First things first

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.

Zapf Creation

Zapf Creation’s Baby Annabell and Baby born have captured imaginations and developed nurturing skills for thousands of children over the years.

Baby Annabell’s 43cm range is available in three characters, Leah, Annabell and Alexander, and suitable for children three years and older. With an array of functions from cute life like noises, mouth movements, real tears and sleeping eyes, the doll is effective in helping to build children’s social and communication skills.

Baby Annabell has a host of clothing and accessories for children to enjoy. New for this spring is the Baby Annabell Active Stroller with Bag: a lightweight stroller to take Baby Annabell out and about. Also new to the range is the Baby Annabell Sheep Onesie 43cm which features a fluffy hood with long ears, a soft white exterior, cute bows on its feet and a detailed design of mini animals on the front. The Baby born Magic Doll 43cm range is available in four different dolls and is suitable for children of three years and above. Each Magic Doll is equipped with 10 functions and can drink, cry, wee, bathe, eat and sleep - ideal for promoting realistic parent-child role-play. The new Baby born Bear, launching later this summer, is perfect for pre-school play. Designed to be Baby born’s best friend, the Baby born Bear helps to develop children’s imagination and communication skills. The Bear can be used with all of Baby born’s accessories, allowing for many dual play possibilities for children, from dressing up the Bear and Baby born and having naptimes together to days out as a pair in their prams. With articulated limbs, Baby born Bear can sit, stand with support and wave to friends.

Launching alongside the Baby born Bear is a themed accessory and clothing range, including two adorable outfits; a Bear Sleeping Cave; plus a Backpack which converts into a carrier for the Bear, so children can take their Baby born and Bear with them to pre-school. The Baby born Bear is suitable from birth, and the additional accessories are suitable for ages one year and over.

Wow! Stuff

emma.prendaglia@wowstuff.com for UK dawn.lavalette@wowstuff.com for EMEA sunny.walia@wowstuff.com for USA

Wow! Stuff’s unique Lullaby Labs range combines scientific innovation with brands children love, to create the ultimate Sleep Trainers and Sleep Soothers.

After extensive research into the sleep trainer category Wow! Stuff felt that some important features of the existing and leading items in the market were missing. Simplifying the set-up of the Sleep Trainer was identified as key to keeping the item parent friendly, while adding tier-one licensed brands helps to comfort the baby.

Available in Peppa Pig, CoComelon and Gruffalo designs, the Lullaby Labs Sleep Trainer has an easy-to-set digital clock which allows parents to set the time they would like their child to get out of bed in the morning. When it’s time for children to get a good night’s sleep, the button is pressed on the top of the Sleep Trainer. A short lullaby will play, signalling that it's time for bed. Once the music starts, the night light comes on and the moon begins to glow softly.

Each licensed design also has its own special feature. With the CoComelon Sleep Trainer, JJ will magically appear next to the moon, dressed in his pyjamas. When it's time for the child to wake up, the light will turn off, the moon will disappear, and the sun will be visible next to JJ in his daytime clothes. The Peppa Sleep Soother is a reassuring cuddly toy that features soothing melodies and lights.

The Lullaby Labs Sleep Soother makes the perfect gift for ages 18-months to five years old and is an ideal aid for little ones who need encouragement sleeping or staying in bed. As they are soothed to sleep with the aid of their favourite character, soft music comforts and reassures the child. Each Sleep Soother features a series of songs associated with the character, and users can hear the sound by pressing the musical note button.

VTech

03306 780 149 | www.vtech.co.uk

Autumn/winter 2023 will see the launch of eight brand new additions to VTech Baby.

The Snuggly Sounds Whale has five rainbow piano keys that play sounds and introduce numbers and ocean animals. When little ones press one of the two tail buttons, they will hear calming nature sounds, nine songs and 15 melodies. The product features a dangling fabric fish, easyto-grasp crinkly sound fins and a mirror for self-discovery. Whale's light up heart button triggers even more fun responses and it includes various textures for tactile stimulation such as ribbons, velour and corduroy.

Also launching is the Walk & Woof Puppy. Infants can pull or push the puppy along to see it wobble and walk and trigger interactive phrases about where to go for walkies and more. When they press the ABC button, puppy will introduce basic letters and friendly phrases, while the body part button lets them hear about puppy’s ears, tail and emotions. There are five sing-along songs and 12 melodies. When the puppy’s head is stroked, its ears will move and when its tail is spun, it will make a fun click-tic sound, encouraging motor skill development. The Explore & Discover Roller comes with five different ways to support and encourage continuous play with three light up keys which introduce animals, colours, numbers and play piano notes. When the large drum button is pressed, different beats and sounds will sound. Rolling, pushing and moving the roller triggers fun sounds and melodies. Infants can strengthen muscles and support hand-eye coordination with gears, rollers, beads and a fun ladybird slider, accompanied by 18 upbeat melodies and seven sing-along songs.

When the multi-coloured balls are dropped into the Pop & Play Activity Tree, it will count them. The set features a spiral track with random ball routes. When the seesaw is pressed, the ball will pop up onto the tracks and sounds are activated. The Activity Tree includes five chunky light up buttons that introduce colours, numbers and animals, and play melodies and sounds. There are seven manipulative features, 15 melodies and eight sing-along songs.