MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024 Winners: Best tech and travel toys

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Our child judges have tested not only the best tech and interactive toys, but also the best toys to travel with. Our winners represent not only the toys that utilise innovative and interactive technologies, but importantly, toys that seem to do the impossible — keep kids occupied on a long journey. You can see the winners below...

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Best audio player
Best interactive toy (0-6)
Best interactive toy (6+)
Best tech toy
Best portable/travel toy

Best audio player

Kids' audio players have become incredibly popular over the last few years and it's not hard to understand why. They have a vast array of features and content including large libraries of books, music and podcasts, and they allow your child to play and learn independently.

Two major players have dominated the kids' audio player market and, unsurprisingly, our child judges really couldn't choose between them. See the winners below...

Joint Gold: Yoto Mini

The Yoto is awesome. I really like changing the cards and I can change the picture too. Mum and me set up the app and it's so easy! Anyone can do it. I love that I can get more cards and even Harry Potter ones!!! My friends love this too. I use the Yoto most days now and I like that I can put the clock on to see what time I wake up in the mornings too.
Child judge Alfie, 7

Joint Gold: tonies® Toniebox Starter Set

I like squezing the ears to make it louder. I like tipping it like a drink to make the song skip forward. I like choosing stories to put on the red man (creative Tonie). I can make it work all by my own, I don’t need mummy to help me! It’s squashy and it’s nice to have in my bed for more bedtime stories.
Child judge Luna, 4

Best interactive toy (0-6)

Whether its flashing lights, moving parts and catchy songs that will catch (and keep!) your baby or toddler's attention, or a toy that comes to life that is pure magic for preschoolers and young children, interactive toys are hard to beat for the wow factor.

Our enthusiastic mini testers had a great time putting a varied mix of interactive toys to the test. From electric drum kits to singing teddy bears, our child testers went on plenty of adventures at home and outside to really put these toys through their paces. Our testers’ parents focused on quality, ease of use (not to mention how many batteries were required), how well they sparked imaginative play and how popular the toy remained after a few weeks, to help choose our award winners.

Joint Gold: VTech Kidi® DJ Drums

This drum set is so cool! My favourite thing about it is listening to my songs and playing the drums at the same time. There's no way I would change anything about it!
Child judge Sonny, 5 years old

Joint Gold: VTech Sort & Discover Activity Wagon

VTech Sort & Discover Activity Wagon MFM Awards 24

When I first opened the box, my son was super excited and trying to take it off of me as I was assembling. He has recently learnt animal noises, shapes and colours so this is great to practise these. He mimics the animal noises when sliding the tabs and loves the shape sorter, identifying the colour and shapes then matching it to the cart. It's one of his most played with toys
Elli, mum of child judge Harrison, 21 months old

Silver: Fisher-Price Link Squad Crawl 'n' Colours Chameleon

Fisher-Price Link Squad Crawl 'n' Colours Chameleon MFM Awards 24

My daughter squeals with excitement when playing with this toy, she enjoys dancing along to the music and is mesmerised by the lights! She always navigates towards this toy and loves pressing all the buttons so to me that says it all. There’s music, lights, and interactive features, to keep babies/toddlers entertainer while also promoting early learning.
Hollie, mum of child judge Orla, 11 months old

Bronze: Fisher-Price Link Squad Bop & Groove Tiger

Fisher-Price® Link Squad™ Bop & Groove Tiger MFM Toy Awards 24

My son expressed his enjoyment through excited screams, clapping, and interacting with the toy. He seemed to love pressing the buttons and watching the tiger light up and move, and his enthusiasm shows he would likely play with it again. His reactions made it clear that the toy kept him entertained and engaged. The toy’s ease of portability has allowed us to take it to several different locations, and he’s had fun with it each time.
Ravi, dad of child judge Miles, 10 months old

Editor's Choice: Thready Bear

Our child is 3 years old and when asked about this toy she says she likes the bear and that he’s snuggly and she likes playing with her bear. I feel the quality of the toy and the interactive elements, such as the expressions are great. Attaching the heart to bring the bear alive at the start definitely piqued her interest. I think it’s a good toy to help children before new siblings arrive.
Jade, mum to child judge Ava, 3 years old

Best interactive toy (6+)

The choice of interactive toys seems to get bigger every day; so which ones are actually worth the money? Clever tech helps bring another dimension to a whole host of toys, whether that’s cute digital pets, flying dinosaurs or the wall-scaling geckos. But once the initial wow factor has gone, how much play potential do they really offer?

Our team of child testers aged 6 and over, got to grips with many different interactive toys to help choose our award winners. Looking at the different interactive features, how much fun they offered, the variety of play, overall kid-appeal and value for money, these are the toys that our real testers rated the best.

Joint Gold: Disney Bitzee

I was extremely extremely excited when I was given this toy. My favourite bits are playing with the characters — I like their games. I liked how it started with Mickey Mouse and I unlocked different characters. I don’t think I’ve unlocked them all yet. I feel excited when I get a new star and can’t wait to see who it is. There is nothing I don’t like. I still play with this when I get home from school and make sure my characters are happy. I would recommend this to other children my age. My friends would definitely like it.
Child judge Eliza, 7 years old

Joint Gold: HEX BOTS Wall Crawler Gecko

I love it! It’s the most amazing toy I’ve ever had!! I love the wall climbing part because it’s so cool when it wiggles and it goes really fast!! I play with it all the time.
Child judge Zachary, 8 years old

Silver: Furby Galaxy Interactive Toy

Furby Galaxy Interactive Toy MFM Toy Awards 24

My daughter loves this toy and was excited from the moment she saw the toy in the box. She plays with the toy on a a daily basis and it has become one of her comfort toys that she takes to bed and on car journeys. She has told all her friends about her Furby at school and she has friends with the same toy. Furbys can interact with one another so she is excited to take the toy on play dates with her friends.
Aimee, mum to child judge Isla, 6 years old

