Baby and Toddler Toys for Growth and Development

When choosing baby and toddler toys, it's essential to consider age-appropriateness, safety, and the developmental benefits they offer. Age-appropriate toys help babies in their early learning and development journey, and help toddlers to learn and grow, whilst keeping them entertained and engaged in meaningful play.

Baby toys play a crucial role in a child's early development, as they aid in stimulating their senses, motor skills, and cognitive abilities. These toys are designed to be safe, colourful, and engaging for babies, typically ranging from newborns up to toddlers.

Some common types of baby toys include:

Rattles: Simple and lightweight toys that make gentle sounds when shaken, helping babies develop their hand-eye coordination.

Soft Toys: Stuffed animals or plush toys provide comfort and companionship to babies while stimulating their sense of touch.

Stacking Rings and Blocks: Toys that can be stacked or nested, helping babies develop their fine motor skills and spatial awareness.

Shape Sorters: Toys that require babies to match shapes to corresponding holes, promoting problem-solving and hand-eye coordination.

Toddler toys are specifically designed to cater to the developmental needs and interests of children between the ages of 1 and 3 years. These toys help toddlers explore their world, develop essential skills, and engage in imaginative play. Some popular types of toddler toys include:

Push and Pull Toys: Toys with wheels that toddlers can push or pull, helping them develop their walking and balance skills.

Shape Sorters and Puzzles: Toys that require toddlers to match shapes or solve simple puzzles, enhancing their problem-solving abilities.

Building Blocks: Colourful and large building blocks that allow toddlers to stack, sort, and create structures, promoting creativity and fine motor skills.

Play Kitchen Sets: Miniature kitchen sets with pots, pans, and play food, encouraging imaginative role-playing and social skills.

Musical Instruments: Small musical instruments like drums, xylophones, and shakers that introduce toddlers to music and rhythm.

Stuffed Animals and Dolls: Soft and cuddly companions that provide comfort and support imaginative play.

The Benefits of Classic Toys and Games

Bonding with children over toys is enjoyable and beneficial to all involved, but there are also some other fantastic advantages to keep in mind when picking out toys for your little cherubs.

Completing a puzzle helps with advancing a child’s fine motor skills as they learn to place puzzle pieces in the correct spot and the right way round. Puzzles also assist with hand-eye coordination and help children to understand patterns. We have a wide range of puzzles that are different sizes, shapes and a variation of pieces to challenge young ones and to ensure that will not get bored.

Do you remember the feeling you used to get from completing a puzzle? The experience leads to an immense sense of satisfaction, which in turn leads to a boost in self-esteem.

Playing a memory game or matching game with your child can help them to increase their attention span, and improve their cognitive skills. It is a great way to exercise and train the brain for visual memory. As memory and matching games are simple to play they can be enjoyed by children of all ages - younger children can bond with older children over a simple game. We have a large range of memory and matching games in store.

Craft can be enjoyed by all, whether it is painting, modelling with PlayDoh, building with blocks or drawing. Craft builds self-confidence, assists with decision making and gives children a sense of identity as they discover their creative flares whilst being their own person, (all while having fun!). Craft toys are also a great way for children to express themselves. We love to encourage children to be their own person and express themselves and have a fantastic range of craft activities in-store to help them do this, including Paper Dolls, Origami and paper craft sets, knitting dolls, stamp sets, stickers and flower presses.

Imaginative play has infinite possibilities and we stock a large range of play sets where children and adults can bond over tea parties, cook with wooden utensils, cut up wooden fruit and much more. Imaginative play builds a child’s self-confidence and it is a stepping stone to social play as they invite others to play with their tea cups filled with imaginary tea, or in their kitchen making imaginary dinner for their toys. Imagination play is also great for a child’s emotional development as they can express their feelings through re-enactment of certain experiences with their pretend play toys.

Musical instruments ignite all areas of a child’s development and skills. Playing musical instruments is great for toddlers and even if it doesn’t sound like anything rhythmical or melodic to us, it helps their body and mind work together. Music is a great way for young ones to express their creativity and they get a sense of accomplishment as they make sound come out of a piano, drum, harmonica or guitar. At The Vintage Toy Box we believe that it is important for children to express themselves by making music with instruments and we love to hear them making music in-store with all of our instruments and music toys.

