Best Bets for Babies
Toymakers weigh in on what's trending for infants and preschoolers
By Pamela Brill -- Gifts and Dec, 9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
It's no mystery that babies command a lot of attention—not only from their caregivers, but at the cash register, too. Last year, the infant/preschool toy category amassed $3.08 billion in annual retail sales. While this was a 4 percent drop from 2007, parents are still demanding quality toys that will engage and stimulate their little ones...without putting a dent in their college funds.
This month, Playthings takes a closer look at which trends are propelling the infant/preschool category forward and how manufacturers are responding to the market during challenging economic times.
Thinking pink
Fashion-forward designs aren't only reserved for the tween market; moms of newborns and toddlers want toys that look just as good as they work. "We are seeing a move towards gender-specific products at younger ages," says Jamie Kieffer, senior vice president of marketing, Learning Curve Brands. "For example, pink is hot right now."
Hasbro has observed this color preference in infant toys as well. "For even the youngest little girls, parents are looking for specifically pink lines," says Sharon John, Playskool general manager. In response to this trend, the company recently introduced Garden Pals, a collection of pastel-colored bugs on wheels. Hasbro plans to expand Playskool's pink line this fall.
Little girls will have even more opportunities to be tickled pink with Tiny Love's Tiny Princess line, an all-pink collection of infant toys comprised of the Gymini Tiny Princess, Tiny Princess Mobile, Tiny Princess Electronic Book and Follow-Me Fiona crawling toy. "As comprehensive as it is colorful, the toys address all of the developmental milestones babies experience in their first years of life," says Desiree Paquette, vice president, marketing and sales.
Grows with baby
Because parents are especially concerned about a toy's durability and wear-and-tear, infant toy manufacturers are focused on extending the life of their products. "Parents are demanding more value from everything they buy and infant toys are no exception," says Paquette. Tiny Love's Sort 'n' Learn Pelican, a shape sorter with four distinct shapes and colors, prompts babies to find the correct spot for each shape. For those who haven't fully developed their fine motor skills, parents can lift up the sorting tray, so their child can put in and take out the blocks from the pelican's mouth.
"We are seeing an increased demand for toys that give babies more playing options within one toy," says Matt Nitowski, brand and retail marketing, Baby Einstein. He notes the company's Baby Einstein Around the World play gym, which features seven developmental toys and nine musical melodies.
International Playthings offers the Yookidoo KaleidoDisk, which transitions from a crib-attached soother to a play center. "It keeps kids engaged from newborn through their second (or even third) year," says senior brand manager Ticia Will.
Chicco is introducing its 4-in-1 Ride-on Car, which can be used by 9-month-olds as a stationary rocker, as a walker for toddlers and later as a ride-on for 2- to 3-year-olds. "Value is certainly becoming an increasingly important factor influencing purchasing decisions," says Federico Brigatti, marketing product manager.
A return to innocence
Even during a less-than-stellar economic period, retailers are reporting big business in their baby toy selection. At Dancing Bear Toys and Gifts in Frederick, Md., sales in developmental toys have been on the rise since last fall. "We predict that the holiday shopping season will be much stronger than last year," says store owner Tom England. Strong sellers such as Skwish from Manhattan Toy, Stack-n-Sort Barrels from Guidecraft and Fidelia from Haba all point to back-to-basics play—a trend that England believes will continue to shape this category. Among the suppliers embracing a back-to-basics approach is Every Baby Company. "Our toys, books and DVDs are all about classic play patterns and explorations with everyday items such as water, light and shadow, and everyday events such as doing the laundry," says president Stephen Gass. "Our design philosophy is that the best toys are the ones that are 90 percent child and 10 percent toy."
He points to the company's If the Shape Fits eebee, a stacking toy that doubles as a doll with four stacking shapes. "Our goal is to create products that engage babies at the appropriate developmental level...with multiple ways to play, explore and figure things out for building new skills," he explains.
Infantino also stresses the value of classic play. "Our brand philosophy is relevant and desirable to moms and gift givers looking to avoid unnecessary bells and whistles," says Colette Cosky, senior brand manager. The company's Sing & Learn Monkey sings nursery, ABC and number songs when pressed, and parents can enhance the learning experience by singing along.
Infant intelligence
For all the infant toy companies that focus on tactile and sensory stimulation sans batteries, there are just as many that incorporate electronics, lights and sounds in their playthings for babies.
"As a parent, there is nothing better than your baby's delightful smile once he's figured out how to get a desired response from a toy," says Mike Houlahan, LeapFrog's vice president, global reading and toys. "Offering a stimulating response to physical actions really aids in developing cognitive skills." Cause-and-effect toys such as LeapFrog's Learn & Groove Musical Table feature various physical manipulatives, such as piano keys and a spinning maraca, along with tons of tunes for ages 6 months and up.
Tiny Love also incorporates electronics in its developmental toys, including the aforementioned Follow-me-Fred and its mobile line. "The classical music soothes baby, and the multitude of movements and motions captivate her senses," says Paquette.
"While blinking lights and noises are great attention getters, it's important to engage babies in a way that encourages them to interact with their toys, rather than just watch them," says Will of International Playthings. The company uses technology as a reward to teach cause and effect. With its Yookidoo tack Flap N Tumble, babies are encouraged to repeatedly drop a ball through stacked cubes, so they can hear fun sounds when the ball reaches the bottom.
