My son Benjamin (now 8 years old) used to collect rubber ducks. Our tub was full of doctor duck, pirate duck, scuba duck, devil duck and many more. They were super cute but, after a while, got pretty gross and moldy. The rubber was hard to keep clean (ironic for a bath toy) and water got inside.

Floating Ducks by Kid-O don’t have that problem. The graceful mother and her duckling are made of solid, smooth BPA-free plastic so there is no way for water to get inside. They are the perfect size for little hands to stack together. They are so much fun in the tub plus, out of the tub they rock gently together. This award winning toy is also a wonderful outdoor toy – perfect for the baby pool.

You’ll find floating ducks and lots of other baby toys at GIFT HERO.

We are always on the lookout for wonderful gifts for young children to add to GIFT HERO. We love Kid’s gifts that teach, engage and inspire. The new Eggspressions from Hape and Educo is just one of these toys.

This storybook and set of 6 “expressive” wooden eggs offer a role-playing activity to help children learn about emotions and identify and express their feelings (happy, sad, angry, excited, afraid, and shy). Plus, use the eggs and stands to build towers…and knock them down!

This educational toy is a perfect birthday gift for 2 year olds.

Whenever I visit a friend or relative with a little one, I can’t resist bringing a small gift. Recently, I’ve been giving the Go Car by Kid-O.  It is just adorable and, in shiny red, it is a perfect kid’s gift for either a boy or girl. The curved roof on this baby toy does double duty as a handle and the rubber-coated wheels glide smoothly along any path.

This award winning toy is recommended for ages 1 and up.

We are very excited to announce that GIFT HERO now sells newborn gifts!

Among my personal favorites is Oshi Mat, a new, award winning, environmentally friendly, recyclable foam play mat designed for infants. It’s completely lightweight and portable in its nylon carry case. Plus, it’s received rave reviews from Cool Mom Picks.  This will definitely be my next baby gift!

There seems to be a bit of a baby boom around me. All of a sudden, so many people I know are having babies. For many of these families it is a 3rd (or 4th! child) so I know they have pretty much everything they could possibly need. So…I try to give a gift that is special for the new baby.

That is why I’ve been giving Apple Park Blankies. Apple Park creates beautiful organic baby toys that make perfect newborn baby gifts. The Blankies are soft, plush and made from 100% organic cotton, silk and naturally hypoallergenic corn filling. Even the gorgeous packaging is made from 100% recycled cardboard and printed with soy ink.

My go-to for baby girls is the Bunny Blankie (because of its pink ears and nose). For boys, I give the Monkie Blankie.  We also carry a range of other baby toys from Apple Park including soft blocks, plush toys and gift crates. These kids gifts are destined to be favorites of mom and baby!

In case you don’t subscribe to the wonderful blog from our partners at Citibabes…I wanted to share a guest post I wrote earlier this week with ideas for active play for young children. Entitled “Get Up and Play,” it includes my favorite ways to get physical with your children.

The growing obesity problem in our country (and in New York City) is astounding and very scary. So many children are sedentary…choosing screen time over active play. As city parents, without backyards and lots of nearby playgrounds,  it is even harder to get our kids up and active.

There are so many fun ways to stay active. Some of my recommendations include taking some toy instruments, forming a rock band and dancing around the house, pulling out toy cars and having an “on your hands and knees” race, and bringing the outside in by choosing a soft version of a classic outdoor game like ringtoss or golf and playing it indoors.

To read the full article and learn about other ideas from Citibabes for getting Citifit this fall visit the Citibabes Blog.

Well not literally! We actually just launched our baby gifts category at GIFT HERO!

For a while now, our customers have been asking us to add gifts for newborns and one year olds. It seems that people have the same issues finding great baby gifts as they do with birthday presents for older children. Many people said they were tired of just sending clothes – and often worried about what size to buy. So here we come to the rescue again!

Our baby gifts category includes wonderful baby toys from some amazing brands like Apple Park Organic, Zolo, Imagiplay and Edushape.

One of my favorites that I have recently given as a newborn gift are these soft organic blocks from Apple Park.  I also love the Zolo Peeko Discovery Box (shown below).

My 10 month old niece Vida is taking her first steps, and this Clack & Chomp Alligator Push Toy will make a perfect gift for her first birthday!

What are your favorite baby toys?