Stuffed teddy’s, dolls and other soft toys provide comfort and security for your little one, giving them a friend to tell secrets to and confide in. They are also a great gateway to imaginative play as they role-play with their much loved toys. Children may for example act like a parent to other toys, putting them in charge of a situation, which in turn then builds up their self-confidence. We have a large range of soft toys which could easily become your child’s next loving best friend.

Sitting down as a family to play a family board game is a great way for a child to feel a sense of belonging and security as they play. Introducing family games at a young age can help with learning, teaching children how to share, how to take turns and how to loose without getting offended or upset. Another great benefit of family games is that it teaches children about planning and problem solving. We have loads of family games in store to intrigue adults and children alike, including all time classics such as Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Draughts, Ludo, and Game of Goose to name just a few. Enhance your family bonding time by grabbing a vintage inspired game today.

To check out all of these toys and games and much, much more, visit us in-store or browse or online store.

Our Toy Makers | Ephy's Craft | Soft toys | Crochet Toys | Knitted Toys | Amigurumi Toys

In a nutshell, tell us about your business

Ephy’s Kraft came about as a result of my love for crocheting. I particularly love to crochet miniature animal-like figures, mostly in the Amigurumi style (Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures).

Tell us a bit about you

We moved to the Highlands about three years ago. Having visited on many occasions in the past 20 years we decided to escape Sydney to a more attractive rural area. My working background was 10 years working in After School Care. Prior to this I worked in IT at Qantas, and before this I was an industrial chemist. Such a wide range of careers, culminating in Ephy’s Kraft!

What inspired you to set up your business?

I was taught crochet by my mother (some pieces of hers decorate our home) and then I took it up again later in life as a hobby. I was drawn to the Amigurumi style as it deals mainly with animal-like figures created as separate pieces sewn together to make the whole.

I liked the idea of having my work sitting in other homes and found Highlands Handmade in Moss Vale (originally set up by Angus McKinnon) through local chatter. Highlands Handmade gave me the opportunity to showcase my creations, and send them off to loving homes.

When the Highlands Handmade shop closed down and The Vintage Toy Box reached out to toy and card makers to give us the opportunity to sell our creations in the toy shop and continue the Highlands Handmade concept, I jumped at the chance.

What do you make?

Predominantly, on the smaller scale, animal-like figures. I usually add clothing or facial expressions to give them an individual personality … and after talking to them, Charles, my husband gives them a name!

How do you make them?

I crochet separate elements using cotton and soft-fill stuffing, which I then sew together to create wonderful animal-like creatures and characters.

Describe your artistic style

I create using the Amigurumi pattern and then add my own ideas to enhance their characteristics and give them their own personality.

What do you love about your business?

I gain immense satisfaction once each animal-like figure comes together from the individual pieces. After chatting with each animal, they acquire their own character and personality. It’s such a joy to see them eventually relocate to another loving home.

Where would you like to see your products?

Initially in a shop like The Vintage Toy Box that sells similar products that appeal to children and adults alike.

Favourite toy as a child and why?

Back in the day there was a table-tennis shaped bat with a small rubber ball attached by an elastic… it was known as a ‘ding-bat’ and it became my favourite as I didn’t have to run and fetch the ball! The elastic attachment ensured my lack of eye-hand coordination didn’t come into play, unlike my many failures with other ball games.

Only later in life did I appreciate the frustration this inability could inflict upon someone else when my husband Charles thought tennis was a good idea, albeit for a very short time. Soon he also gave up on me throwing him any object after said objects inevitably ended up anywhere else but with him… you did ask!

To check out some of Ephy’s wonderful creations, and to learn more about her (and them!), drop into The Vintage Toy Box or check out her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EphysKraft.

We can guarantee that Ephy’s handmade (with love) toys will fill you with joy!

P.S. Just for the record, we also sell the bat and balls (Ding Bats) that Ephy remembers so well. The Vintage Toy Box. x