Top-10 Most-Wanted Infant and Toddler Toys

This plush planetarium features a plastic shell that glows and projects a starry night sky onto a child’s bedroom walls and ceiling. The stars are illuminated in amber, green or blue. Parents can sit with their children and identify eight major constellations using the star guide. This product was reintroduced in June 2006 with a new amber color for better viewing and with push-button light selection. Awards: 2009 iParenting.
—  “Twilight Turtle is doing well,” Fred Meyer, owner of Meyer’s Toy World/USA Baby in Battle Creek, Mich., told TDmonthly in summer 2008 when asked about his best-selling baby item. "These have been phenomenal,” said Tina Benoit, operations manager at Kids Town in South Burlington, Vt., of cloud b’s Twilight Sea Turtle. “I think it's on every baby registry we do,” she said, noting that the store sells about 36 per month.
— "[Twilight Turtle] went flying out of here," Debbie Rogers, owner of Bear and Friends in Johnson, Tenn., told TDmonthly in March 2010.
— Six of 66 retailers mentioned one of the Twilight Turtles as a top-selling item for baby gifts in July 2008. Four of 47 retailers named Twilight Turtle as a top-selling baby gift in June 2009. Three of 64 retailers cited it as a top-selling infant and toddler toy in March 2009, and eight of 39 said the same in March 2010.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller

Suitable for babies 0 to 3 months and up, this teether and discovery toy features a contrasting spot pattern that offers visual stimulation, plus a squeaker for amusement. It is made of natural rubber from Hevea tree and colored with food paint. Sophie is distributed in the United States by Calisson.
In June 2010, 11 of 40 retailers named Sophie the Giraffe as a best-selling infant gift.
― “Sophie giraffe is a great baby product that we order over and over again,” Diana Nelson, owner of Kazoo & Company in Denver, Co., told TDmonthly in June 2010. “I can't keep them on the shelf,” agreed Keith Schumacker, general manager at Talbot’s Toyland in San Mateo, Calif.
― During a March 2010 survey of 39 retailers, seven said Sophie the Giraffe is a top-selling toy for infants. Sales averaged 24 per month. “Parents swear by it because it ‘really keeps my kid quiet,’ and often come back to buy a second for backup!” Cynthia Wyatt, president of Totally Thomas Toy Depot in San Diego, told TDmonthly in July 2010.
AWARDS: 2010 TDmonthly Top Seller

This soft plush sorting toy from Melissa & Doug brings together a variety of fun developmental activities for toddlers. The mailbox has an opening front flap and see-through back panel, as well as a flag that can be raised and lowered just like a real mailbox. Cheerfully addressed letters come with Velcro stamps that can be taken off and put back on as a child imagines their letters going into the mailbox, flying all the way around the world, and coming back again.
― Twenty percent of 39 retailers named Melissa and Doug as their top-selling supplier of infant and toddler toys during a March 2010 survey conducted by TDmonthly.

Skwish appeals to baby's visual and tactile curiosity, making this sophisticated toy a source of wonder and learning. ”It never loses its shape, allowing it grow with baby,” Associate Marketing Manager Amy Cathey of Manhattan Toy told TDmonthly. “Adults also love it as a stress reliever, so it appeals to anyone.” Launch date: 1988.
― Of 39 retailers asked to name their top-selling infant and toddler toy in March 2010, seven told TDmonthly that Manhattan is their best line. Three named Skwish, reporting sales averaging 24 per month.
― “Manhattan Toy is my biggest vendor, both for infants and toddlers,” said Barbara Paeth-Haas, owner of The Durango Kid in Durango, Colo., in spring 2010.

This tractor has a farmer that drives around with five removable plastic farm animals that make their animal sounds when placed on the plastic vehicle.
— Out of the Blue Ltd. Store Manager Kara Fichtner, in Albuquerque, N.M., told TDmonthly in May 2006: “It’s one of my favorite toys. It’s something we show customers when they come in looking for a toy for a 1-year-old.”
— “We sell 144 tractors a year, and we don’t have many people coming in,” said Grafton Stine, owner of Toys on the Square in Hummelstown, Pa. The “tractor is multi-functional, plays ‘Old MacDonald’ with added sound effects of five farm animals, the headlights work and the tractor moves on its own with a push of a button,” Kim Smith, owner of Red Wagon Toy Co. in Woodstock, Vt., told TDmonthly in summer 2007.
— “For a first birthday toy, it’s the Fun Time Tractor from iPlay — it really sells,” noted Teresa Ford, owner of Kids’ Ketch in Lewes, Del., when asked about best-selling baby gifts in July 2008. Six of 39 retailers told TDmonthly in March 2010 that International Playthings supplies their best-selling infant and toddler toys. Two singled out the Funtime Tractor as a top-selling individual item with sales of four per month.

