Award-winning baby and child products

The first “Best New Product Awards” at Baby & Child, one of 10 divisions of the New York International Gift Fair, were presented this month. A panel of 10 editors from trade media and kid-centric blogs and websites selected winners from 111 products. The winners and finalists are:


BLOGGER’S BEST

Maple Landmark, Inc. (Middlebury, Vt.) for Rocker-Feller Rocking Horse. A carefully-designed and crafted rocking horse featuring laser-engraved details, made from responsibly harvested solid pine with a non-toxic naturoil finish. Made in the USA.

TOY
Winner: Tegu (Rowayton, Conn.) for Magnetic blocks. Wooden blocks that defy gravity with safely embedded magnets inside. Blocks are made from eco-friendly hardwoods, making them both sustainable and durable.

Finalist: Maple Landmark, Inc. (Middlebury, Vt.) for Rocker-Feller Rocking Horse.

Finalist: Geared For Imagination (Fairlawn, Ohio) for Topozoo.

DÉCOR
Winner: Oopsy daisy, Fine Art For Kids (San Diego) for A to Z Animal Prints. Canvas wall art reproductions featuring colorful and exotic animals, printed in the giclée method and stretched by hand over a wooden frame with a decorative edge, eliminating the need for framing. Made in the USA.

Finalist: Zutano Inc. (Cabot, Vt.) for Owls 4-piece crib set.

Finalist: manny and simon (Del Mar, Calif.) for Duck wooden step stool.

MadPax

GEAR
Winner: MadPax (Phoenix) for The Spiketus Rex. Over-the-top creature feature backpacks for kids of all ages that allow children to store books, gear and more, while expressing one-of-a-kind style.


Finalist: Buggyguard (North Palm Beach, FL) for Stroller lock.

Finalist: Innobaby LLC (Hoffman Estates, IL) for Keepin’ Fresh Kids Stainless.


APPAREL

Winner: Loralin Design (New York) for Handmade Sweater Basket. A 100 percent cotton sweater and matching shoes, packaged in a tiny gift basket to create the perfect new baby gift.

Loralin Design

Finalist: Magnificent Baby (New York) for Elephants On Parade Take Me Home Set

Finalist: 3 Sprouts (Toronto) for 3 Sprouts Eco-Friendly Art Smock.


The Best New Product Award judges were: Melody Udell, Baby & Kids; Nanci Gregg, Baby & Children’s Product News; Leesa Valentino, TheGiggleGuide.com; Lynda Johnson, KidsStyleSource.com; Jenny Heinzen-York, Kids Today; Elina Furman, AListMom.com (formerly Mamaista); Liz Gumbinner, Coolmompicks.com; Nicole Feliciano, Momtrends.blogspot.com; Joanna Dreifus, MyMomShops.com; Caroline Kennedy and Meredith Schwartz, Playthings.

Antler-themed home decor

A jewelry holder and a table game from imm Living Inc. will be arriving in stores this fall.

Buck Stacking Game by designer Andrea Kezdi

Adorn jewelry holder by designer Andrea Kezdi

Scooby Doo Figures

When Scooby Doo and his friends arrive at your house hidden in a Christmas stocking, they are sure to receive a huge warm welcome. These 5" figures are the perfect size for little hands and will provide hours of happy play.

In fact, the Scooby Doo figures will fit perfectly in your purse or your child's carry bag for that trip to Grandma's Christmas afternoon.

Invite Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma and Daphne to your Christmas holiday -- you will be glad you did!

InStep Fire Truck Pedal Car - Free Shipping!

Can you say "nostalgia"? The InStep Fire Truck Pedal Car has the unmistakable nostalgic look of an old-timey hook-n-ladder truck as well as the look of a pedal car that you might have had as a child. What a perfect gift for the preschooler or young child in your life!

This is no plastic look-alike. Instead, it's a heavy-duty, long-lasting ride-on with a solid steel frame and rubber tires. This is an outside toy, unless you have a whole lot of room inside!

There's nothing better for a child than plenty of opportunities for playing make-believe. Add a fire hat or fireman suit and your future firefighter will really feel the part. The InStep Fire Truck Pedal Car is a great choice to fuel the flame of imagination while providing hours of fun and making of happy memories.

Quick Links:
Click here to buy the InStep Fire Truck Pedal Car and get FREE SHIPPING at Amazon.com
Click here to see more pedal fire trucks for sale
Click here for more details and customer reviews of the InStep Fire Truck Pedal Car

65. Handmade Dolls

MATERIALS:

Doll template(PDF)
10 x 18 inch piece of washable fabric (body)
10 x 10 inch piece of jersey knit cotton (skin: face, hands, feet)
matching thread
embroidery floss (for features: black, brown, blue, or green for eyes; shades of red or pink for mouth)
Yarn (for hair)
batting
scissors
straight pins

INSTRUCTIONS:

Choose the yarn for the hair with care; alpaca works for straight hair, and bouclé has built-in curls. For shorter curls, embroider mohair yarn directly to head and brush slightly.


1. Use the template(PDF). Fold a 10-by-18-inch piece of washable fabric (for body) end to end, right sides facing; lay template on fabric with dotted lines of shoulders on fold, and cut out along solid lines; pin. From a nearly 10-inch square of cotton jersey (for skin), cut a 3-by-7-inch strip (for head) and four 2-inch squares (for hands and feet).
   
   
2. Starting at bottom outer edge of one leg, stitch up side to end of arm, with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Repeat on other side of body. Sew inner edges of the legs. Notch curves on body. Fold head rectangle in half lengthwise; pin. Starting at the fold, stitch a curved shape across short end, as shown, and continue stitching down open side; snip away excess fabric, keeping 1/8-inch seam allowance. Turn both pieces right side out.
   
   
3. Cut three 2-by-7-inch strips of wool or polyester batting; lay in star shape, as shown. Roll more batting into a 2-inch ball; place on star. Bring strips up and around ball; use a chopstick and your fingers to push batting inside head. Head should be firm; add more batting if necessary, smoothing with fingers.
   
   

   

   
   
   
4. Tie thread the same color as skin around head below ball to create a neck. Stitch bottom opening closed. For hands and feet, place 1-inch ball of batting on each square; bundle, tying with thread.
   
   
5. Stuff body, but not as firmly as head. Use gathering stitch to tighten neck opening. Slip head into neck opening. With a doubled length of skin-colored thread, whipstitch head to body, folding under raw edge of body. Repeat for hands and feet.
   
   
6. Use pins to mark placement of features. Sew on yarn (for hair) in loops; to keep it in place, make an extra, tiny anchoring stitch at the end of every loop. For features, insert a needle threaded with embroidery floss through the back of the head and out at a pin. Stitch features; needle should exit at the back of the head. Tie off.
   
   

   

   
   
   
7. Snip loops of hair, and fluff. Use your fingers to shape the face.
   
   

   

   
   
   
   

   Source: Martha Stewart

59. Vintage Paper Toys (ca. 1922)

First published in the LA Times ca. 1922-23, these mechanical paper dolls are predictable in their kitsch and stereotypes, but still fun to put together:

• Tillie The Typest
  
• Lee Ling, The Chinese Laundry Man
  
• Halfback Harry
  
• Santa & his Reindeer
  
• Peggy Plays Peek-a-boo
  
• Kelly the Cop
  
• Chris the Crossing Watchman
  
  more...

Source: Barnacle Press