KIDDING AROUND
TFG's FAVORITE TOYS TO ENGAGE AND STIMULATE YOUR BABY EINSTEIN

Got a budding Beethoven on your hands? If your child is especially stimulated by music, she or he will love Leap Frog's Learn & Groove Bandstand ($45), Counting Maracas ($15) and Alphabet Drum ($20), each of which play tunes that are anything but aggravating.
www.leapfrog.com

There are good reasons why Manhattan Toy's Skwish Color Burst ($15) and Winkel ($12) are classics: they're colorful, easy to grab (and chew!) and offer easy manipulability for even the tiniest hands.
www.manhattantoy.com

Lamaze's Larry the Lion, Henry the Happy Hippo, Eli the Elephant and Spike the Dinosaur aren't your garden-variety stuffed animals. The offer vivid colors, multiple textures and appendages that squeak, crinkle and rattle. A Bonus: they link right onto the crib or stroller.
$10 each, www.amazon.com

                                   
                                    Your child will love when you put on a show                                     with Baby Einstein's cheerful puppets. They
                                    also make for great bath play.
                                    $7 each, www.babyuniverse.com

                                                        When a short DVD viewing session is in order, opt for one
                                                        of the three disks in HBO's Classical Baby Series. Each
                                                        one offers animated images of art, music and dance set
                                                        to a background of soothing, classical tunes. They're so
                                                        darn cool, you'll want to sneak more than a peek for
                                                        yourself.
                                                        $20, www.amazon.com








Why is it that every parent swears by Evenflo's Exersaucer SmartSteps Active Learning Center? The answer's simple: because it allows kids to move while self-selecting engaging activities involving sound, touch and sight.
$100, www.amazon.com

Introduce your kids to numbers with the Hand Counting Puzzle by Small World Toys. Its bright colors and simple shapes are accessible to even the youngest puzzle aficionado.
$9, www.buybuybaby.com

                                                                              With a little imagination, anything's possible. Let you kids live out
                                                                              their Pirates of The Caribbean fantasy with the Adventures Ahoy!
                                                                              Pirate Ship from Ryan's Room.
                                                                              $67, www.creativetrains.com




Who says blocks are for boys only? These whimsical
blocks featuring hearts and pastel colors are sure to
inspire a new generation of female architects.
$30, www.wonderbrains.com

The double easel from Little Tykes features both a chalkboard and a paper side, so two can join in the hours of artistic fun and creativity it provides.
$60, www.amazon.com

—Chelsea Kaplan

Click here to read all about Chelsea's life with child in her blog, “I'm Somebody's Mother?”