Oppenheim Toy Portfolio: Infants

Important Advisory:

We are now requiring companies to provide us with documentation that their products have been tested by an independent lab for phthalates and lead.

We are requiring products submtted going forward to: (1) Follow the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that products contain no more than trace amounts of lead (as defined by the AAP as 40 parts per million); and (2) contain no phthalates.

However, as we are not a lab, we will not be independently verifying those results. Also, with the exception of the 2008 Platinum Toy Awards, toys submitted for review prior to January 2008 were not tested for lead..

Safety Recalls: Given the absence of more stringent federal legislation, we encourage consumers to keep up to date on safety recalls. Sign up for CPSC safety email alerts. Click here.

Instructions for submitting product to the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for review.

Contact the Toyportfolio @ (212) 598-0502 or by email at Webmaster@Toyportfolio.com.

Copyright 1995-2008. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio - All Rights Reserved. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Award are Registered Trademarks of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.

Horizontal to Vertical Infants: Birth to One Year

Learning Through the Senses

Right form the start, babies begin learning by looking, listening, touching, smelling, and tasting. It's through their senses that they make sense of the world. In this first remarkable year, babies progress from gazing to grasping, from touching to tossing, from watching to doing. By selecting a rich variety of playthings, parents can match their baby's sensory learning style.

Infant Toy Reviews

We've organized our infant toy reviews into the following categories. Just click on a topic to see the reviews.

The Horizontal Infant Crib Toys: Mobiles, Musical Toys, and Mirrors Equipment for Playtime: Playmats and Activity Gyms First Lap and Floor Toys	The Vertical Infant Floor Toys: Filling and Spilling Games; First Blocks; Toys for Crawlers; Toys for Making Things Happen First Huggables Manipulatives: Activity Tables; Stacking, Nesting, and Shape Sorter Toys; Other Manipulatives Rattles and Teethers Travel Toys Tub Time Vehicles
View all infant toys	View Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winners Blue Chip Awards Infants Toys
Thumbs Down: Products for infants you should skip.

Books for Infants

Reading to children is more than a great way to entertain them. Studies show that young children who are read to every day learn to read earlier and with greater ease.

For infants, books are not merely for looking at. Babies tend to taste, toss, and tear their books. Even sturdy cardboard books may not survive this search-and-destroy stage. Cloth and vinyl make good chewable choices. The mechanics of turning pages, pointing to pictures, and even tasting, make books among baby's favorite playthings and a key to language development.

Book Reviews

Blue Chip Books Every Baby Should Know

	Baby's First Words Goodnight Moon I See and I Touch What Is It? z james
Audio Products Every Baby Should Know
	A Child's Celebration of Lullaby aaaaaaaaaaaaaa test American Lullaby asasasas At Quiet O'Clock Baby Beethoven Baby Einstein: Lullaby Classics Baby Galileo: Concert for Little Ears Baby Vivaldi: Concert for Little Ears Bright Spaces Childhood Memories & Lullabies On Guitar Counting Sheep Disney Lullaby Album Dream with Me Tonight Dream With Me Tonight II Dreamland DreamSongs Folksongs & Bluegrass for Children Goodmorning Guitar Kids, Cars & Campfires Night-Night Classics Pillow Full of Wishes Pocket Full of Stardust Ragtime Romp SmartPlay with Classical Songs From a Parent to a Child Sounds Familiar Still the Same Me The Floppy Sleep Game The Mozart Effect, Vols.1-3 The Sun Upon the Lake is Low When Night Falls Wiggle Waggle Loop-de-Loo! You Are My Sunshine

About Software and Videos for Infants

Developmentally, babies learn from active, real-life experiences rather than being 'plugged in' to passively watching others at such an early age. We believe a mirror would be more interactive and age-apropriate than a video screen. Reading books and talking about pictures, or interacting as you sing songs and recite rhymes, will do more to build language than plugging them into the TV to look at pretty pictures with music. For kids under two (and for all kids), less is more! We are delighted that the American Pediatric Association has agreed with our position.

Basic Gear Checklist for the Horizontal Infant

Mobile
Musical toys
Crib mirror
Soft fabric toys with differing sounds and textures
Fabric dolls or animals with easy-to-grab limbs
Activity mats

Toys to Avoid

These toys pose choking and/or suffocation hazards:

Antique rattles
Foam Toys
Toys with elastic
Toys with buttons, bells, and ribbons

Old wooden toys that may contain lead paint
Furry plush dolls that shed
Any toys with small parts