The Best Activity Table Should be Fun For Your Baby or Toddler And Also Good For Development

Getting tasks done as a parent at times seems impossible. A common distractor for children has been to plop them in front of the television. Although this helps you to complete your daily projects, it doesn’t offer many advantages for the child. Investing in the best activity table for toddlers will help to keep your little one happily busy. And you can deal with other responsibilities. 

This article will explore the ins and outs of these distractors. It also reviews five of the best kids' activity tables. Keep on reading to learn more!


5 Of The Best Toddler Activity Tables Reviewed

What’s an Activity Table?

As a new dad, I wasn’t very familiar with all the different types of toys. So I wrote this short paragraph to help you out if you feel lost too. 

An activity table is simply a place to keep your child busy with crafts and toys. They can come in a variety of shapes and sizes and typically sport interactive toys with all the added bells and whistles. This means that they are commonly battery operated to keep your child distracted by the various lights and sounds. That said, there are wooden tables with toys that don’t run off of batteries.

Why Buy The Relatively Expensive Activity Table?

I know I’ve taken advantage of these items as I didn’t need to worry about stepping away from my kid for a minute or two. And instead of staring at the television, he was happily engaged by beneficial activities. 

Activity tables are beneficial for both you and your child:

Parental Aide: There's an excellent reason to invest in the best activity table for a toddler. You are able to walk away and get a few personal tasks off of your list while your kid is occupied by it.

Boredom Buster For Kids: Activity tables are a great way to stimulate your child without using screens. Keeping your child content and interested may seem obvious, but it’s a benefit nonetheless.

Physical Exercise and Fine-Tuning: Most activity centers designed for kids have physical development in mind. That may be through interacting with the various toys or by standing alongside the table. Activity tables contribute to the improvement of fine and gross motor skills.

Cognitive Curator: The act of thinking and exploring is crucial for small children. Activity centers provide an opportunity to learn valuable knowledge that can be used in the future. The possible development that takes place through these tables includes language, problem-solving, alphabet, counting, and shapes.

What Ages Are Activity Tables Used For?

One of the great attributes of activity tables is that children of different ages can use them. Some designs offer more to a particular age group than others though. Here I’ve listed some aspects to take into account when choosing the best activity table for a specific age group.

Babies

Children anywhere from six to twelve months can find an activity table to be quite a fun learning opportunity. These products typically come with an assortment of sounds, lights, and objects that your baby can grab. 

Baby activity tables are often lower to the ground, colorful, and can be converted into a floor play area. When designed for the younger audience, these tables focus on motor skills and cognitive development

Toddlers And Young Preschoolers

Keeping the attention of a toddler can be more difficult. Fortunately, there are activity tables built for children between the age of twelve months and five years old. These activity tables are busier and hold a lot more to keep your little one entertained

Three toddlers playing with an activity table

A great feature provided in most toddler activity tables is their adjustability because this age group quickly goes through spurts. 

Older Children

If you were to search for an activity table that accommodated children over five, the chances are that you wouldn’t find anything. They are usually labeled as “children’s play tables”

Tables designed for children over the age of five tend to focus on building and problem-solving. Legos, trains, and building blocks are a common theme throughout a children’s play table. 

The Cons of Having a Children Activity Center

There are a few considerations to make before investing in your own children's activity center. These disadvantages include: 

Safety Hazards

Your child may get hurt if he climbs on the activity center and happens to fall. This means that it should be age-appropriate, and you should take your kids' abilities into account.

Lack of Social Development

You now know about the plentiful developmental gains that these products offer, but playing alone doesn’t provide social improvements. This means that don’t forget to interact with your little one and let her play with other kids. 

What to Consider When Choosing The Best Kid Activity Table For Your Needs?

Before you look at our top candidates for the best activity table for toddler or baby, I'll give you a couple of more pointers. Your final decision should be based on your needs: 

Are You Looking For Specific Educational And Developmental Benefits?

Not every activity center offers the toys and learning opportunities that you want. Perhaps you want your little one to learn a different language, and yet it does not provide bilingual opportunities. 

Don't Buy a Flimsy Table!

Being built for children, it’s a given that the activity table should be durable and sturdy to prevent any mishaps. 

You May Want to Wash it in The Future!

Let’s face it that it kids are messy. With that in mind, you’d probably want to invest in an activity center that can be cleaned from time to time. 

Are Additional Features on Your Wish List?

Take note of the activity center’s added gizmos and gadgets to help make your child even more engaged. 

Pick Your Price Range!

There are plenty of affordable options out there, even if you feel that all seem to be out of your budget.

5 Best Toddler Activity Tables For DadProgress Reviewed

Here are the top contenders for the best baby and toddler activity tables based on all of the criteria that was mentioned prior.

The Tree Top Adventure activity table is made specifically for young toddlers. It’s filled with lots of toys ranging in size, color, and the way that a child can interact with them. These features include gliders, spinning dials, beads, mazes, and toggles. Many also like it for the classy wooden design.

