MadeForMums Toy Award 2024 Winners: Best baby, toddler and preschool toys

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Best baby toy
Best preschool toy

Best baby toy

Play is the best way to learn and develop, which is why a great baby toy is worth its weight in gold. Our cute mini testers chewed, pressed, stacked and cuddled a big selection of baby toys to choose their winners.

Of course, our parent testers were on hand to rate each toy’s value, how much it grabbed their baby’s attention, how easy it was to set up and use, and whether it was something they could easily pack in the changing bag for out-and-about play.

From sensory toys and stacking cups to super-soft cuddlies and interactive musical toys, our real parents and their babies tested them all to choose the very best of a fantastic bunch. Here are the MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 best baby toy winners.

Gold: The Play Kits by Lovevery

The Play Kits by Lovevery MFM Toy Awards 2024

My 15 month old absolutely loves the Lovevery Babbler Play Kit! While they can’t quite put it into words yet, their excitement is clear. As soon as I bring the toys out, they’re all smiles and dive right in. What I love most is how unique and well thought-out each toy is. There’s a great mix of things for them to stack, sort, and explore, and it keeps them really engaged. Since these toys arrived they have been firm favourites, and we are looking at adding another kit for Christmas.
Stacey, mum of child judge Alfie, 15 months old

Available from Lovevery (£120)

Silver: VTech Calming Purrs Kitten

VTech Calming Purrs Kitten MFM Toy Awards 2024

This has instantly become a firm favourite for me and my 5-month-old baby. It’s guaranteed to keep my baby entertained, and because it doesn’t require any intervention from me then I’m free to get on with other tasks while he is happily distracted. He loves cuddling it, feeling its vibrations and movements, grabbing its soft fur, listening to the music, and watching the colourful lights on its belly.
Eleanor, mum of child judge George, 5 months old

Bronze: Play+ 3-in-1 Stacking Cups: Birds Nest

Play+ 3-in-1 Stacking Cups: Birds Nest MFM Toy Awards 2024

His repetition of actions, instant recognition, smiling when he saw and played with it, crawling across the room away from other toys when he saw it, and pro-longed play all suggest to me that my little boy really enjoyed this toy. Each day I got it out, he played with it in multiple ways (separating, stacking, knocking it down, peekaboo).
Katie, mum of child judge Archie, 10 months old

Editor's Choice: Clementoni Soft Clemmy Sensory Cube

Clementoni: Soft Clemmy Sensory Cube MFM Toy Awards 2024

My 15 month old can say a few words and this toy has been great for practising words like: ‘cube’, ‘in’, ‘out’, ‘open’, ‘close’, ‘block’, ‘pull’ and ‘push’. She has requested her ‘cube’ several times and carried it around the house putting things in and then taking them out! She will definitely keep playing with it – and hopefully will get something out of the other features soon, once she can do the poppers properly. Because of its different features, this toy will grow with the child – it has different features that will be fun for a child at different ages.
Kerrie, mum of child judge Althea, 1 years old

Best preschool toy

Between taking their first steps and heading off on their first day at school children develop and change a huge amount and the right toys can be really beneficial to their learning, joy and experiences at this time.

To help you choose toys that they'll adore and that will also help them to continue to learn important skills, our preschool-age testers put a range of toddler and preschool toys to the test and, with the help of their parents, gave honest feedback about everything from how to build each toy and the packaging it came in, to whether they loved playing with it and if it was a toy that would delight them again and again.

From large play trays that can be used inside and outside to classic road rugs for racing cars, these are the MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 best preschool toy winners.

Gold: PlayHouse Play Tray Sea & Dino Set

PlayHouse - Play Tray Sea & Dino Set MFM Toy Awards 2024

I love the magic sand and hiding the dinosaurs inside. I had fun putting my Paw Patrol pups on top, too. The mats are really cool and I got to put the different animals – like the sea animals – on there. I can’t wait to play with it again today and tomorrow!
Child judge Ollie, 4 years old

Silver: Learning Resources® New Sprouts® All-in-One Toolbox

On seeing the box she was excited to open it. She went back to it numerous times, especially when we are not able to play with her one to one. I think she liked how it reminded her of tools she had seen us and others use around the house and so it encouraged role play. She felt like a grown-up, doing grown-up things with grown-up items!
Holy, mum of child judge Eva, 2 years old

Bronze: BB Junior Ferrari Junior City Playmat

BB Junior Ferrari Junior City Playmat MFM Toy Awards 2024

Hattie initially said ’Wow, it’s amazing, ooooh’ and was drawn to the toy, playing with the car on the mat straight away. She said ’the red car is like Postman Pat’s car. It goes fast’. There’s lots of opportunity for imaginative play here, and she was quick to start listing the buildings she could see and was saying how she wanted the car to go faster. After 15 minutes she moved to another toy but quickly came back again to play further.
Robynne, mum of child judge Hattie, 3 years old

Editor's Choice: Smoby Activity Wall

My son has had great enjoyment with the activity wall and was very excited to not only play with it, but to have me join in. He definitely preferred the water/ball run side and I know he will enjoy it for a long time to come.
Fiona, mum of child judge Eogann, 2 years old

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Hollie Bond