Kids' Toys

Soft toys, rag dolls and rocking animals

Soft toys to cuddle and rag dolls to carry everywhere stand beside rocking animals to sit on and rock, among them a horse, a llama, a rabbit, sheep and a crocodile. Several of the soft toys and rag dolls come in sets, so a child has a small cast of characters to play with at once. A few pieces are made for pretend play, such as a toy cooker and a doctor's play set, and a wooden abacus helps with early counting. When choosing between them, start with the age of the child and the space you have.

Choosing a toy by its recommended age

Almost every toy carries a recommended starting age, and it is the first thing to check. Many are marked suitable from birth; others start at 12 months, 18 months, two years or three years, and the age on the product page says which. Most start at 18 months or under, so the range suits a baby's first months and a first birthday alike. Where a set mixes ages, as with a rattle marked from birth among pieces from 18 months, give a baby only the rattle. Keep anything marked from two or three years out of a baby's reach.

What our fabric and MDF toys are made of

Most of our kids' toys are fabric. Cotton features in a few of the rag dolls, a play mat and a play tent, and linen joins it in one or two of the dolls. Most toys have a woven fabric finish, and a few carry knitted, embroidered or hand-painted detail, among them a toy knitted by hand.

Some pieces are MDF, short for medium-density fibreboard. It is made from fine wood fibres bonded and pressed into a dense, smooth board with no grain or knots, so it cuts cleanly into curves and takes paint evenly. A few toys are wood, among them an abacus. Check the material on the product page if you have a preference.

Toy sets from pairs to 18 pieces

Some toys come as sets, which makes them good for sharing between siblings or for games with friends. Sets run from pairs to an 18-piece activity set, and there are several sets of six, rag dolls among them. Where the pieces of a set are measured one by one, they stand 8.5 to 14.5cm tall. Check the number of pieces on the product page to be sure a set will go round.

How much floor and shelf space a toy needs

Sizes vary widely. Heights run from 4cm to 140cm, lengths from 6cm to 200cm and widths from 4cm to 110cm, and the round pieces measure 15 to 100cm across. A small soft toy tucks onto a shelf or into a basket, while a rocking animal, a play mat or a play tent needs a clear patch of floor. Measure your space against the dimensions on the product page, and leave room around a rocking animal for it to move freely.

Toy colours to suit a nursery scheme

Many of our toys are multicoloured, which brightens a shelf in a playful room. For a calmer nursery there are toys in white and in brown, and a few in natural, green, red, blue, grey or orange. All of them are chosen for the nursery, so they sit happily beside children's furniture and a low bookshelf of picture books, and a rag doll on a shelf earns its place even when nobody is playing.

Toys as gifts for babies and toddlers

For a baby, look for a toy marked suitable from birth; for a first birthday, anything with a starting age of 12 months or under. A set of rag dolls or a rocking animal makes a gift a child can grow into, and for festive giving there is a wooden Christmas music box. We offer free delivery worldwide on all orders over £99. Dispatch estimates are shown on each product page.