At National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA), they unboxed, tested and played with lots of toys. And now, bringing you the best of the toys they love. They have something for everyone on your list — from your littlest ones to teens — and even for other parents you know.
Infants
Bebé Fuerte collection
Features a colorful palette of fitness themed and LatinX culture. Spanish motivational words and phrases are displayed on each toy so parents can share as they play with baby. $8.99 – $23.99, ages birth+, us.tomy.com
My Recordable Storytime: Welcome Little One
Create lifelong memories by putting yourself into this beloved story so little ones can hear you read again and again. $24.99, ages birth+, read.sourebooks.com
The Strider Sport 2-in-1 Rocking Bike
Goodbye, rocking horse. A great way to learn balance and improve dexterity. Once they’ve mastered rocking, detach from the base to ride as a balance bike. $249.98, ages 6-18 months, striderbikes.com
RAW Baby Changing Basket
Handcrafted from sustainable seagrass using heritage techniques by fair trade certified Vietnamese artisans. Includes memory foam mattress with a removable and water-resistant bamboo blend cover, a cotton leaf liner for milestone photos, and a vegan leather changing mat. $149.97, bebebask.com
Philips Avent Soothie Snuggle
A lightly weighted plush toy with a pacifier attached. Helps calm babies by securing pacifiers in place while acting as a cuddly source of security. Detach for easy cleaning/sanitizing. $15.99, ages birth+, various retailers.
Baby’s First Book of 44 Sounds
This research-based board book includes all 44 sounds found in English to jumpstart a baby’s literacy journey. Allows your baby to hear each sound used in a word and then pronounced in isolation. $24.99, ages birth+, smartnoggintoys.com
ABC Affirmation Baby Book
Teaches letters and helps build your baby and toddler’s confidence with positive words and 26 affirmations. $12.99, ages birth+, kidsforculture.com
Toddlers & Preschoolers
Playskool Weebles My Smart House
Full of action on every floor—down the chimney and onto the bed, then off the bed and down the slide. Enjoy a virtual visit with grandma and grandpa. Then take another slide down to the kitchen for a snack and swing ride. $49.99, ages 12 months+, playmonster.com
The Mischievous Matching Mushrooms
Help your baby learn colors and develop fine motor skills as they sort each mushroom into the board. And help identify emotions associated with colors. $14.99, ages 12 months+, sassybaby.net
Enchanted Rainbow
There is a whole lot to discover in this beautifully designed wooden stacking toy. Features a five-piece rainbow, two play figures and much more. $35.50, ages 2+, us.bababooandfriends.com
Rainy Ranch
Build fine motor skills, color matching and shape recognition as you help them roll the dice to lead animals into the barn. But watch out for raindrops. $19.99, ages 2+, various retailers.
Monster Jam ThunderROARus Drop
Take their stunts higher. Drop the truck down the epic six-foot ramp and watch it speed toward the dino’s mouth. Attaching the ramp to your wall is made easy using 3M hooks leaving no damage behind. $99.99, ages 3+, spinmaster.com
GooGames
Hand-held pocket-sized sensory water games that are squishy and visually mesmerizing. Three styles echo themes from popular mobile games for a nostalgic experience. $9.99, ages 3+, skycastletoys.com
Cry Babies Magic Tears Stars Talent Babies
Embark on an interstellar adventure with eight dolls to collect. Each one cries real tears and includes six surprises for mix and match fun. $9.99, ages 3+, various retailers.
BIZYBOO Hide ‘N’ Seek BUSY BAG
Soft, whimsical, portable and mess free. Kids can prod and push the beads around keeping occupied while on the road, in a car or plane. $8.99, ages 2+, vangotoys.com
Numberblocks Step Squad Mission Headquarters
Play out your favorite action-packed missions and embark on exciting number adventures to practice counting, sequencing, and other early math skills alongside these favorite characters. $39.99, ages 3+, hand2mind.com
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Kids
Comes with an included subscription to Amazon Kids+ for access to thousands of age-appropriate and ad-free books, games, apps, videos and more. Easy-to-use parental controls, allowing guardians to set screen time limits or adjust age filters. $149.99, ages 3-7, various retailers.
