Feature - Infant Toys

Playtime perfected

The Infant Toys category is a key part of young ones’ growth and ever-expanding consciousness. To learn more, Toy World’s Caroline Tonks speaks to suppliers about the developmental benefits of Infant Toys and explores the important aspects influencing the leading products of the category.

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he first few years of a child’s life are some of the most critical, where the foundations are set for their cognitive, social, emotional and physical developmental skills that will shape future behaviour. Focusing on these developmental benefits, a wide range of suppliers have curated a host of collections to help infants learn and grow, offering products which range from licensed staples and toys that draw on parent nostalgia to multi-sensory and sustainable lines.

“Supporting the developmental needs of the youngest members of the family underpins our entire Play+ range and is firmly embedded in the DNA of Ravensburger as a whole,” says Elaine Connell, Product manager at Ravensburger for the Brio, Play+ and GraviTrax brands. “Providing families with well-considered, quality products to meet the play and developmental needs of the youngest family members has never been more important.”

Ravensburger worked with childhood development experts at each stage while creating its Play+ range, including a “professor of Curiosity” based at Lancaster University who offered insights to help spark the natural wonder of babies, encouraging them to explore and develop their early skills. “We’ve paid keen attention to providing toys that include grow-with-me touches, to not only foster growing skills, but also address a variety of skill types,” explained Elaine. “Later this year, we’re introducing a number of new sets that are designed to foster not only physical skills, but also social and emotional skills with role play elements.”

Scientific studies have shown the importance of colour and its impact on infants’ brain development. While babies can’t see in full colour at birth, but rather blacks, whites and greys, by two months old they can distinguish between colours like reds and greens and at six months they can see almost as well as adults, taking in the wider colour spectrum. In the beginning of infancy, bright, contrasting colours are generally recommended to stimulate visual development, like black and white. As babies get older, they become drawn to the primary colours – red, yellow and blue – and look for more vibrant hues. While these colours can be visually stimulating, they can become overstimulating, so suppliers have reacted by also designing lines with calming neutral and softer tones. 

Commotion has announced the arrival of the highly anticipated SiliSoft range from its in-house educational toy brand, Tickit. This range has been created using three soft colourways that are exclusive to Tickit – rainbow, earth and neutral. It features 30 SKUs, from teethers and rattles all the way to logic games and puzzles, created to support children’s development from birth through to pre-school. Andrea Storer, head of Product Development at Commotion, said: “We’re thrilled to introduce the SiliSoft range – a vibrant collection of thoughtfully designed toys that grow with children. Each piece is crafted to engage little minds and support every stage of development, encouraging sensory exploration, creativity and early learning.”

Another important aspect of developmental growth is the act of role play, and suppliers across the category have delivered, providing endless options for children to mimic actions they might see in their day-to-day lives through their loved ones, like vacuuming, making drinks or a salad and even making music. Clementoni’s Soft Clemmy range is designed to create a sensory play environment from babies’ earliest months onwards. The range has expanded in 2025 to include the Soft Clemmy Washing Machine, where infants can stack, insert and spin the blocks within the washing machine, and the Clemmy Sensory Roller Vacuum, which they can use to “vacuum” up their blocks.

Toynamics is bringing nursery brand Skip Hop’s newest collection to the UK market, inspired by Montessori methods and purposeful design. The Tub-to-Table Cafe Bath Toy Collection features café themed bath sets for imaginative water play, while The French Press Bath Toy is a role play item that transforms soapy water into foam. There is also the Six-Piece Salad Prep Set which includes water draining bowls and scoops to aid the understanding of cause and effect and the Whirly Lemonade Set that pours, spins, swirls and rattles to help build motor skills.

The Cool Drink Pretend Play Set from Ravensburger invites little ones to discover and create their own refreshing ‘drinks’. With pretend fruit, ice cubes and cups, they can make colourful drinks and pour from the pitcher which includes light and sound effects. Infants can also turn the dial to change the flavour and watch as the drink magically disappears as it pours.

