Toys

The Toy Industry Foundation presents "Fun Play, Safe Play," a free, downloadable pamphlet that explains the importance of play time for children and discusses the interests and abilities of various age groups. Don’t miss the age-based toy buying guide in the pamphlet.

FamilyFun talks about how children use toys, what makes a good toy, and when you can reasonably expect your young child to be good at sharing toys. Use the small arrow near the bottom of the page to navigate to the following sections.

ConsumerReports.org is a nonprofit organization that tests the safety of many consumer products. Look for ratings of a multitude of children’s products, including toys, in their "Babies & kids" section.

KidsHealth is a site from the Nemours Foundation. Find general guidelines for choosing children's toys with age-appropriate safety in mind.

The National Network for Child Care has a helpful chart divided into specific categories of toys to choose and toys to avoid for children from newborn to 12 years of age. The chart was designed with safety considerations for each age group in mind.

United Cerebral Palsy has a helpful article about choosing toys for children with physical limitations or other special needs. Find a list of several toy stores and other online resources where adaptive toys are available.

AblePlay reviews toys for children with special needs. Start by reading the information under the "AblePlay Rating System" category to learn how the rating system works, what the ratings mean, and what an AblePlay Product Review includes. Use the “Search AblePlay-Rated Products” section to search for and purchase products rated by AblePlay.

Toys “R” Us has a catalogue of toys specifically for “differently-abled” kids. Don’t miss the important PDF guide, “Top Ten Tips for Buying Toys,", that emphasizes abilities over disabilities.

Toys “R” Us is packed with toys available for purchase, but you shouldn't have any trouble finding something specific. Toys are sorted by type, brand name, age group, character, and even customer favorites. Check the "Clearance” category for bargains, and even create a baby registry at this site.

Wal-Mart is very similar to other online stores with the categories of toys it offers, but it also features a "Creative Play" section full of toys meant to spur a child's imagination. Review the "Customers’ Top Rated Toy Products" page to see what other customers like best in each category.

Amazon.com now operates its own toy section after years of partnering with Toys “R” Us. The site adds "Toys for Girls" and "Toys for Boys" to its categories of available toys and has a "Most Gifted in Toys" section to showcase popular items. For a toy that might be a little less mainstream, browse the "Specialty Toys" section for categories like "Collectible Toys," "Hobby Heaven," and "Ultimate Gameroom." Many but not all of the site’s toys qualify for free shipping.

KBtoys.com sells video games and an array of other toys. Find an especially large selection of electronic and collectible toys, and preorder some toys not yet available publicly.

The USA Toy Library Association (USA-TLA) is a national network that promotes toy lending libraries across the country so that kids have a chance to play with new and different toys without the usual expense. The TLA aims to educate parents and children about finding and selecting safe toys, and also teaches about what toys offer the most play value. Go to the “Online Resources” section to sign up for membership with the TLA or order some of the publications available (prices range from $5 to $20 for TLA members, double for nonmembers), or search for a toy library in the directory.

The Discovery Channel Store offers a wide range of learning toys for all ages from young children to adults. Look for toy categories like "Animals & Bugs," "Models & Model Kits," "Music Toys," "Robots & Tech," and "Space & Flight Toys."

LeapFrog sells learning toys and games that focus on many of the subjects a child studies in school. Use the “Gift Finder” feature on the site to easily sort the toys and games by product type, skill level, or age group. Or purchase LeapFrog toys at most major toy stores.

The Classic Toy Museum sells modernized versions of many classic toys that are still popular today and even offers a bit of history about each toy. In some cases, the history tidbits are all you'll get as there isn’t always a purchase option, but that may not be a bad thing if you're just in the mood to feel nostalgic.

FAO Schwarz has a tremendous selection of toys available online but its “Classic Toys & Games” section is especially good. Click on a toy category for a more extensive listing of the toys available.

Back To Basics Toys offers classic toys many parents may remember having when they were younger, as well as toys that are nonviolent in nature. Scan the categories along the top of the page to find the type of toy you want.

eBay.com is a popular auction Web site with thousands of vintage and antique toys available for purchase. Trim your many options by searching the categories in the "Narrow Your Results" section on the left of the page.

AntiqueToys.com sells antique toys and collectibles from the 1850s through the 1960s. Search the toys available for purchase, request toy appraisals, or learn how to grade the quality of vintage toys.

