny will provide comfort and stimulation to newborns. Sound toys such as this, help newborns discover their senses and teach them a fundamental lesson...
Hape Healthy Fruit Set Toy
$20.00Get used to eating healthily with this cute fruit set. Includes one realistic play knife, two strawberries, one pear, one orange, one apple, with removable stalks and one slice of...
Jellycat Hello Moon Fabric Book
$24.00A charming interactive fabric book featuring Amuseables Moon with bold, colourful illustrations. Printed on cotton, with crinkle pages, applique texture detail and a mirror on the last page to delight...
Chronicle Books Hello Nature (Draw, Collect, Make and...
$18.99A fantastic nature activity book by Nina Chakrabarti, exploring the exciting natural world around us. This is your very own nature scrapbook, packed with fascinating facts and brilliant activities. Doodle,...
Jellycat Hello Sun Fabric Book
$24.00The Hello Sun Fabric Book is a joyfully interactive story for young babies. Featuring bright illustrations, crinkle pages, applique textures and a mirror to delight and entertain. Easily attachable to...
Banwood Helmet Marest Allegra White
$59.00The Banwood x Marest Helmet Allegra White kids' bike helmets are lightweight, stylish, and provide safety through design and tested materials. They are the perfect accomplice to any child’s adventure, designed in...
Mushie HexaPop Suction Toy
$14.00Our HexaPop Suction Toy is an engaging playtime companion that keeps littles busy at home or on-the-go. The sturdy suction cups on top and bottom easily stick to smooth surfaces,...
Fat Brain Toy Hey Clay Aliens
$22.00Become a professional clay artist! This vibrant clay is soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free - perfect for young artists taking their first step into the magical world of clay...
Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Animals
$22.00Become a professional clay artist with Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Animals!The 18 cans of high-quality clay included in this vibrant set are soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free -...
Fat Brain Toy Hey Clay Bijou Flower Rings
$6.00This vibrant clay is soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free - perfect for young artists taking their first step into the magical world of clay creativity. The fun starts once...
Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Dinos
$22.00Become a professional clay artist with Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Dinos!The 18 cans of high-quality clay included in this vibrant set are soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free - Perfect...
Fat Brain Toy Hey Clay Dog Story
$22.00The vibrant clay is soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free - perfect for young artists taking their first step into the magical world of clay creativity. The fun starts once...
Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Forest Animals
$22.00Become a professional clay artist with Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Forest Animals!Pick one of the six forest animals - wolf, fox, squirrel, bear, deer, or hog. Then, grab the sculpting...
Fat Brain Toy Hey Clay Monsters
$22.00Become a professional clay artist with Fat Brain Toy Hey Clay Monsters!The 18 cans of high-quality clay included in this vibrant set are soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free - Perfect...
Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Ocean Creatures
$22.00Become a professional clay artist with Fat Brain Toys Hey Clay Ocean Creatures!Pick one of the six ocean creatures - the octopus, shark, eel, discus fish, clownfish, or stingray. Then, grab the...
Fat Brain Toy Hey Clay Rainbow Unicorns
$22.00The vibrant clay is soft, lightweight, non-sticky, nontoxic, and stain-free - perfect for young artists taking their first step into the magical world of clay creativity. The fun starts once...
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.