The 5-in-1 Toucan Tunes Playgym from VTech has been created to grow with babies and encourage cognitive and physical development. With over 90 melodies, sounds and phrases, the gym features a vibrant light-up toucan whose tummy changes colour with the rhythm of the music. Babies can explore musical instrument accessories including a guitar rattle, squeaky drum, maraca, tambourine mirror and sheet music, all promoting self-discovery and sensory stimulation.

Parent nostalgia is a major purchase driver in this category, as parents are drawn to products for their young ones that reflect parts of their own childhoods, toys that they themselves loved, passing on traditions through the generations.

Mike Lynch, senior Brand manager at VTech, tells us: “Today’s parents grew up with iconic toys, and many remember VTech as part of their own childhoods. That nostalgia plays a big role in purchasing decisions. Parents are looking for toys that evoke a sense of familiarity but also offer something new and exciting for their little ones. Our approach blends timeless play patterns with cutting-edge educational tech, giving parents the reassurance of a trusted brand and kids the joy of discovery.”

“There's a powerful connection between parent nostalgia and purchasing behaviour,” adds James Shepherd, CEO at Commotion. “Many parents are inclined to buy toys reminiscent of their own childhoods, allowing them to create shared experiences with their children. This nostalgia-driven trend is undeniably boosting sales.”

Character licensing also leads to sales, as ranges full of classic favourites appeal to parents and gift givers who recognise a character that they know and love. Rainbow Designs has an extensive range of best-sellers which include Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Hundred Acre Wood, which features an extensive line up of soft toys, comforters, ring rattles, attachables and developmental toys; the Paddington for Baby range that has a new look and feel coming this autumn and the Peter Rabbit Once Upon a Time and Signature collections with soft toys for little ones.

“There will always be much-loved and familiar playthings that evoke childhood memories,” says Elaine. “Parents, grandparents and gifters are often drawn to these items – not only through nostalgia but also in providing confidence in their purchase: toys and play patterns that stand the test of time do so for a good reason.

“In developing the Play+ line, our team put some of those timeless toybox classics under the microscope and, using insights from childhood development experts as well as parents themselves, innovated to offer additional play value and ways to play, as well as practical features to support parents too.”

According to Mike, licensing plays a key role in enhancing brand recognition and engagement, particularly for younger consumers who are already familiar with characters from TV, streaming platforms or books. He says: “At VTech, we've found that licensed products can bridge the gap between entertainment and education, making learning feel more intuitive and engaging. When a child recognises a character they love, they’re more likely to interact with and learn from the toy. It also provides added reassurance to parents, who view licensed products as safer, more reputable options.”

And of course, there is always the category staple: plush. One For Fun’s Animigos range from Tobar continues to grow with the addition of new family favourite animals. The Animigos World of Nature range has won acclaim and awards for its lifelike depiction in plush of the world’s animals, and they are suitable for infants. This year sees the addition of an Otter Mum with her baby, a Red Fox and a Deer, all at 30cms, as well as smaller additions of the Black Cat and the Duckling.

The all-new range of Disney Doorables Plush from Simba Smoby UK is also suitable from birth. Each 25cm toy is super-soft and features Disney Doorables signature styling, including wide glittery eyes which will appeal to little ones. There are many characters to collect, including Stitch, Angel, Dumbo, Simba, Jasmine, Rapunzel and more. Disney Snuglets is another new launch for autumn/winter 2025: weighted character plushies styled as though they’re off to bed; each character lies on their belly, with a sleepy expression and an eye mask atop their head. There are two characters to collect – Stitch and Winnie the Pooh.

“Overall, we are witnessing a significant surge in demand for toys that are not only safe and sustainable, but also developmentally appropriate,” concludes James, reflecting on the category. “At Commotion, we prioritise educational value in our toy design and selection. As a business - and as parents - we are relentless advocates of letting children be children; we are unapologetic in promoting toys that encourage kids to use their imagination, acquire cognitive skills and develop language without the digital aids that are now so prevalent in our everyday lives.”

Continue flipping through the following pages to read the full Infant Toys feature and see the latest products and ranges that are filling shelves and driving the marketplace this year.