TinToyArcade.com specializes in vintage tin toys of all types (but they are modern reproductions of older versions). Browse the many options under the "Categories" menu to see what's available, or learn more about the site and the products offered in the "Information" section.

Creativity for Kids supplies nontoxic art materials for kids. Find art project ideas that encourage them to put those supplies to good use.

Crayola Creativity Central also has art supplies and craft ideas for children. Shop for art products, then check out this helpful video on how to set up an art room for your young Rembrandt.

GameStop operates stores all over the country under the names GameStop, EB Games, and Electronics Boutique. Look for both new and used video games, browsed easily by console or genre through tabs at the top of the page. Also search by ESRB (maturity ratings) using the “Shop By ESRB” box on the left. Scroll down to find new releases, top sellers, and upcoming releases at the bottom, with links to purchase or preorder.

GoGamer.com sells games for all consoles but is especially good for computer games. Find current prices for top sellers on a variety of consoles listed on the site’s homepage.

DollsLikeMe.com offers a selection of dolls with African American, Hispanic, Asian, and other ethnic characteristics. Navigate the site using the tabs at the top of the page, or scan the "Quick Look" section of the homepage to go straight to a specific type of doll.

The Pattycake Doll Company sells dolls that illustrate diversity in more ways than one. Find not only a selection of dolls of different ethnicities, but also dolls with special needs, such as dolls in wheelchairs or with Down syndrome.

KangarooBoo specializes in quality wooden toys that are handmade in various countries around the world. Search for toys by brand name, the country in which they were made, type of toy, or age group.

Kindertrains sells a large collection of BRIO and Thomas the Tank Engine toys and compatible brands. Browse the site using the menu on the left or use the search box at the top of the page (which may be easier if you know specifically what you’re looking for.) Type "recall" in the search box to find facts about post-recall trains and other notices about recalled products.

A-Rocking-Horse-To-Love.com takes rocking horses to a new level with rocking dogs, rocking sheep, rocking airplanes, and a multitude of other rocking furniture. (Don't despair if you just want a rocking horse; you can find those here too.) Visit the “Kids Furniture” section for more basic furniture such as toy boxes, bookshelves, and children's desks.

Spilsbury specializes in unique and challenging puzzles, games, and brain teasers. Make sure to browse the "Under $15" section and the "Clearance" page for great prices on these less common gifts.

Klutz keeps kids busy with a large supply of how-to books filled with crafts and projects for them to make or build, complete with all necessary supplies. Browse through books of art projects, science projects, games, and skills like magic and juggling. Or get completely original and make your own book with the supplies available from the "build-a-book" page.

RoboToys.com encourages technical thinking in kids with kits they can use to assemble their own robots or put together robot models. Discover toys for kids at a variety of skill levels, so you don't have to worry about whether something is too simple or too advanced here.

MSNBC.com offers several tips for keeping playrooms organized and spacious enough that kids actually have room to play in them. Discover specific organizational tools you can use to follow each tip, including the prices of those tools and links to Web sites where you can purchase them.

Disney Family teaches how parents can implement (and actually keep using) a toy organization system for their kids in this helpful article.

Charity Guide is a nonprofit organization that aims to make volunteering quicker and easier. Look for several resources about how and where to donate toys to sick or needy children.

Best Child Toys has a page of tips for storing old or unused toys in an organized manner. Find a page with storage advice for specific types of toys, such as puzzles, bath toys, and large toys.

SFGate.com is the online home of The San Francisco Chronicle. Take a look at this blog entry highlighting one parent's chagrin when his child received more toys for Christmas than he could reasonably play with. See the reader comments below the entry and maybe find just the tip you need to avoid the problem of having too many toys in the first place.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has a lengthy list of toy recall notices, with the most recent recalls located at the top. Click on a heading for a press release with descriptions about the recalled toy and contact information you’ll need if you own the recalled toy. Also find a list of “Infant/Child Product Recalls”.

Recalls.gov is a federal government resource for product recall and safety information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other government organizations. Use this page to sign up for e-mail alerts about recalls from one or all of these agencies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains what you should do if you are worried about your child's exposure to lead. Access tips for preventing lead exposure from toys and keep up to date on lead-related recall news.

The New York Times explains why and how Chinese toy manufacturers used paint with high concentrations of lead in manufactured toys despite regulations and health concerns.