February 2010 New Specialty Toys — Infant & Toddler

This softball-sized round plush is soft, cuddly and ideal for tossing around.

These beechwood blocks in a pastel palette are made in Germany and come in a 10-piece set.
— Two of 38 specialty retailers named HABA blocks as a best-selling wooden toy in February 2010.

This bright block set features 28 pieces colored with water-based, non-toxic stains.
— Two of 38 specialty retailers referenced HABA blocks when discussing best-selling wooden toys in February 2010.

Buster is a soft plush square pillow that has a smiley face on one side, and shapes with numbers on the other side. There are 6 colored buckles going around the toy so kids can learn their colors, shapes, and numbers while still getting to play with the buckles they love. Can serve as a traveling toy as it can fit in a diaper bag and attach to almost anything. Machine washable.

Bella is a soft plush heart pillow that has a smiley face on oneside, and shapes with numbers on the other side. There are 5 colored buckles going around the toy so kids can learn their colors, shapes, and numbers while still getting to play with the buckles they love. Can serve as a traveling toy as it can fit in a diaper bag and attach to almost anything. Machine washable.

Bucky is a soft plush turtle that has 4 colored buckles down his tummy that unbuckle to reveil colored numbers 1-10. There are 6 colored shapes on his shell and down the middle of his shell is a zipper that unzippers to reveil a pouch. Kids can learn their colors, shapes, and numbers while still getting to play with the buckles they love. Can serve as a traveling toy as it can fit in a diaper bag and attach to almost anything. Machine washable.
— Mass Hole Mommy found that her son was instantly captivated by the colors and tactile stimulation of Bucky. The turtle proved a safe way for her son to hone his fine motor skills. Christy of Is It Naptime Yet? reported that her son was just as captivated by Bucky, eschewing his other, fancier toys in favor of the plush turtle. Though Christy complained that some of the buckles were too difficult for her son, Mama Cheaps viewed the difficulty her daughter had with the same buckles as a challenge to be overcome with more practice.

Brightly colored with water-based stain (no lacquer) rattles are sure to keep baby happy and busy. Whether babies want to shake it or spin it they’re going to enjoy it.
Awards: Creative Child Magazine Toy Award 2010
— Three of 38 specialty retailers cited rattles by HABA as a best-selling wooden toy in their stores in February 2010.

This set comes with five blocks and a rolling car that are made of natural rubber with nylon flocking. Watch Weebabu WEDGiTS: Top-5 Video, Toy Fair 2010

This small clutching toy for babies features bright, wooden balls that are closely connected by a slightly elastic string and can be moved around for play and manipulation.

Suitable for ages 3 months and up, this spinning top toy features a wooden base covered with a bright, fabric octopus.

Fun first pull toy is great for encouraging beginning walkers. Pull the hen along to see the eggs come out one by one, great for teaching cause and effect. Press the hen's comb to hear realistic chicken sounds.
— "This uber cute hen is a pull along toy, and while being pulled it drops multiple pre-hatched chicks," Joe Mitchell, owner of YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Bright and colourful building blocks made from lightweight bamboo. The blocks are printed with various abstract designs which encourage creativity and imaginative play. Particularly suited for child hands, they can be very easily built on top of each other.
— "Fresh off winning the Toy Innovation Award at the 2010 Nuremberg Toy Fair, Hape has introduced these really big colorful hollow, bamboo construction blocks. Painted with water based paint, the blocks are big and easy for little hands to manipulate," Joe Mitchell, owner of YoYo Joe's Toys & Fun, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Part of the hands-on line of Silly Sam & Friends talking role-play toys, this is a shape sorter with personality. Kids press on his nose or push the front door to insert something and let him talk. There are four shapes, each with a different color and representing a different material to recycle. There are two modes of play. This product is not in the mass market, according to Kelly Christensen, Director of Sales, Kidz Delight. Launch date: May 15, 2010.

The PODEE Kwik’N-EZ Medicator™ is a baby-friendly medicine dropper designed to conveniently allow for clean and easy administration of liquid medicine to an infant or toddler. All parts are made of high-quality materials and are BPA FREE. "This product makes giving medicine hassle-free because the baby takes the medicine straight from the silicone nipple just has the baby would milk. And it's another product from Podee that offers parents a real helping hand," Brooke Cortese, Marketing and Sales Director, Podee International, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 10, 2010.

The YBIKE balance bike is designed with a lightweight aluminum frame, rubber wheels and a narrow back wheel base. It's available in two colors and was designed by Chrome Cherry Design Studio in South Africa. Launch date: May 15, 2010.

Made entirely from recycled milk containers, these sturdy plates are free of phthalates, PVC, BPA and external coatings. They are dishwasher safe. The packaging is made with recycled and recyclable materials. There are four plates to a pack.

Suitable for ages 6 months and up, these bowls are free of PVC, phthalates, BPA and external coatings. They are dishwasher-safe, and are made from recycled plastic milk containers, packaged with recycled and recyclable materials, and printed with soy inks. “Our customers tell us they love Green Toys products because they know where the toys are made and exactly what they are made from,” Robert von Goeben, president and co-founder of Green Toys Inc., told TDmonthly.

Suitable for ages 6 months and up, this eco-friendly version of a classic is made in the USA from 100-percent recycled milk containers. The packaging uses only recycled and recyclable materials and is printed with soy inks.

Each pack has four pairs of socks with an elastic band around the ankle to make sure they stay on. Made with certified organic cotton that was harvested without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers, these socks are manufactured using environmentally friendly processes and use Oeko-Tex Standard 100 dyes, which meet health and ecological standards in the U.S. and EU, according to Baberoo.

The Pink line includes organic rattles, teethers and developmental toys designed with purpose. The soft and huggable First Doll is made of plush velour with adorable stitched details, and is stuffed with natural corn fiber filling. She is machine washable. A portion of the proceeds from the PINK line will support Breast Cancer Research. "First Doll is the perfect choice as a safe and soft, simply styled, teethable toy," Beth Saunders, marketing manager for Dandelion, told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2009.

Tiny 7" square "blankies" with satin paws and embroidered eyes. Available in nine styles: Brown Monkey, Pink Monkey, Brown Spot Horse, Pink Horse, Blue Dog, Pink Dog, Orange Dog, Green Frog. Machine washable.

Kids can learn about colors, numbers, stacking and nesting with this set of wooden nesting boxes.

This cheerful table and chair set has a hidden bonus: lots of extra storage space. The cute, animal-bedecked chair features a shelf underneath the seat. The table also has cubbies to store arts supplies, blocks, and other toys. Editors' note: This set is both visually pleasing and very functional. Not only does it feature sturdy wooden components and attractive, hand-painted detail; it would also nicely support a coordinated theme for a child's room or play space. The only drawback, based on review by a young toddler, is that since the underneath storage compartments on the desk are set so far forward, children cannot sit very close or with their legs under the table because their knees will hit the cubbies.

This tear-off pad of bibs will keep baby clean and smiling! The brightly colored illustrations on this pad of bibs will brighten up any mealtime. Each bib is made of a waterproof, disposable material and can be placed around a child's neck with one of the included seals.