Smashers Monster Truck Surprise
Get ready to build, race, crash and smash to discover and construct your Monster Truck. Features 25 smashing surprises. $24.99, ages 3-5, zurutoys.com
LeapFrog Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer
Create their own recipes or follow the instructions on the two double-sided recipe cards. Little bakers can make more than 40 pretend recipes for cookies, cupcakes, pies and more. $29.99, ages 2+, shop.leapfrog.com
Curious Kingdom
Combines building fun with creative play. Construct the castle and let imaginations soar with these seven silly characters. Each playset comes with two sticker sheets, plus an optional free app with learning games and more. $34.99, ages 3+, playper.com
Storypod
This adorable interactive system now features recordable stickers that can be placed anywhere for your family and friends to share special messages. Record stories, songs, memories and more for the kids in your life to enjoy over and over again. The system includes pre-recorded multisensory stories, music and more. $99.99, ages birth-6 years, storypod.com
Mini Brands Series 5 Capsule by ZURU
The real brands that fit in your hand. Features 90+ miniatures to collect, including ultra-rare frozen moments and new Mini Minis. $7.49, ages 3-5, zurutoys.com
VTech Switch & Go 3-in-1 Rescue Rex
Easily combine the fire truck, rescue copter and electronic police car into a roaring T-Rex over 20 inches long. Cool action sounds, phrases and digital effects inspire play and adventure. $42.99, ages 4+, vtechkids.com
PLAYMOBIL Rainbow Castle in the Clouds
Climb up the rope ladder and join the princesses. Find a seat on the rainbow merry go round or look out on the horizon through the telescope. $99.99, ages 4-10, playmobil.us
Ninja Kidz TV Giant Mystery Ninja Ball
This giant mystery ball has over 25 blind-bag surprises for inspiring Ninjas to unbox. $52.99, ages 3+, bliptoys.com
Sesame Street Elmo Slide Plush
Little ones can dance, sing, and play along with their fun-loving pal in English or Spanish. $49.99, ages 2+, various retailers.
BobBee
A water toy that is three boats in one with a special message about friendship and teamwork. Features soft silicone and advanced buoyancy engineering; plus social-emotional facial expressions and storyline. $40, ages 2-4, griddlygames.com
Disney Junior Mickey Mouse Roarin’ Safari Dino
This interactive set features ground-shaking sound effects with a kid-powered dinosaur. Press the lever on its back to open and close its jaws, hear it roar and activate exciting Mickey Mouse phrases. $34.99, ages 3+, various retailers.
Nia
This 18-inch doll embodies beauty and confidence. Her half cloth body offers a cuddly and comforting touch and she has 20 inspiring phrases to motivate and inspire young children. $89.99, ages 3+, brainsandbeautydolls.com
Pop Out Dinosaurs
Both a book and a play set. Kids can learn about each dinosaur species and then build their own using chunky press-out pieces. $12.99, ages 4+, read.sourcebooks.com
Elementary
Disney Doorables Multi Peek Series 10
Behind every door, a surprise is in store. Celebrate Disney’s 100th Anniversary with 80 characters from a century of epic storytelling. Find never-before-featured Doorables and collect all 9 special-edition figures, including a limited-edition Mickey Mouse. $11.99, ages 5+, various retailers.
Squinkies Originals Cupcake Surprize Bake Shop
Designed to look like a fanciful Cupcake when opened, this playset reveals a delightful bake shop. Place the gold coins into the special slot, turn the dial and watch for a surprise capsule to roll out. $34.99, ages 5+, bliptoys.com
Arctic Riders
After a long winter, the animals in the Arctic Circle are excited for Spring. This adorable self-check math game helps kids learn fundamental skills like addition, subtraction, and solving equations as they offer tasty treats to the hungry narwhals. $36, ages 7+, simplyfun.com
Future Fans Football
Introduces the rules of the game in kid-friendly ways. A storybook-led experience for adults and children, the box also includes an activity book, 5 games and toys and 6 unboxing experiences. $59.99, ages 4-10, Futurefans.com
Spirograph Doodle Pad
Create endless designs on the LCD screen using wheels. No paper, no markers, no mess. Includes LCD Doodle Pad with built-in storage area, stylus, 4 stencil wheels and design ideas. $24.99, ages 5+, playmonster.com
Style BAE
Simply peel, stick and style. Each comes with a closet full of seven trendy outfits made from reusable cling stickers. Mix and match tops, bottoms, and shoes to create over 850 looks. $19.99, ages 4+, justplayproducts.com
BBOP Inflatable Buddy Bumper Balls
Step inside and bounce, bop, and bump. Adult assembly and supervision required. $59.99, ages 6+, hearthsong.com
Smithsonian Jellyfish Tank
Watch a bloom of “jellyfish” elegantly swim, as you learn more about these amazing and ancient animals. Included STEM content teaches about these unusual carnivorous creatures that have roamed the seas for more than 500 million years. $24.99, ages 10+, target.com
Pocket-Size Math Flash Cards Bundle
Understand the concept behind the facts and not just rote memorization. Build confidence and creative problem-solving. $44.99, ages 4-12, thinktankscholar.com
Holiday World Baking Bundle
Explore new adventures in your kitchen this holiday season. With these baking kits, you can travel to new culinary destinations in your own home with your little foodies. $84.95, ages 5+, eat2explore.com
Feeling All the Feelings Workbook: A Kids’ Guide to Exploring Emotions
Offers 100+ engaging activities and practices designed to foster emotional awareness and help kids explore feelings. $16.95, ages 6-9, shambhala.com
Story Time Backgammon
Teaches young kids and adults how to play using a story-based approach. No backgammon experience required to learn and play. $39.99, ages 3-10, storytimelearning.com
Bitzee
The digital pet that you can touch and feel. Pets will respond to your tilts, swipes and shakes with adorable sounds and reactions. Will evolve from baby to adult to super Bitzee. Discover unique outfits and games, then use a treat to attract your next pet. $29.99, ages 5+, amazon.com
LuvBug Learning
An emotional growth e-learning platform for kids. Features both games and educational videos curated for developmental learning. $6.99-$10.99/month, ages 4-11, luvbuglearning.com
Bumpas
Weighted plush dolls that hold on to you – hands-free. Their hands form a heart to say “My Heart Is Yours.” Each friend has a unique personality and is soft and cuddly. $39.99, ages 3+, mybumpas.com
Tweens and Teens
Design Your Own Hoodie
Create your own unique, boutique-quality piece with this innovative, video game-meets-fashion design platform. Features over 500+ premium patches. $49.00, sizes 2-14, supermixstudio.com
Wild Chakra Kids Coloring Book
Features unique, hand drawn images taking your child on a journey of mindfulness activities. $24.44, ages 10+, wildchakrakids.com
Castle Panic Second Edition
Cooperate with friends and family to defend your castle against monsters streaming in from the forest. Slay all the monsters and have at least one tower standing to win. $34.95, ages 8+, firesidegames.com.
