Fans of Zutano’s colorful clothing for infants and children will want to check out these sweet little bunny toys. Hip Hoppy Bunny is 10 inches tall and comes dressed in a Zutano outfit that is selected at random to surprise you. You choose whether you want a boy or girl, and whether you want a chocolate or cream bunny. You can purchase one of these fun toys for $16.69 at http://www.bambinomountain.com/HH02C.html.

Amolia Mae sells these beautiful Powell Craft brand handcrafted, embroidered pajamas for boys. Along with that, they sell teddy bears wearing matching pajamas. What could delight a little boy more? My almost six-year-old was recently treated to a sample pair of pajamas and teddy bear from Amolia Mae. It arrived at the perfect time, while he was quarantined inside our house with strep throat during the Blizzard of 2010. The pajamas are long-sleeve, beautiful 100% fine cotton, and arrive in an Organza case. The matching teddy bear is darling as well. My son has a friend now to take to bed every night (and a favorite pair of pajamas as well!) You can purchase these for your own child, at a price of $42 for the pajamas and about $20 for the bear, at AmoliaMae.com.

We have a little musical piano for the boys to bang away on in the playroom. Now and then, they stop and have a go at it. Listening to my 16-month-old “sing” along with his banging is quite amusing. I grabbed our little steel piano at a second hand store for a couple dollars, but if you really want something with wow factor, there’s the Schoenhut My First Piano in red. Attractive and made with keys that are connected to little hammers and steel music rods for “chime-like notes”, it’s a sophisticated choice for $54.99 at www.oompa.com.

We live in a house full of little boy toys, especially race cars and trucks. The Classic Racing Tire Toy Chest would fit in perfectly; my boys would love it. It would fit in a race car themed room as a laundry hamper or blanket storage as well. I like that the website suggests teaching kids how much fun a “speedy clean up” can be with this toy chest. So far, I’ve found Little Tikes products to be very durable and well-made. It’s $59.99 at www.littletikes.com.

I have found since having boys that they like things that hook up to other things (tow trucks, helicopters with tow cables, cranes.) I saw the Plan Toys Crane Set and thought they’d like that. There’s a little man to run the crane and several construction items, like signs and a cement mixer. It’s eco-friendly, non-toxic, and brightly colored but pricey at $69.99. Little boys can be rough with their toys, though, and I’m sure the solid wood construction would stand up to them much better than a cheaper plastic version.

Holtziger animals are new to me; I haven’t run into them before. They’re kind of cute and not outrageously priced, some at under $10 apiece. Though he’s a bit more at $19.99, I especially like the Red Dragon, made from various types of sturdy wood. However, I am also a fan of the slithering Snake for $8.49. Softened edges, non-toxic paint, and touted as high quality, it might be worth collecting whole sets of Holtziger animals from www.threesisterstoys.com.

As a child growing up in the late 1970s/early 1980s, I have fond memories of spending rainy afternoons making Shrinky Dinks in the oven with my mom or babysitter. Once I colored them, these little plastic pieces would amazingly shrink up in the oven. Today’s Shrinky Dinks robots are pre-cut, making the process even easier. Colored pencils are included, and you can mix and match heads, bodies, and feet. An adult needs to put them in the oven, and when they’re finished “baking,” your child has his own mini-robots that he helped create. A ring on the top helps to attach the mini-robot to a backpack so it won’t be easily lost. Recommended for ages 5 and up (with adult supervision), Shrinky Dinks Robots sell for $4.99 for a set of 9 pieces (makes 3 robots) at ThinkGeek.com. A great rainy-day activity.

I know that, as a child (and maybe now), I’d have enjoyed the Fairy Forest Lodge set. If you buy the lodge alone (which is the house and the stairs only), it’s on sale for $74.95. However, if you buy the entire Tree Trunk House and all the accessories, it’s $214.95. I just love all the people, their furniture, and the bridge. The River Bridge Puzzle is a nice base for the house. The fairy dolls are sweet with their wings and smiling faces. This set really is something special. From www.threesisterstoys.com.

Very eco-friendly because the fabric is made from special dyes from Switzerland, the Barefoot jungle animals are happy and pretty and sure to make good friends. They’re even on sale for $12.99, down from $16.99. I think they would go well among any other jungle animals or jungle play sets you might have in the play room. I adore the colors and textures and I think they will engage the senses of children. From www.littletreehouse.ca.

Instead of using the same old plastic tubs and totes for storage, why not consider a sweet felt house to put your child’s things in? 12” x 8” and great for all the little cars, dollies, pretend food, and other things that get underfoot, the hand made Houses are on sale for $52.99 (down from $69.99.) The great thing about these is that they’re even machine washable, which is always a good thing when children are involved. I love the little decorative felt flowers and climbing ivy adorning the houses. I think I’d keep all those books that gather next to rocking chairs and beds in our house in these lovely little storage houses from www.littletreehouse.ca.

These handmade ice cream cone rattles look good enough to eat! Made by a fair trade women’s cooperative in Bangladesh, these knit rattles measure 5″ long. They are available in strawberry, mint chocolate chip, and french vanilla, and are sold individually for $9 each at Elsewares.com.

This is something I considered getting for my son for Christmas, but wasn’t sure. If you don’t mind having ants in your house, your child might love it. Fascinations Antworks Illuminated is filled with a blue, translucent, illuminated, nutritious gel that feeds the ants who tunnel through it. It requires no food, water, or maintenance, and says it lets children study ants over a period of weeks. A few customers, however, have said that the kit arrived with dead ants, so be prepared. If it would work, it would be a fun learning tool. It says it’s recommended for ages 8 and up, but I could see my 5 year old enjoying this with parental supervision. You can view and purchase it for about $30 at Amazon.com.

I found Discovery Totes on Etsy seller HELICOPTERstudios shop and am quite intrigued by them. I love that they fold up into a tote and unfold into a dream world. It’s a wonderful travel toy that your child can carry a few little people and houses in and unfold to play with anywhere. I especially like A Day for a Hike. Because it’s made of wool felt, it is eco friendly and it won’t overwhelm your child with lights and sounds. It’s paired with the imagination only, no batteries. $60 and a real delight.

My littlest boy loves wooden wire and bead toys. Among his collection is the Sesame Street Elmo & Friends Wood Busy Beads. It was actually a gift his brother was given when he was a baby but he never really took to those sorts of toys. Luckily, our 14-month-old is a wire and bead maze aficionado and seems to enjoy them very much. Since it’s not a toy out this year, you can find it by keeping your eye on amazon for a good price or kijiji for a good deal. I would hazard a guess that it could be found at a second hand store near you as well.

The Little Tikes Apple Grove Pals Friends Packs are adorable, easy for small hands to manipulate, and they have interchangeable hats. They also come with a book. To go with the fun little animals, there are several play sets and accessories. We have The Great Pancake Caper set of 3 and the Heroes Are Everywhere set. Though it can be messy letting a 14 month old play with figurines that have removable hats, I think they will provide fun for him for some time to come. They’re for ages 18-48 months at littletikes.com.