Bronze: WOW! Stuff 14" Light Painting Lumos Wand

I like that you can draw whatever you want and that there are different templates that you can use to practice with. I’d definitely play with it again! I like being able to dress up as Hermione and pretend that i can do spells, like Lumos and then I can press the button and the wand lights up, as if I’ve done it!
Child judge Heidi, 8 years old

Editor's Choice: ScreamerZ

I absolutely love this toy. I really like when he makes the scream sounds, and I love shaking him and watching his eyes go crazy. It’s fun sneaking up and pranking everyone even, my big brother! I will play with him all the time, because I love him – he’s so funny.
Child judge Rowley, 5 years old

Best tech toy

From video game consoles to an animation studio, this year's Toy Awards tech toy winners really showcase the best in kids' tech.

Our child judges have been gaming, singing, exploring and even animating with this year's best technological toys — our winners are below.

Gold: Nintendo Switch Lite

My kids have loved testing this device! It’s super portable, easy to hold and navigate, and enables access to a vast bank of additional games. It’s so easy to switch things up and change games when one becomes boring. And some of the games they’ve been able to play online with their friends. This device is so perfect for longer journeys (hello car/plane entertainment!), or for simply lounging on the sofa at home. As a parent, I also liked that you can set parental controls to limit screen time.
Megan, mum to child judges Neve and Kai, 12 years old

Available from Nintendo (£199.99), OnBuy.com (£127.99), ao.com (£199.00), and Currys PC World (£199.00)

Silver: LeapFrog Magic Adventures Binocular Camera

LeapFrog Magic Adventures™ Binocular Camera MFM Toy Awards 24

My daughter was very excited to play with this toy. I liked how the binoculars took us outside to play and for walks along country lanes and nature reserves, which in turn led to other activities, introducing play and excitement beyond the toy itself. The toy has several different features, and the choice of how to play gave her independence, allowing her to follow her interests, and use the binoculars in different ways.
Elizabeth, mum of child judge Elise, 6 years old

Bronze: Mi-Mic - Karaoke Machine MMC3 Bluetooth Speaker

Mi-Mic - Karaoke Machine MMC3 Bluetooth Speaker MFM Toy Awards 24

I enjoy playing with this karaoke machine. I like that 2 people can sing together when both microphones work and I like the lights. It makes us all laugh with the silly voices.
Child judge Eadie, 8 years old

Editor's Choice: HUE Animation Studio with Carry Case

HUE Animation Studio with Carry Case MFM Toy Awards 24

I really like this toy – I’m writing stories and they come to life. That's really cool! I started on the easy project with a Pink Dough-Blob in Space and now I am looking forward to doing the hard projects and filming myself skating – although l will need Mum’s help for that. I can write any crazy story I want. This would be a great gift for someone my age who likes to use their imagination and make their own movies!
Child judge Matilda, 7 years old

Best portable/travel toy

Having a game or toy you can easily carry in your bag and bring out for your kids on long car journeys, train rides or flights is a total game-changer. Fun, portable, and a great screen-free alternative, a handy travel game is the easiest way to keep your children entertained when on the move.

Testing out a mix of interactive toys, craft kits and more, our real child testers shared their opinions on which travel toy deserved our top spot. Looking at how portable it is, how easy it is to use while traveling without creating any mess, how engaging it is and how long it kept them entertained, our testers along with their parents chose these as our winners.

Gold: Play+ Spin & Pop Leopard

As soon as I suctioned it to the highchair tray, straight away my daughter was screeching away with glee, enjoying watching it spin and fiddling and bashing it. My baby girl has thoroughly enjoyed playing with the leopard spinner daily multiple times, and so had my 6 year old! This is a toy I have taken and will continue to take out and about with me. I saw a suggestion that it could stick to a plane window, which will be great for our holiday next year!
Katie, mum to child judge Indigo, 9 months old

Silver: Melissa & Doug - Unicorn Sticker WOW

Melissa and Doug Sticker Wow MFM Toy Awards 24

It’s great as it comes ready to use preloaded with the 300 stamps, so no set up time required and children can play with it straight away! This is great if you are looking for quick and easy entertainment and are on the go too! I could see this being great to take away on holiday or out waiting for a meal in restaurants as it's small and compact too.
Emma, mum to child judge Lily, 4 years old

Bronze: Travel Buddy Tractor

I think the originality of this product is great, you can’t get anything like it in the shops and it would look great on the shelf in a play room as it is so bright and colourful. I also like that it is geared towards travel, it can be hard to keep young toddlers entertained on the longer journeys but this is light enough for them to play with in the car seat.
Carla-Louise, mum to child judge Louis, 20 months old

Available from Jolly Designs (£33.89)

Editor's Choice: Disney Bitzee

Bitzee captivated my son’s attention from the moment it came out of the box. He was so interested in how it works and what he had to do. We have never seen a toy like this before so were all very interested in how it works, it definitely has the originality aspect. My son was extremely engaged when playing Bitzee, he loved the mini games as well as collecting the characters. It's an exciting and intriguing toy that has been a great way for my son to get away from screen time.
Mandy, mum of child judge Ethan, 6 years old

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Emily Longman WallDigital Content Producer

Emily is the Digital Content Producer at MadeForMums and creates editorial and video content across the brand. She also edits the weekly editorial newsletter, oversees our reviews process and loves creating our craft articles and videos. She specialises predominantly in car seats and pushchairs, and has yet to meet a buggy she couldn’t fold! With a 1st class degree in History, she always researches topics thoroughly to find the best recommendations for parents.