2013 Top Holiday Toys For Babies

by littleones.com, on November 28th, 2013

We've updated our list of highly recommended and top-notch baby toys from birth-2 years guaranteed to thrill the little ones on your holiday list. Each of these top selling baby toys have won prestigious toy and parenting awards based on quality, creativity, educational value and/or entertainment value. All toys have also received outstanding consumer ratings and, best of all, are reasonably priced.

Tips for selecting baby toys: Babies are master learners! Promote & support your baby's learning with stimulating toys that closely match their level of development. Start with eye catching and musical toys for the youngest ones who can listen, observe and are developing the ability to "bat" at toys to make movement. Toys which hang from car seats or lightweight rattles are a perfect choice. One babies are able to sit up on their own or be propped up, a whole new world of toy choices are available. Babies learn through introduction to new textures, manipulation of objects, trial and error, sights and sounds, and simple content such as songs which teach letters, numbers, colors etc. Gross motor, as well as fine motor skills, can be practiced when mobile children can carry small toys, stand by an activity table and dance around to musical toys. Interactive toys are a great choice for older children who want to do more! For toys suited for older children, please see Top Holiday Toys for Toddlers.

1. Lamaze Jacques the Peacock or Lamaze Mortimer the Moose Award winners! These brightly colored plush toys are both cuddly and entertaining. Stimulating colors, textures and crunching sounds make this a truly interactive toy even for the youngest babies. Different animals feature built-in teethers, peek-a-boo mirrors and more! An attached clip makes them easy to hang on a car seat, stroller or to take along. Many adorable varieties available. Babies absolutely love them!

2. Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes Baby's favorite! Award winner! Colorful toy plays 7 soothing classical melodies while gentle lights dance to the music. Designed for little hands with a large easy to press music button and adorable caterpillar handle for carrying. Adjustable volume switch. A great value at a reasonable price!

3. Baby Einstein Bendy Ball Award winner! This reasonably priced, soft & flexible ball absolutely fascinates even the littlest ones! It's easy to grasp, bend and squeeze, plus it has a rattle ball in the middle to provide additional sight and sound stimulation. A simple yet wonderful product.

4. Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether Award winner! This toy-teether consistently tops Amazon's Baby best seller list! Babies are attracted to Sophie's bright spots, enjoy chewing on Sophie's easy to grasp limbs & neck, and love its pleasant squeaker. Believe it or not, this favorite has been around since 1961. And don't worry, Sophie meets all safety standards. Just read the glowing reviews at Amazon of this extremely popular product.

5. Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Kitchen Award winner! Fun-filled kitchen teaches your child sorting, opposites, vocabulary and more. Lots of ways to play and large pieces to manipulate. Encourages pretend play and interaction. Multi-sensory play includes learning in English and Spanish, musical selections and tactile stimulation. Ages 6 months to 3 years.

6. LeapFrog My Pal Violet or L eapFrog My Pal Scout (Green). Award winner! Adorable plush puppy which can be customized to learn your child's name and favorite things via a simple computer download. Plays lullabies, learning songs and teaches numbers, animals, food and more. Select from an additional 30 songs online. Awesome cuddly and educational toy for ages 6 months- 2+ years.

7. Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube Award winning interactive musical cube lets little ones create 8 Mozart masterpieces. Cube sides include the harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin which light up and play instrument sounds. Sounds can be played solo or added together to create a symphony. Features soft rounded edges and durable design. Fascinating musical toy for the wee ones!

8. LeapFrog® Learn & Groove Musical Table Award winner! Music, learning & fun rolled into one! Choose from this amazing toy's words or music options. Learn about ABCs, colors, opposites, counting to 10 and primary shapes or play on piano keys, tap the drum, groove to over 40 songs and melodies, and listen to nursery rhymes & instrument sounds. Flip a switch to change from English to Spanish. Best of all, this toy grows with your child. It sits flat on the floor for babies and adjusts to toddler play by adding included table legs. Provides hours upon hours of visual, auditory and fine motor stimulation and skills practice. An educational wonderland sure to delight little ones from 6 months- 2+ years. Other LeapFrog Learn & Groove Instruments available.

Also recommended: Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano Award winner! This pleasant sounding first piano teaches babies instruments, composing music and counting to 5 in English, Spanish & French. Encourages fine motor development while providing auditory, visual and language stimulation.

9. Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks Award winner! A simple, yet wonderful shape sorter for babies. Provides endless fun & learning as babies sort, stack, identify and match shapes. Babies love filling up the bucket and dumping it out, dropping the shapes through the shape sorter lid or using the handle to carry around their fun. Great for hand-eye coordination, recognition and problem solving skills. Includes 10 brightly colored blocks. Reasonably priced. Ages 6 months-3 years.

10. Playskool Explore and Grow Busy Ball Popper Award winner! Loads of sensory fun and gross motor skills practice with this lively interactive toy. Colorful balls spiral down the track and pop up the air powered tube at the press of the big mushroom button. 8 upbeat songs along with sound effects invite your child to dance, giggle, put & take balls and have fun discovering the concept of cause and effect. Surely a favorite for ages 9 months- 2+ years.