Feature - Infant Toys

First things first

The Infant category remains one of the more stable, traditional sectors of the toy market, but it is still evolving with the times, as Marianna Casal finds out.

Tradition remains a strong element within the Infant Toys category. As Mary Wood, managing director at Tomy, points out: “Children still go through the same development stages as they have done for years, so core play patterns and themes for infants are still as relevant today as they always have been.”

With a vast array of playthings on offer right from birth, parents of newborns often choose to furnish their nurseries with toys similar to those they enjoyed themselves. “The behaviour of millennial parents is known to be driven by nostalgia; they dive into their own childhood memories to recreate play environments for their children,” explains Nazneen Yasin, founder and director of Fabula Toys.

A high percentage of toys for infants are purchased by doting grandparents and Nazneen adds that cross generational appeal is also important. “Fabula toys are all traditional, based on rhymes known across generations, minimising the need to watch YouTube and therefore avoid screen time. It’s that elusive sweet spot that makes both parents, as well as grandparents, happy.”

Jo O’Donoghue, head of Brand at Petit Collage, distributed by Abrams & Chronicle, also believes classic play patterns have had a resurgence. “That’s why we focus on designing timeless toys with familiar game play and classic themes,” he says. “At Petit Collage, our products are made to last and be loved by generations of children.”

Fabula’s products use traditional nursery rhymes to keep tradition alive. Nazneen tells us: “Nursery rhymes hold at least four positions among the top 10 most watched videos on YouTube, and they remain a key block of entertainment and engagement. Across generations and cultures, grandparents, uncles, aunts and siblings can all relate to this unique stage of old-fashioned-yet-new-age parenting that all infants go through.”

Indeed, the use of music is much in evidence in the Infants category. It helps with cognitive development, while also keeping little ones entertained. Many new product launches for 2023 continue this trend by incorporating musical functions.

VTech is set to launch eight new additions to its baby collection this autumn/winter, all involving melodies, including the Snuggly Sounds Whale which has five rainbow piano keys that play sounds and introduce numbers and ocean animals. Halilit has built a reputation for creating engaging, high-quality musical toys that support early learning and development, and its new Little Music Pals, with jingling and rattling sounds, provide a sensory experience for young children.

Little Tikes offers a wide range of musical toys such as the Movin' Lights Monkey, which encourages little ones to move and groove to songs and coloured lights that emanate from Monkey's lantern as he moves and twists. The Stand ‘n’ Dance Starfish tower encourages babies to create music and dance along, with a light-up keyboard that can be played by hand when sitting, or by feet when standing and dancing. Following the successful launch of Mattel’s Fisher-Price DJ Bouncin’ Beats in autumn/winter last year, the collection has expanded with the new DJ Bouncin’ Star, an interactive dance partner that bounces to life with colourful lights, motorised spring action songs and sounds, plus phrases that teach the alphabet, counting, colours and more. Meanwhile, Wow! Stuff’s unique Lullaby Labs range includes the Sleep Trainer and Sleep Soother to help babies to feel comforted and reassured with lullabies and sound as well as well-known characters from pre-school shows.

Although tradition is important to toy brands, manufacturers are also keen to make products relevant to current times. Mary Wood explains: “Despite sticking to tried and trusted play patterns, what changes is the styling, look and often materials from which toys are made. We have to ensure that products appeal to today’s parent or gift buyer, so that means the materials need to be more environmentally friendly and the products also need to provide a modern twist to a traditional play pattern. Tomy is doing a lot of work on reducing or eliminating plastics from packaging. Our Fat Brain range is a great example of this, as we launch the new Little Brainies infant range later this year.”

Jo O’Donoghue says that at the heart of Petit Collage is the future of the planet for children, which is why the company develops products using eco-conscious materials. “We use our packaging to convey both our sustainability criteria and the developmental benefits our products offer, including sharing, cooperation, soft learning and motor skills. We answer the sustainability question the customer is asking without compromising on design.” Pat Avenue echoes such credentials with its Ecoplush range made entirely from recycled materials. All super-soft Ecoplush characters are made of quality fabrics and stuffing composed of plastic PET bottles reclaimed from the sea. And at Toynamics, Hape Rice Baby Toys have been developed using the highest quality, sustainable Japanese rice.

The Early Years Learning Goals, determined by the UK Department of Education, encourage key skills such as vocabulary, imagination, STEM, association, physical movement, bonding, sensory, courage and family ties. Nazneen from Fabula is pleased to see diversity and inclusion highlighted too. “OFSTED has been very focused on inclusion recently, so we are seeing a lot of interest in our toys that create awareness about disabilities and different cultures,” she says.

Over the next few pages, Toy World takes a look at the newest infant toys to hit the market.