For any parent that’s had to endure this pandemic with young children, I sympathize with you. It has been incredibly difficult for us trying to navigate being new parents. and not having any available resources or group activities available. I was one of those people that swore I wouldn’t let my house be overcome with colourful and loud toys.
Queue the pandemic and the need to find any source of entertainment for a one year old for an entire day. There’s a few companies that I’ve come to rely on for good, educational and entertaining fun.
The list below is only a small list of companies, many of them Canadian (we try to support local businesses when we can).
Bright Blue Bug
This small Canadian owned business prides itself on providing educational toys that help expand the minds of young ones. As a mother herself, the owner curates what she deems as the best toys from around the world to include them in her shop. Her mission is laid out in three parts:
- To provide collections that inspire children of all ages to ask questions and to heighten their curiosity
- Provide toys that are sustainable and ethical
- Curate toys that support and encourage equal cultural representation
Kimboo
We decided to splurge on the climber and the balance board. I’ll admit, in the beginning I wondered if it was actually a good decision because Teddy didn’t seem to pay any attention to it. Once he started walking and standing on his own those these two things have been a lifesaver. I honestly find we can spend an hour with him climbing on the structures and he still wants more. I would highly recommend purchasing!
West Coast Kids
While this place isn’t cheap, it is definitely a good one for getting all kinds of different toys. We actually used West Coast kids as our baby registry so I spent a lot of time going through the website! I find they are the perfect store for getting small easy gifts as your baby grows.
Lovevery
This was probably one of, if not the best purchase we made in 2020. At first I struggled to wrap my head around the heft price tag but as soon as we got our first box I was hooked. The boxes provide age-appropriate learning activities. There is also a booklet that gives you ideas on how to use the toys in different ways as your baby grows so the toys can be used for months.
There are of course so many more amazing toy companies out there providing educational content for children but these were some of the ones we found through researching or talking to our friends.
