What makes a great toy for babies and toddlers — it has to be fun and colorful of course. But it should also enhance social/emotional learning and little ones’ motor skills. These recent NAPPA winners hit all the marks!
Lulla Doll
The Lulla Doll is a sleep companion for preemies, babies and toddlers. It imitates closeness to a caregiver with its soft fabric and soothing sounds of real-life breathing and heartbeat. With the help and guidance from doctors, nurses, midwives, psychologists and engineers, the Lulla doll’s stable heartbeat and breathing rhythm makes it the perfect sleep companion for your little one.
$69.00
Ages birth to 4
Bright Lights Soccer Ball by Vtech
Left or right, up or down, roll the Bright Lights Soccer Ball™ all around to hear music and sounds and listen to the friendly ball encourage playtime. Press the happy light-up face button to hear playful phrases and three songs that introduce opposites and numbers. Kick, pass or shake the ball to activate the motion sensor and hear fun sounds and music, or touch the soft crinkly hands and give the ball a hug.
$14.99
Ages 6 to 36 months
Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog
This colorful hedgehog has lost his quills, and only your little ones can help him get them back. Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog helps kids with hand muscles and fine motor skills development as they replace the chunky, peg-shaped “quills” within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog’s back. The quills also lend themselves well to lessons in counting, sorting, and color identification skills.
$14.99
Ages 18 months+
Disney Baby Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Musical Crawling Pals
The Disney Baby Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Musical Crawling Pals are the plush buddies little Disney fans will adore! Babies can interact with them by gently pressing Mickey or Minnie’s back to activate soothing music and watch as they really crawl. Dressed in sweet onesies, the Musical Crawling Pals are made with super soft and cuddly fabrics and come in the perfect size for little hands. Sold separately.
$24.99
Ages 9 months +
Virtuoso Bears (Amadeus and Ludwig)
Introducing Virtuoso Bears with an adorable likeness to Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Each of these cuddly pals carry 40 minutes of carefully selected tracks of sonatas, concertos and symphonies. The compositions can be switched on and off and their volume can be regulated. Tucked in each bear’s pocket is a short biography of each virtuoso. It shares a brief history of the composer’s life, and introduces the title of every featured musical selection.
$49.99
Ages birth to 7
Happy Playing. Remember to #PlayLearnConnect with #NAPPAAwards!
Elena Epstein is a mom of two and the director of NAPPA Awards, the longest running and most respected awards program in the industry, celebrating the best in family products for 28 years. For more product reviews, visit nappaawards.com.
