Destiny Baby

Floor play mats are a great gift idea for for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Indoor play becomes lots of fun with these soft foam and vinyl activity and crawling mats that promote coordination, physical movement and recognition of colors, shapes, letters and numbers.

With some, like the Edushape tile sets, your child can fit the pieces together to build giant soft blocks out of the tiles that make up the floor mat.

These are also a great hygienic way to support active floor play while you and your family are on the road traveling for the holidays or for use in hotels on family road trips. Destiny Baby has always loved to play around on the floor, so we always bring a can of Lysol to hotels to spray the carpet!

Below is a list of some of the highest rated floor activity play mats for infants and toddlers on Amazon. And don’t forget to check out more Top Holiday Deals on Toys & Games from Amazon.

Play mats for toddlers or infants that crawl:

Uppercase 36 Sq. Ft. ‘We Sell Mats’ Alphabet and Number Floor Puzzle-Each Tile 12″x12″x3/8″ Thick with Borders

Edushape Edu Tiles Uppercase Letters Playmat, 26 Piece Set

Edushape Edu Tiles – 10 Piece Set

Infant activity mats:

Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe – Lights&Music (This infant playmat has won many awards, including Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Parents’ Choice, and Parenting Magazine Toy of the Year Award.)

Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym

Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym

Top Holiday Deals on Toys & Games from Amazon

As a child, I naturally gravitated to those puzzle and game books (think Dell or Variety) that you can buy at your local grocery store or news stand. I loved to solve word and logic problems, play numbers games and cryptograms. It didn’t hurt being an only child, I suppose. And little did I know that those same games would be so similar to some of the reasoning questions found on standardized tests like the SAT. Well, this set of games will really get your toddler off on the fast track to “brainy-ness.” Reviews call it an essential tool for parents or caregivers. The pages of 125 Brain Games for Toddlers and Twos are filled with easy-to-play games based on the latest brain research. We know that a young child’s brain grows at a phenomenal rate in the first years of life, opening a window of opportunity for a lifetime of enhanced cognitive development. (Read more…)

What an incredible set of baby’s first blocks! I wish I had these for my son when he was much younger. This set features 16 stimulating colorful soft building blocks that are feather light to the touch, with windows and doors that open to reveal smiling characters and fun surprises. What’s really cool are the 8 triangular blocks that feature bold black and white graphics to catch the attention and mentally stimulate newborns in their cribs. Older babies will enjoy the bright colors and graphics on the remaining 8 square blocks, covered with satin, corduroy and cotton for varied textures. Each block jingles, rattles or crinkles, teaching cause and effect. This would make a perfect Christmas gift for any infant or toddler. (more…)

You can get great savings on Early Development Learning Toys this season from eToys. Everthing is available, from backpacks and lunch kits to educational games and netbooks by all your favorite brands.

Save $5 when you spend $25 or more at Etoys.com. Limited time only!

The following coupons expire 8/8/09:

Buy a Leapster Game System & get a FREE Learning Game (up to $24.99 value!) at eToys.com. Offer good 7.26 to 8.8

Save $10 on ALL Asus Netbooks at eToys.com. Offer good 7.26 to 8.8

Save 25% on ALL Easels PLUS Free Shipping at eToys.com. Offer good 7.26 to 8.8

When it comes to buying toys featuring our kid’s favorite television characters like Diego or Dora the Explorer, it’s not just about buying any toy with the name of the character slapped on. As we’ve mentioned before, child development experts have repeatedly shown that the best kinds of toys encourage unstructured playtime and have multiple uses.

Diego is a popular children’s cartoon character on Nick Jr. (Baby Destiny looooves him!) He’s an animal rescuer and cousin to Dora the Explorer, who goes on adventures all over the world. Like Dora, the show is interactive, asking young viewers to identify objects, follow clues, all while teaching vocabulary (including Spanish!) Stores are filled with toys and products featuring both characters.

Below are some of the best toys and books we’ve found featuring both of these favorite cartoon characters. Follow the links below to find out more about educational toys featuring Dora the Explorer or Go Diego Go!

You can get award winning toys and save at Imagine the Challenge Toys. Imagine the Challenge offers unique, award-winningtoys and accessories that are different from what you might find at a mass-market toy store. The best developmental toys are those that elicit creativity, problem solving and higher order brain functions, rather than rote memorization or toys with prescribed ways of using them (many toys billed as “educational” don’t stimulate the cognitive functions so critical to your toddler’s long term development and learning path. Not too long ago we posted an article on the value of unstructured play and multi-purpose toys. Did you know that in the U.S., children aged 3 to 12 only spend 30 minutes a week (less than 2% of their free time) on unstructured outdoor play? Get a headstart on promoting your toddler’s learning by getting toys that stimulate their creativity and imagination. Toys featured on the Imagine the Challenge site have won prestigious awards, such as Dr. toy, Parent’s Choice and The National Parenting Center, recognized for their quality, ingenuity and educational value.