PROS

CONS

  • The included additions and toys help with many areas of development
  • It meets the common safety standards
  • The base can come off for any parent who’s not comfortable with a legged structure 
  • Being 22.5” tall and 18” wide, this activity center is ideal for young toddlers. That said, it tips over quite easily, so you may want to use only the base for new walkers
  • Assembled by screws, this product is quite sturdy
  • This activity table does not have lights or sounds. So it’s not the best product if you’re searching for something interactive. That said, after having to deal with noisy toys for over a year now, quiet time is a blessing
  • This product does not require batteries
  • As I’ve said, it tends to tip over easily because the base is quite heavy 
  • Putting this activity table together is requires a screwdriver, which is not provided
  • Some of the wooden edges may be a bit rough and need smoothing them out

Fisher-Price’s activity table is intended for babies, yet can be used up to five years of age. The legs can be attached once your little one is ready to move about and stand up while being distracted. Various toys and sounds add to your child’s learning. Examples include the alphabet, different shapes, animals, numbers, and food items. The three levels of play involve exploration, curiosity, and imagination, all of which are crucial for the development of a child. 

PROS

CONS

  • This product is very interactive. Your little one can play with nine different lights and hear over 120 songs and phrases
  • Level 2 uses English and Spanish, so it helps your kid to learn a new language 
  • This activity table grows with your kid. The smart stages technology lets you decide which level of learning to expose your child to. That said, there isn’t very much variability so it may bore older toddlers
  • Sturdy attachable legs help keep this product from falling over
  • Batteries are included in the box
  • This activity table is easy to put together
  • The Town Learning table is one of the cheapest activity tables out there. It’s worth checking the latest price from Amazon though
  • The picture on the phone is made of paper and comes off easily
  • With plastic legs, this activity table tends to slide around if on a slick surface

This activity center by Battat is among the top contenders for its design. High-quality wood is used to make a sturdy engaging product. Conveniently, there is no assembly needed as this activity center comes already fully attached and ready to use. Great news for any dad! The Battat Activity Cube is recommended for kids 12 months and older, holding the attention of different age groups. 

PROS

CONS

  • Five separate sides of fun make playing with or without parents engaging
  • Fine motor skills and problem-solving is improved with a variety of farm-themed shapes, colors, and characters
  • It complies with common safety standards, and the corners are rounded
  • This activity center is sturdy. It’s also big enough (~13 x 12 x 18 inches) for older toddlers
  • The Battat Activity Cube doesn't have lights nor sounds. So it’s not the best product if you’re searching for something interactive. That said, after having to deal with noisy toys for over a year now, quiet time is a blessing
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Made for older kids, this table has three separate activity options. It achieves this by using two removable table covers. As a result, it acts as a regular table, blocks station, and a water (or sand) play table. Additionally, you can use the reservoir as a storage space. 

This three-in-one attribute helps to foster imagination and creativity where kids can craft, draw, build, and play in the water. Exercise N Play suggests that this product be given to children who are 18 months and older as it can adjust with them. 

PROS

CONS

  • Included are two chairs and 25 large bricks
  • The top block station is Lego-compatible
  • The smooth table is an excellent surface for crafting, drawing and reading
  • A hollow interior allows for convenient and easy storage of all blocks and toys while not in use
  • Assembly of this product is relatively easy without the use of tools
  • With a lightweight base, this table is easy to move from room to room
  • This product can be used either inside or in the backyard. It’s made of plastic, so it’s weather-resistant, although direct sunlight tends to damage colors
  • This activity table is made for older toddlers and offers so many ways to use it. So I consider it a disadvantage that it’s not adjustable. The table is 17 inches, and it may be too small for many five-year-olds

Vtech’s Magic Star Learning Table is built for a child between the age of six months and three years old. This activity table exposes your child to various nursery rhymes, lights, and music. 

PROS

CONS

  • Six activities can be chosen in either English or Spanish for language development
  • The activity center table legs can be removed for younger users who need to play on the floor
  • Fine motor skills are improved with the ability to turn a book page, play on the steering wheel, and move the provided gears
  • The assembly is easy by simply snapping in the table legs
  • The AA batteries are included
  • This Learning Table is made of plastic, so it’s lightweight and easy to move. That said, thanks to the material the legs are quite flimsy
  • It sits very low to toe ground so your kid will quickly outgrow it

To Sum Up

We parents deserve to find a few minutes of peace now and then. And our little ones deserve having a stimulating and fun environment. Buying the best toddler activity table helps to accomplish both. I’ll give you the top options for DadProgress (links take you to Amazon for the latest price).

Comparing the top five contenders, I’ve found that the best baby activity table title has to go to the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Around The Town Learning Table Playset. This playset is engaging and grows with your child. The various songs, phrases, and interactions give your baby a developmental challenge. As a bonus, it tends to be one of the cheapest options out there.

As for toddlers, the Battat Wooden Learning Cube took the prize. Farm-themed games help your child learn shapes, colors, and more. The best activity table for toddlers needs to be able to grasp the attention of a five-year-old, which this product does.

The best option for young preschoolers is the Exercise N Play Kids Activity Table Set with three different options and a load of imaginative play. 

Each of these activity tables was chosen based on the construction, materials, assemble time, price, and developmental benefits provided to your child. I hope this article helps you out.

Activity table (for a baby, toddlers, or older kids) is a great learning toy, and it will free up some of your time as kids are so engaged by it. I wrote a post about the best options out there. Click on the link if you wish to learn more!

Last Updated on December 11, 2019