pretend play

Not ready for your little one to cook with you in the kitchen? A play kitchen encourages budding culinary skills along with hours of imaginary play. These play kitchens are seriously cool, transforming any corner into a really exciting play area that even moms will love. Instead of being made from breakable plastic, all of these play sets are constructed out of wood with moving parts and functional doors and cabinets, making them stand up to busy tots. Introduce stirring, cutting, and whipping up tasty pretend treats with a play kitchen made with your lil one in mind.

Encourage your little builder to nail together something really cool with one of these pretend-play building sets. From tools made for lil one's hands to workbenches ready for big kids, this collection of construction sets can manufacture hours of fun. Along with hammering, cranking, and making lots of building noises, tool sets promote fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination and introduce logic and spacial concepts. And playing with these building sets is tons of fun for the whole family! Click through for some of our favorites.

Felt fun for everyone! Plastic toys can contain BPA and other hazardous chemicals leading mamas to search for healthier options. Wooden toys are a nontoxic alternative but as any mama — on the receiving end of a wooden slice of watermelon thrown by baby — can tell you, they can be dangerous when airborne. Check out these 10 felt toys for tots and let the good times roll!