New degrees of reach
With a dizzying array of playthings competing for new parents' attention, infant toy companies are appealing to a wider demographic of new mothers and grandparents by exploring new channels of communication.
When Baby Einstein began seeing an increase in brand awareness among prenatal women, the company began marketing to consumers online. "Gen Y moms are very computer-savvy, so we are beginning to reach them through social networking sites including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube," says Nitowski. Because grandparents comprise the better portion of Baby Einstein's gift buying audience, the company also participates heavily in retailer programs such as baby gift registries.
International Playthings utilizes its retail relationships by supplying stores with programs that support and educate owners and staff about its product line. "We also pay attention to the hottest mom blogs where we can reach out through toy reviews and giveaways," says Will.
Gass of Every Baby seconds the influence of bloggers. "We believe that the 'word of mom' is the most powerful way to spread the word about eebee," he tells Playthings. His company works with bloggers to promote its products, and has also established a strong base of eebee fans dubbed the "famileebee."
Learning Curve has found success by connecting with expectant mothers via a strategic relationship with the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" brand. "We maintain a consistent dialogue with these moms during their pregnancy and their initial child-raising years," Kieffer tells Playthings.
Primed for preschool
Once children have graduated to the preschool level of play, the focus shifts to kindergarten readiness. Learning Curve's line of preschool toys addresses both the educational and the social aspects of play. Its licensed SuperWhy! toys, based on the PBS literacy-based television show, include a magical spelling wand and an activity-based touch screen computer. "The line grabs kids' imagination, while at the same time teaches basic reading skills," says Kieffer.
The company's Caring Corners brand is centered upon an interactive doll house that addresses preschool social values like caring for others. "The line was actually created with input from a renowned educational consultant, but the focus of the play pattern is on fun," he tells Playthings.
Alex co-founder and CEO Nurit Amdur agrees that learning should be part of the joy of playtime. She points to the company's Little Hands line targeted at preschoolers and embedded with an educational component. "Alex provides parents with tools to interact with their children as they learn," she tells Playthings. Among the new products in the line-up are Touch & Feel Flash Cards, which offer an introduction to early reading and counting; Learn To Dress Monkey for fostering independent dressing; and Ready, Set, School, which includes various activities that prepare preschoolers for kindergarten.
Speaking of that memorable first day of school, Learning Resources ensures that its early childhood products meet kindergarten—as well as pre-K and Head Start—standards. "Our product development managers have over 20 years of teaching experience, and have spent 10 years in a building that houses over 600 kindergartners," says senior director of marketing Eric Toriumi. "We try to incorporate themes that children naturally gravitate toward while teaching such necessary skills as problem-solving, social interaction, early math and reading." The company's Let's Tackle Kindergarten kit addresses 10 kindergarten readiness skills while its Little Learners backpack promotes school readiness through role-play.
Technology continues to have an even greater emphasis in the preschool learning toys space—a trend that LeapFrog embraces with its new Tag Junior. Aimed at the pre-reader, this device was released in response to last year's older-skewing Tag Reader and uses an intelligent camera that "reads" words and pictures in special dot-patterned pages of books in the Tag Junior collection. New software for the existing Tag Reader and Leapster 2 gaming system addresses kindergarten readiness skills by recognizing numbers and letters and sorting and classifying objects.
Cost-conscious consumers
As parents contend with tighter budgets, toymakers are employing measures to pare prices. Every Baby recently introduced lower price point items, while Haba is offering a 10 percent off sale that is running through September.
At Step2, the company has elected to forego price increases even at a time when costs have risen. "This has allowed our retail prices to remain steady, offering the best value for the highest quality and durability," says vice president of marketing Jean Rupar.
International Playthings offers its retail customers promotional discounts and encourages them to pass the savings onto their shoppers. "Each month we focus on a different brand in our portfolio with discount programs," says Will, noting that the company is less focused on higher-ticket items for the time being.
Tis the season?
Even in the midst of an economic downturn, manufacturers remain optimistic that the holiday shopping season will be profitable, and are gearing up for it with a tremendous array of new infant/preschool toys.
Baby Einstein will debut its World Collection line of juvenile products and toys, including the Around the World Play Gym, Discovery Dragon and World Animal Adventure DVD. "One of the key differences with the Baby Einstein brand is the popularity of our DVDs and music CDs, which drive consumer interest in our toys," says Nitowski.
Hasbro has refreshed many of its perennial favorites, such as the Busy Ball Popper and the Step Start Walk N Ride in its Explore N Grow line. For the preschool set, the company is expanding on the success of last year's Kota, My Triceratops, with the Dino-Roars line.
Learning Curve is promoting the release of the upcoming Thomas the Tank Engine feature film Hero of the Rails with a new line of Thomas Wooden Railway toys. Its Caring Corners line will include the Daisy Greenway RV, which Kieffer says will "bring an environmentally friendly vehicle play pattern to the brand."
Finally, on September 15, Step2 will cook up its Step2Creative Kids in the Kitchen Contest, inviting families to share how they foster creativity when cooking together. The winner will receive a kitchen suite from Frigidaire, plus a Step2 toy kitchen of their choice.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for a fruitful holiday season.
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