Toy Fair 2013: Toys for My Kids

It’s rather impossible to go to Toy Fair and not think specifically about my own children. I even had a long talk with a woman in the Graco booth about the awesome gunmetal-colored potty seats that I think Ozzie would like. Here are some other things I think my kiddos would like. Perhaps your kiddos would like them, too.

Loog Guitars: The whole family would enjoy these Loog guitars. First you build them, then you play them. Each guitar is only three strings, which makes learning the basics far less daunting. 

Green Tones: Speaking of music, and this is the voice of experience talking, some instruments for little kids sound just terrible. They don’t make music, they make a racket. These instruments from Green Tones, however, were a delight. I’d let Ozzie go a little wild on these.

Cate & Levi Puppets: These stopped me on my hurried way with their adorableness. Plus they’re handmade and eco-friendly, each one lovingly made from reclaimed wool.

Crafty Bands: Olive has entered the world of girly crafts, and these Crafty Bands are awesome. The rubber bands come with a stamp maker where you can turn any image into a charm. Here’s one made from my business card. I’d call this a Krafty Band.

Klutz Star Wars Thumb Doodles: I don’t really need to say anything more, right? This is empirically awesome.

Celestial Buddies Plush: Just look at plush, lovable Jupiter. JUST LOOK AT IT! We’ve been trying to purge the ridiculous amount of plush toys from the kids’ room, but I could make this one inbound exception…

Inuksuk: Both kids would dig this game of stacking blocks. They have a rough, unsanded feel about them which allows them to hold in some gravity-defying ways.

Hape Discovery Space Center: My husband will joke that this is a dollhouse for boys, but it’s an awesome looking rocket great for all your outer-space pretend play.

Melissa & Doug loom: My favorite thing in the Melissa & Doug booth was this giant, standing loom. I’d love to see what Olive could make with this.

WePlay Toys: I stopped when I saw this giant salad bowl of a toy, and found a booth filled with amazing toys for gross motor skills. WePlay has traditionally sold to the educational market, but now they’re headed into the consumer marketplace as well. 2-year-olds, rejoice!

Zipfy Sleds: The kids could have used these in the snowstorm that came right before Toy Fair, but we’re adding them to our wish lists. The mini sled is great for little kids to hang on to, which is great, seeing as how I traumatized Ozzie by taking him down the hill with me and going too fast on the big sled. The Zipfy puts him in control.