Give the bright orange giraffe a tug and its neck stretches and plays Hush Little Baby. This fabric musical toy has bold patterns in pink and tan on the Giraffe's legs.  A good take along musical for naps away from home.  3 months & up

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

No political connections here. A small green turtle that is cleverly designed in fabric with a reversible soft shell that is satiny on one side with many fabric patterns and bold black and white dots on the other side. The shell has crinkle sounds and knottie tabs in satin. This is one of those little toys that will be enjoyed for tracking and fingering and even peek-a-boo games when you make the turtle disappear and reappear. Newborn & up.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Very sweet soft 8-inch squeaker toys that match the bigger 18-inch Baby Long Legs dolls. These fit nicely in little hands and are also ideal for encouraging baby's tracking skills. Choose a Pink Mouse, or blue or pink trimmed white bunnies and grey elephants ($12.99 each). Baby safe and machine washable. All ages.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A fairly gender free mobile that will fit in the nursery of boys or girls. The three fabric animals do look down on baby as they move about. They have dangly legs and big eyes. The mobile plays 18 tunes and will run for as long as 40 minutes. Of course, the mobile animals and armature need to be removed by five months but the music box, with electronic sounds, can remain on the crib side for baby to activate. It can also be removed and carried about as baby grows into toddlerhood.  So, this is a piece of equipment with a long life. Newborn-24 months.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A jolly colorful birdie to dangle on an infant seat or stroller. It has licks of black and white striped patches, bright ribbon wings, and big embroidered eyes to grab baby's visual attention. Inside it has a quiet jingle that will attract listening. The dangly legs add to the motion. It attaches with a Velcro strap. Slightly older babies may like pulling on the legs to make it bounce. Newborns & up

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012.

A set of three little fabric bugs, with big embroidered eyes and smiling mouths, that easily attach to an infant seat. They have bright colors, licks of black and white, and a wonderful chime sound as they dangle in view. You can easily reposition these from time to time, to give them new interest. These are ideal for newborns to stimulate hearing and gazing. Newborns & up.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A new activity floor mat for infants done in autumnal colors of green, orange and brown. The cross bars are covered in fabric and can hold any three of the five little fabric critters that come with the mat. There's a jingly owl, a bird that tweets, a mirrored apple, a rattle birdie, and a nutty squirrel for gazing or batting at. The arms have additional loops for hanging other toys. The mat itself has a nice tree top graphic and leaves appliquéd that will not make the surface bumpy or lumpy to lie on. There's a pillow for tummy time that can be velcroed in place and a flat mirror that comes out when you want to launder the mat. All in all, a solid choice for basic gear. Newborns & up.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2012.

Attach this fabric-framed toy to the crib rail for soothing music and soft colorful lights. There are no moving figures inside the see through window. All the animals are rather static and have big eyes that look out as the music box plays. The best part is the unusual electronic music. It is not the usual tinny variety. It begins with birds chirping and meadow sounds followed by several piano sound tracks. It comes loaded with four tunes including the Minuet in G and Hush Little Baby. Happily, it is designed with a volume control as well as lights that go fast or slow and turn the light features on and off. As an added value, you can attach you mp3 player to add more music.  Eventually baby can push the ladybug on the frame to activate it. For starters, you will be the one to push the buttons on top that are well out of baby's reach. The photo does not do the product justice.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Ideal for early tracking games with newborns, this bold black and white rattle has a quiet sound and a high contrast face that will grab baby's attention. Research shows that infants are visually attracted to the eyes on faces. This clever little plaything has big eyes and a smiling little face. It has an easy to grasp ring and the whole toy is soft enough for young babies. One side is done in short velour like plush and the back is done in silky satin. A small bunch of short green ribbons are clutched in the panda's hand, that will tickle little cheeks or toes as you use this for early social lap games. For starters you will be moving this from side to side for baby to focus on. Before long, it will be a safe choice for baby to grasp. It is soft enough so that it will not hurt even if baby hits herself in the face with her still unrefined hand movements. This is the kind of soft toy for those early months when baby is still getting control of such seemingly simple eye hand movements. Unfortunately it is a surface wash only, but it's not the kind of toy that baby will be handing independently for a while. Newborn and up.

Age: Infants. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Choose one of these take along 7-inch rattles that clips to infant chair or stroller. There's a blue faced dog with green plaid ring that baby can easily grip; a purple Owl with big eyes and calico checked triangular body; and a yellow faced bug with green wings and square shaped body. All three are made of patterned knit fabrics with contrasting patterns and plastic rings to finger or chew on. They have a quiet rattle sound and are machine washable. Good for gazing and early lap games. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Infants, Toddlers. Award Year: 2011.