Having studied the various pedagogies on early education (pre-school age), I would say that the commercial toys in the market are really not adequate. I subscribe to the Reggio Emilia notion that the environment is the teacher, so aside from specific toys, the whole house could be arranged for their learning. Actually, I think commercial toys are by default, not realistic. Very young children, still discovering the world, should just be exposed to "real" things. These things could be as simple as the following:

(1) Letters that have sandpaper so that the kids can trace the letters with their fingers and learn to recognize them in a tactile manner- the method they enjoy most at this age.

(2) Flashcards that have realistic photos of animals instead of drawings- I guess this is not a toy, but we're talking about essential early education.

(3) Leapfrog's Discovery Ball- its a bit expensive, but I've found this to be a great teaching aid for kids (2-4) that include tactile, audio and visual stimulation where older kids can discover the different aspects themselves.

(4) Leapfrog's Baby Counting Pal- can be for children 1-2 years of age as something they can chew on (pun intended)

(5) ELC's Magnetic Play Centre- for 3-6 years old. There are letters, numbers, chalks, eraser and drawing paper for a wide range of activities and the centre can be used as a method for teaching the kids to pick up and pack up after themselves.

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