How Archie and Lilibet's vintage toys support emotional growth

Just days before Easter, Meghan Markle was spotted doing something most parents can relate to.

The Duchess was seen scouring the toy aisles for perfect little surprises. 

On April 1, the 44‑year‑old quietly slipped into a local children’s shop in Montecito, California, emerging moments later with two bulging brown paper bags.

Inside one bag, eagle‑eyed onlookers spotted a bright box of Magic Castle Sea‑Monkeys, the instant‑life critters that have delighted kids since the ’60s. 

And a deck of Magic Rabbit playing cards for filling Easter baskets ahead of the weekend festivities. 

HELLO! asked child and adolescent therapist Laura Gwilt of Swift Psychology what Meghan’s toy picks might suggest about her approach to parenting. 

Gwilt points out that nostalgic items like Sea‑Monkeys or classic card sets aren’t just fun throwbacks, they’re developmental gold.

“Open‑ended toys like these encourage kids to invent play scenarios rather than follow instructions,” she explains. 

That kind of imaginative freedom is strongly linked to creativity, and emotional regulation.

On Easter weekend Meghan shared clips of Archie and Lilibet hunting eggs, decorating them and frolicking in the garden of their Montecito home.