This small, Waldorf-inspired doll for babies and up is also Fair Trade, made of 100% organic Egyptian cotton, and surprisingly inexpensive. Under the Nile makes several other soft toys and dolls as well. Taraluna is another brand, which also makes Minimo dolls with brown skin tones.

Not just a fun playhouse, it's also a safe place for your child (or 2 kids, if they're small enough) to join you, and help you, in the kitchen.

Ahh, wooden puzzles. Available for all ages in every theme imaginable: shapes, animals, machines, fairies, dinosaurs, you name it. Start with jumbo knob puzzles for ages 1-3.

Chunky puzzles for ages 3-4.

Awesome retro-style metal ride-on for ages 1o months-3 years.

Metal tricycle for ages 2-5 with cool retro styling and a low center of gravity for safety and ease of use. Comes in a pinkish/purple color too if your daughter wants one that's "prettier."

A block wagon doubles as a puzzle and a wagon, as well as a building toy. Alphabet blocks are available in block wagons, too. Or buy plain, natural colored blocks without a wagon if you prefer. Again, prices vary widely between different manufacturers. You can't go wrong with blocks, for ages 2+.

On the high end, in both price and quality, are these gorgeous sorting and building blocks for ages 3+.

Wooden stringing beads. Because of their large size and irregular shapes, these should be safe for the under-3 crowd; the recommended age is 2 and up. Will your 2-year-old really string them? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm sure they can find fun ways to play with them. Besides flowers, themes include animals, cars, construction, and laundry.

Always classic, for ages 4+.

A Tinkertoy-type construction toy, with a fairy theme.

Tool kit and pounding table. Ages 3+.

Lacing cards build eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills and are fun for both girls and boys. Lots of different themes are available, including animals, fairies, and construction.

Ages 3+.

Ages 3+.

This one may appeal to boys more than the Fairyland set does--or to anyone who prefers a more natural color scheme. Ages 3+.

A large wooden play kitchen for ages 3-8, with a neutral color scheme. Prices and shipping vary considerably from different sellers.

Bella Bistro/Toysmith makes great bakeware for play kitchens, which can also be used for real baking with adult supervision. Ages 3+.

Groovy Girls are fashion-forward soft dolls and accessories for ages 3 to preteen (I refuse to use the term "tween"!) There are African-American and Asian Groovy Girls, too.

And a plushy horse for the Groovy Girls and Boys to ride. Available in several different colors; there's even a unicorn :)