July 2011 New Specialty Toys — Infant & Toddler

This story is about the relationship between a child and his father. John plays with his Daddy, dangles from his arm, and listens to Daddy read a story. The charming illustrations feature lots of bright reds and yellows that give the board book a cozy feel. The book is for children 24 mos. and up and focuses on emotions.

This 12 page board book follows a little boy before, during, and after his bath time. Simple yet colorful illustrations and a focus on a daily activity are ideal for children 12 months and up. The book also introduces children to vocabulary words such as bathtub, clothes, and shampoo.

From drumming, to reading, to pushing along toy cars, this book follows one little boy during all of his play activities for the day. Brightly colored, painted illustrations on a stark white background help the cute illustrations stand out for young readers. The book also emphasizes appropriate vocabulary words such as car, blocks, and wagon.

This product is for children ages six months and up. With a barnyard of friends to cheer baby on, little ones will love learning to walk with the Sit-to-Stand Walker. Start out with the easy-to-remove play panel for floor play or fun on the run. Then step it up with the fun-to-maneuver walker. There are three spinning flowers, five piano keys, colorful rollers, three light-up shape sorters and a telephone handset. The Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker keeps baby on track by teaching shapes, colors, animals, music and more. Requires 3 "AA" batteries, included. Measures 5.8"L x 20.9"W x 15"D.
— As of 12/17/2012 this product had 4.3 out of stars from 472 reviews on Amazon.com. Cons: Wheels don't have enough traction; too "loud and obnoxious;" too expensive.

Designed using sensory stimulating principles, this activity mat is packed with activities and features that encourage baby's development during the first year of life. The large plat mat features high-contrast colors, textured fabrics for tactile development, and adorable ladybug characters. Features include water-filled teether, soft corduroy fabric on mat for added tactile development, and 4 loops to attach more of baby's favorite toys. The Bright Starts Start Your Senses Activity Mat is a machine washable play mat.
— As of 05/20/2011 this product has 4.4 out 5 stars from 14 review on Amazon.com. Pros: Lots of elements can be detached; many reviewers like the light-up mobile. Cons: One parent expressed concern over the toxicity of the flame-retarded fabric; one reviewer was disappointed that all of the "familiar faces" included in the artwork were blond/blue-eyed caucasian babies.

This soft activity gym features an electronic aquarium with classical melodies and dancing lights. A whale-shaped prop-up pillow accompanies baby on this aquatic adventure, which comes to life with the crisp and colorful real-life scenery of the sea on the play mat. A soft textured border encourages tactile development. Remove the arch and the play gym becomes the perfect play mat for tummy time. Tummy time is enhanced by the animal peek-a-boo flaps with real-life imagery, as well as the ability to reposition and attach toys to loops on the mat or loops on the whale pillow. The play gym comes with several developmental and colorful plush and plastic toys, including a large fish-shaped baby-safe mirror, a set of Ocean Discovery cards featuring real-life images of 6 underwater animals, a Baby Neptune rattle, and a star-shaped teether. The play gym also has 8 links for repositioning the toys. The plush Octopus with various textures and dangling rattles and teethers offers baby an on-the-go toy. The play gym features a 2-in-1 musical aquarium toy that can be used both with the gym and in the crib. his underwater-themed gym folds up for easy transportation and storage.
— As of 05/20/2011 this product has 4.2 out 5 stars from 63 review on Amazon.com. Pros: Lots of elements can be detached; many reviewers like the light-up mobile. Cons: Not interactive enough; noises are annoying/ not melodical enough; not enough toys/toys not interesting enough.

Sassy Ring O Links offers youngsters a variety of textures to enhance tactile experiences. A bright, bold spectrum of colors keeps kids interested- no link is quite the same. The bold black and white pattern on the ring itself offers high-contrast imagery that is ideal for developing eyes.
— As of 05/20/2011 this product had 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com from 65 reviews. Pros: Durable; Multi-use (toy, teething rings); very colorful. Cons: Cheaper to just get the "bag o links;" the large black and white link detaches too easily from other links.