October 2009 Notable Toys — Infant & Toddler

This mermaid doll is soft and cuddly enough for a young child, but carries detail to foster the imagination of older girls.

The Mermaid Cookbook by Barbara Beery is filled with delicious, nutrious recipes that get kids thinking about healthy eating while engaging their imaginations. This spiral-bound book is perfect as a gift or for creating themed parties.

What kind of mermaid can’t swim? These mermaids are fully submersible for bathtub or swimming pool fun. They come with either magenta or purple hair that can be combed.

The Pinx line includes birthday and greeting cards with whimsical watercolor designs. This company is no longer in business.

This set includes a week’s worth of graphic socks with dots and comes in a gift box.

The Tootsie Roll Metal Lunch Box is printed and embossed with “delicious” graphics. It measures approximately 8” x 7”.

This pretty infant dress can later be worn as a top. The dress is made by a Long Beach, Calif., mompreneur.

These colorful car seat covers are removable for washing and can also be transferred to shopping carts to keep baby clean. The covers are made by a Long Beach, Calif., mompreneur.

These mom and baby bovines are tethered together. When the string is pulled, they make music.

This 8” velour cow is soft and cuddly for infants.

This elegant 12” knitted butteryfly is musical, too. When his tail is pulled, he plays a Brahms lullaby.

Stimulate your baby’s senses with the BuckleyBoo Crib-a-Roo, a wonderful, playful grow-and-go addition to your babies crib. The Crib-a-Roo comes with BuckleyRoo and a sleeping BabyRoo, a developmental duo that stimulates development and engages the senses.

This 28cm keepsake teddy bear is all ready for bed in soft, plaid pink pajamas on a huggable plush body. Designed to be soft for baby's skin, it complies with the Oekotek Standard 100.

This set of sterling silver bracelets with heart charms is adorned with white jade and genuine lead-free crystals. The bracelet for moms is adjustable from 7" to 7.5" and the daughter's bracelet comes in three sizes: small (0-12 months); medium (0-5 years); and large (6-13 years).

This tiny, sterling silver bracelet for babies 0 to 12 months features an array of freshwater pearls and assorted lead-free crystals in pastel shades. It also has a heart-shaped Lil Sis charm. The bracelet is also available in medium and large sizes for 1 to 5 years and 6 to 13 years, respectively.

Suitable for children ages 18 months and up, the Color Roller spins to display the colors of the rainbow when pushed along the floor.

This single-ring teether flips easily in and out of its case. The Bug Bite is made of FDA-compliant medical-grade materials. Launch date: August 2009.

Pork Chops are baby- and kid-sized thigh highs with non-skid bottoms that were designed to provide warmth and protection for little ones and facilitate easy diaper changes. This style is available for ages 6 months to 8 years.

These charmingly illustrated picture books guarantee first watching and reading fun. Children will discover lots of familiar objects and go on to name them. Cardboard with soft padded cover includes 20 beautifully illustrated pages. Launch date: 2009.

The Radio Flyer Push, Pull & Ride offers three interchangeable modes: stroller, ride-on and pull wagon. The large, easily removable bucket encourages children to build cognitive skills by loading and unloading objects, while the free-rolling wheels permit easy forward and backward motion and encourage active play. Toddlers can push their favorite toy in the stroller mode, scoot across the floor on the back in foot-to-floor mode, or pull their favorite treasures in wagon mode. It is a National Parenting Center Seal of Approval winner. Launch date: July 2009.

This custom-designed, toddler-sized backpack is fully lined, machine washable, and contains a mix of toys designed to keep toddlers entertained. Launch date: August 15, 2009.

The 6” Busy Block has a chubby handle for little ones to hold as they explore the tug and teethe tags and Dandelion’s playful Swirly Stitches pattern. The soft textures, peek-a-boo crinkle flap and chime sound exist to enchant baby while developing fine motor and sensory skills. The Busy Block is made with organic cotton terrycloth, canvas, velour and waffle weave, and filled with soft corn fibers. It is machine washable. Launch date: September 2008.

The Bamboo LullaBag is a sleep bag that is specifically designed to help babies sleep through the night. With the Bamboo LullaBag, baby stays at a constant comfortable temperature, which greatly improves the quality and duration of baby’s sleep. Since the Bamboo LullaBag promotes back sleep and replaces loose bedding, it is designed as a safer way to put baby to sleep that reduces certain risk factors associated with SIDS. "The patented Bamboo LullaBag has a continuous dual-headed zipper that begins at the neckline and curves along the entire side and bottom of the bag. This unique two-way zipper allows parents to open the bag partially or completely in either direction, making overall use and late-night diaper and clothing changes very easy," Emily Chae, marketing associate for Cloud B, told TDmonthly. This product received a 2009 PTPA Seal of Approval. Launch date: July 2009.

The Kangaroo Zak facilitates skin-to-skin contact and is designed to assure safety and comfort of parents and baby (baby will not fall and lines will stay put), maximize the area of contact between the baby and the adult, assures proper positioning, provide containment and sense of security, allow mom or dad to kangaroo "hands free" to read a book or and even fall asleep while kangarooing. It is created to support and complement all the benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care (constant natural temperature, breathing, stable blood pressure, increase of the mother's milk supply) and is made so that moms and dads can hold their babies safely and for longer periods of time. Kangaroo Zak is adjustable and each fits three sizes. It also gives moms coverage so they are not "exposed" when holding their babies. "Kangaroo Zak helps parents show how much they love their babies and it provides a nice and safe transition between womb and world," Yamile Jackson, president and founder of Zakeez, Inc., told TDmonthly. Zakeez received a 2009 Outstanding Women-Owned Business of the Year Award (Small Business Administration - SCORE Foundation). Launch date: September 13, 2009.