Do You Really Know Your Family?
Get ready to compete against your family to see who really knows each other best. Build fun family memories as you learn new things about each other and perform silly challenges together. $24.99, ages 8+, various retailers.
Sky Viper Vector Performance Stunt Plane
Advanced auto flight stabilization makes flying a breeze by automatically compensating for environmental changes like shifting winds. Perform amazing loop and barrel roll stunts with a press of a button. $79.99, ages 12+, sky-viper.com
Cool Maker PopStyle Bracelet Maker
No knots, clasps or cuts. Choose from 170 beads, place them on the elastics and pop the top to reveal your custom bracelet. Make and remake up to 10 bracelets. $24.99, ages 7+, various retailers.
Tinkering Labs Electric Motors Catalyst STEM Kit
Ignite curiosity and innovation in your young inventor. With 50+ components and 10 engaging challenges, kids can invent their own unique creations. $65, ages 8-13, tinkeringlabs.com
The Great Big Book of Really Hard Puzzles
Packed with more than 150 of the most difficult puzzles, mazes, word puzzles, logic puzzles and more. $12.99, ages 8-12, various retailers.
Planet Zoo
Build a world for wildlife. Construct detailed habitats, manage your zoo and meet authentic living animals who think, feel and explore the world you create around them. $49.99, ages 10+, planetzoogames.com
Curling Zone Indoor
No ice, no problem. Choose a curling stone—red or yellow—and hover it on the slick mat. The icy-not-so-icy challenging curling game is great for family game night. $129.99, ages 3+, hearthsong.com
Just for Adults
Before You: A Book by Me, Your Parent, from a Time When You Didn’t Exist
A timeless keepsake journal that supplies families with 200 prompts—coolest place you ever traveled, your best hidden talent, your secret hideout as a kid and more. $19.99, quirkbooks.com
CYBEX COŸA Stroller
Folds in seconds to a carry-on luggage compatible size, promising luxury from departure to arrival. Features ergonomic near-flat recline, an integrated leg rest and a snug one-pull harness. $499.95, ages birth-4 years, cybex-online.com
Naturepedic Organic Nursing Pillow
Encased in soft organic cotton and filled with PLA made from non-GMO sugarcane. Made without polyurethane foam, flame retardants or harmful chemicals. It includes a waterproof, machine-washable cover. $119, naturepedic.com
CUDL Clik Baby Carrier
The baby carrier is designed to provide comfort and freedom for both parent and baby. Four ergonomic carry positions and four magnetic locking buckles for easy and secure attachment. Also includes a removable wristlet pouch for hands-free convenience. $250, ages newborn-3 years, nunababy.com
Sex Ed for the Stroller Set: How to Have Honest Conversations With Young Children
A book written for parents or other primary caregivers raising a child under the age of six. Helps parents prepare for uncomfortable conversations by supplying information and specific phrases they can use. Also helps parents process their own anxieties around sex. $21.99, apa.org
Sprout Single-to-Double Stroller/Wagon
Expands from a single seater into a double with no tools needed. Need extra cargo space or to add a seat for an extra kid? Expand the chassis to make room. Taking one kid to a playdate before running errands with the other? Shorten the chassis for more compact strolling. $699.99, 6 months to 50 lbs per seat, larktale.com
Milkmakers 5-in-1 Cover
Keeps the baby nestled in a bubble of protection when breastfeeding in public. Made of soft and breathable fabric infused with silver-ion technology. Use it as a car seat cover, high chair cover, shopping cart protector and stylish infinity scarf in one. $19.99, munchkin.com
Hushh+ Travel Sound Machine
Choose from 20 soothing sleep sounds or use the wireless speaker to create the perfect soundscape for a dreamy night’s sleep anywhere. The adjustable amber night light provides gentle illumination. Can be charged wirelessly. $49.99, ages birth+, yogasleep.com
NAPPA Awards has been celebrating the best in family products for 33 years. For more product reviews and gift ideas visit nappaawards.com
