We have the best time every year seeking out amazing toys and games for babies and kids that we can recommend completely. Our favorites are generally made with love and care by small companies or independent designers. Although we do love those video games too!

Big Kid Toys

With a son who’s obsessed with Transformers, the Cubebot Wooden Robot toy (at top) is a welcome diversion from the plastic ones that require a PhD to work.

Honorable mention to the new eco-friendly Tegu Blocks with genius magnets hidden inside, that have taken the toy world by storm. –Kristen

I am blown away by the card table forts and secret playhouses kids can create with these custom kids playhouses, all handmade by Imaginative Play Toys. The felt folds up and stores away easily for small, playhouse-unfriendly spaces like, say, Grandma’s condo. –Liz

Baby Toys

I love the new organic cotton soft books from Wee Gallery, in baby-friendly black and white. Just exquisite. And such a fantastic new baby gift with the sweet pouch it comes in. –Liz

As if I couldn’t love Green Toys enough, they added a stellar new baby line called My First Green Toys. I can’t wait until my littlest one is old enough to play with them! –Kristen

Dolls

I went on a mad online finger puppet hunt this year, and my favorite discovery has to be the upcycled Finger Dolls by Loopy Dolls. Part teeny puppet, part doll, all handmade, and all adorable. –Liz

Games

Rory’s Story Cubes are ingeniously simple: Drawings on dice that lead to story prompts and imagination-building. They’re the perfect travel size too. –Christina

Any video game that has all of Team Cool Mom Picks having so much fun (including an 8-month pregnant Kristen) that we’re willing to be filmed looking like idiots and archived on YouTube for all the world to see, needs a mention. Thanks Ubisoft for Just Dance 2 for Wii. Thanks a lot. –Liz + Kristen

For more toys and games, see our archives. Or compare with our favorite toys, dolls and playthings of 2009