This rubbery, tri-colored ball is a staple for any child learning cognitive and social skills and developing fine- and gross-motor skills. Ideal for children with a special need, the ball is durable and has a skeletal structure that allows for easy catching. "Kids and teachers agree that Oballs are the easiest balls to catch and hold. The cool design already has won five awards for excellence and innovation, including an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award and a Dr. Toy Best Vacation Products Award,” said Suzanne Silverglate, owner of Rhino Toys.
— “Everybody buys it,” Dalene Lockhart, owner of Toy Town in Casper, Wyo., told TDmonthly in 2007. “Right now it is head and shoulders above others [in the infant/toddler category]. It's probably been that way for two years.” Retailers reported average monthly sales of five to 25 a month.
— In summer 2008, four of 66 specialty retailers named the Oball as one of their top-selling gifts for babies. “We sell more of them because our store does gift wrapping and it makes a good topper,” said Jill Jernigan, owner of J. Christopher Toys in Jonesboro, Ark.
― Ask retailers about top-selling balls and the Oball is an answer that’s sure to come up, winning the graspable toy a TDmonthly Top Seller 2007 award. Six of 64 retailers named the Oball as a best-selling baby toy in March 2009, and two of 39 said the same a year later. “[It] is definitely the best-selling gift for babies,” stated John Naisbitt, owner of Thinker Things in Del Mar, Calif., in June 2009.

Stunning colors give this perennial favorite a lively look. Babies will be engaged and amused by the responsive rattle, and caregivers can safely refrigerate this pliable plastic toy to produce a soothing teether. “We have so much of the Manhattan baby...we sell a lot,” Owner Amy Barrett of Lasso the Moon Wonderful Toys in Helena, Mont., told TDmonthly in early 2007. “People buy them for baby gifts...baby shower gifts. They like them because the colors are so bright.”
— Winkel is “extremely popular” at LB Toys in Media, Pa., according to Owner Jamie Burdette. “It can be placed in the freezer as well to aid teething,” he told TDmonthly in spring 2008.
— “Winkels from Manhattan Toy — [we sell] about 30 per month,” Burdette told TDmonthly in March 2008. Five percent of the 40 retailers who spoke with TDmonthly in spring 2008 singled out this item as their stores’ best-selling infant and toddler toy.
— "I sell 18 or so a month," Mary Ellen Cerney, owner of Dear Friends & Children in Duncan, Okla., said in March 2009. In June 2009, four of 47 retailers listed Manhattan Toy as their best-selling baby line. In March 2010, two of 39 specialty retailers cited Winkel as a best-selling baby toy.
— In June 2010, five percent of 40 specialty retailers named Manhattan Toy’s Winkel as a top-selling baby product.

Made in Germany of high-quality wood and non-toxic paint in brilliant colors, the Miro clutching toy and teether has an interesting shape and set-in rattle. Large, smooth bumps on the circular panels offer texture to engage the fingers and soothe sore gums.
― When asked about her best-selling infant and toddler items in March 2010, Martha Bimblich, owner of Twinkles of Bay Harbor in Bay Harbor Island, Fla., told TDmonthly, “Haba is a great seller for us.” Bimblich said she sells 25 to 30 pieces per month.
― Three of 39 storeowners said in spring 2010 that Haba is a consistent top seller in their stores.

This sturdy, radio-like box comes with five colorful, sensor-controlled blocks and a memory cartridge. Little ones have fun placing the blocks into the box, hearing snippets of Mozart songs as the blocks are placed in the square seats. Switching around the blocks creates new songs.
― “I sell a lot of Music Blocks because I love them to pieces,” Wendy Bricht, owner of Chatterpillar Toys, Gifts, and Balloons in Frazier Park, Calif., told TDmonthly in spring 2010.
― During a March 2010 survey of 39 specialty retailers, two named Neurosmith as their top brand of infant and toddler products.

Toss the Taggies is approximately 8" in diameter and comes adorned with loads of multi-colored, multi-textured tags that babies and children love to rub and grab. It is designed to benefit children developmentally as they are enticed to explore the various tactile and visually stimulating looped satin tags. The colors and material are both soothing and comforting. This product recently received an iParenting Media Awards editorial inclusion and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award. It also received the 2007 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award and the 2007 Oppenheim SNAP (Special Needs Adaptable Product) Award. “The patented functionality and multiple tactile and developmental opportunities offered by our unique, looped tags…set this product apart,” Shirley Conner of Taggies Inc. told TDmonthly.

— "Anything by Taggies; those sell like crazy," Holly Anvers, manager of Ages & Stages Toy Box in Golden, Colo., told TDmonthly about her best-selling infant product in March 2010. "Especially the Toss the Taggies ball." Two of 39 retailers named Taggies as a top-selling baby product.