(Manhattan Toy $42) Beau is a beauty, a floppy over-sized bunny that is almost as tall as a toddler— a big 18-inches tall with a big smushy belly, long arms and legs and the biggest floppy ears imaginable. Those wonderful ears are lined with white plush to contrast to the soft mauve plush body. Beau is big, but lightweight enough for toddlers to carry about, as they love doing. A memorable companion who will say whatever your child imagines and listen endlessly, without inter

(Manhattan Toy $24.99 each) Soft as a cloud, these under-stuffed huggable are designed for loving. Greta is done in a delicate lavender /mauve-ish plush with velvety ear linings. She has a broad bottom, so can sit up for tea parties and other important events in a bear’s life. Hans is the same except he’s done in a dark tan/almost cocoa color. Both are 15" charmers for baby and toddler with legs and arms so easy to grab and soft silky plush that doesn’t shed. Greta's image on

(Mudpuppy $14.95) Share this set of four chunky board books that speak to mindfulness. Every page of these sturdy little books features a baby doing what babies do. The set includes books called, Sleepy, Happy, Nature, and Calm, all emphasizing our sensory feelings. Four big ideas we all need. Pages have no stories, just labels; your talk is the story that you can make up every time. There’s lots to talk about, unique to the listener and the teller. Small in scale, these will

(Mudpuppy $16.99) A classic kind of stack and balance game with a new, folk art look. A gaily painted wooden pony, 8" tall, collects players wooden sticks as they take turns trying not to cause the stack to tumble. Pony Pile-up can be played by mixed age group, though it favors those with fine motor skills and the ability to predict outcomes--budding strategy skills. Ages: Early School Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2020 Click here to purchase the product from Amazon.

(Mudpuppy $5.99 each) Want to send a little toy along with a birthday greeting? You will love these new puzzle cards with a 12-piece jigsaw puzzle. Write your own message on back of the puzzle, then break it up and put the pieces in the envelop and seal with the sticker. This is just one of several puzzles you can choose to send. The small pieces of the puzzle will make them a better bet for school aged kids. Ages: early school Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2020 Clic

(Mudpuppy $9.99) Pure magic for the tub! This little book features almost black and white fanciful outline drawings of six underwater creatures: a dolphin, octopus, crab, starfish, pufferfish and sea turtle. Soon as the pages hit the water—abra-ka-da-bra— the pages are transformed into colorful images! Given time to day, they revert to their original near black and white state until the next time. Ages: Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 20

(Mudpuppy $14.99 ) We’ve always liked these sets of four puzzles, each with a different level of difficulty. The timely theme this year is Mindfulness and features on puzzle with stargazing, another flying bubbles, one doing yoga, and another sharing time with a friend.Introduce them one at a time. One puzzle has just 4-pieces, another 6-pieces, one has 9-pieces and the fourth has 12-pieces. There’s also a mindfulness booklet. Marked for 2 and up, we’d say the four piece puz

(Mudpuppy $14.99) Dog lovers will have fun playing this silly mix up game that also develops visual discrimination and matching skills. Be forewarned, there are a lot of rules to learn to begin, but play it once or twice and kids will get it. There are big tile cards and players get points by matching a head and tail to make a match, and then the active player and others can play their cards to match the newly created dogs. The object is to have the most matches AND the most

(Lego $19.99) Mr. Chill’s Ice Cream Truck is on the block! Our tester liked this almost as much as the real thing! Compared to many of the elaborate sets we reviewed this season, this is a small 200-piece build and listed for 5 and up, but make no assumptions. It’s not simple, in fact, it has some complex moments. With all the little pieces, your five-year old will need well developed fine motor skills. That said, it’s full of delicious details, like a sliding window, a hinge

(Manhattan Toys $9.99) Totally unstuffed and therefore easy-to-clutch, this little handful of a bunny has a colorful pattern for eye appeal. A round yellow teething ring is bumpy to the touch, chewy for chomping on, and removable. Bunny has safe stitch features, a floppy stuffed head, and ears that will surely be tasted. Baby Bunny is one of those good things come in small packages. infants Ages: Infants Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2020 Click here to purchase the p