5 Highly Recomended Toy Brands For Your Children

Kids love puzzles, and particularly ones that have that chunky, easy-to-grasp feel. Melissa and Doug toys started out mainly as pressed-wood puzzles, beautifully colored and perfect for little hands. Now they offer a full range of toys and games that call back to an older time when toys didn't need to be complicated to engage. 

Nearly every single organized kids' indoor play park imaginable probably has at least some Melissa and Doug toys, so chances are you've seen them even if you didn't know what they were. In fact, their line of toys caters to a wide range of kids, from infants to 8 years old. 

Borrowing from the Dutch words for "children" and "bicycle" respectively, Kinderfeets toy company makes foot-powered bikes for little ones. Unlike traditional trikes and bikes, The bikes have no real pedals - instead the "pedals" are more like foot-perches. The child learns by pushing themselves along with their feet. As they get more confident, they can use momentum to coast and learn intuitively to balance themselves. This makes the transition from trikes to actual bicycles much easier. 

Made from beautiful, high-quality wood and metal, and painted in vibrant, eye-catching colors, the models of the various their entire line of toys are very visually appealing. 

Bath time can either be a chore or something the kids relish, but everyone can agree that some great toys make the experience better for everyone. Boon toys specializes in incredible gadgets and fun, animal-themed bath toys that are truly unique. Honestly, looking at some of the toys, you can easily imagine how fun they'd be to play with, even as an adult. Things like neon suction jellyfish and a whale game that eats floating disks will provide ample entertainment for your littles while they splash and play. 

If you're still not convinced, this whale will convince you otherwise. Beyond bath toys, Boon sells a line of convertable bath tubs for infants, as well as dinner time accessories to make feeding your kids a little more fun and a little less difficult.

Green is a brand that, as a parent, you can truly feel good about. Their toys are brightly colored, fun, AND made of post-consumer recycled plastic, as well as some organic plastics as well. It's never too early to teach your children about the benefits of green living and recycling, and Green Toys checks those boxes while still creating adorable, fun toys. 

One of the coolest things about the Green Toys website is that the actually have an active counter of how many milk jugs they've recycled to make their toys. As of the time of this writing, the number is well over fifty-four million. See for yourself how environmental stewardship and imaginative play come together perfectly in Green Toys' line of products. 

Did you have blocks growing up? They probably had letters, or perhaps numbers on them? Colorful wooden blocks are a great way to get kids involved with learning shapes, colors, and numbers! How about some fossil blocks, though? What about blocks that represent the periodic table of elements? Uncle Goose created a line of toys that are totally non-toxic (their main selling point) while being incredibly fun and unique. 

From the "Women Who Dared" blocks to the "Constellations" and "Planets" collections, you can work on a whole new range of learning with your kids while you stack and memorize new and interesting information. Kids love them because they're chunky and colorful, but surprise - they're learning, too! 

Your kids deserve the very best toys you can provide for them, and that doesn't mean expensive tablets and video game systems. Sometimes a box of blocks or a bit of bathtime fun is the best thing for a young mind.