Ages 8 and under

Tummy Time (by Playskool, 3 months and up, $29.99) 

We gave this toy to a 4-month-old baby boy. His mother reported that her son loved the music and the lights and was trying to learn how to operate the toy himself. It's vital for babies to spend some of their waking playtime on their tummies, and this made his time more enjoyable. The mother also reported that his older sibling liked to try to teach the baby how to use it. A great infant product! 

Jumbo Music Block (by Neurosmith, 12 months and up, $59.99) 

The sides of this block offer different bright colors, shapes, surprises, and songs. We asked teachers to test this toy with 30 children ages 18 months to 3 years. The teachers used it for shape and color recognition, but the children loved it for the music. The songs are addictive, and the sound quality is excellent. You can change the sound cartridges so you can have a variety of music from Mozart to jazz. It's a real winner with children of all ages -- not just the little ones!

Best educational  toy (preschool/school-age)

Skill Starter Notebook (by VTech Industries, ages 5-7, $59.99) 

We gave this to a public school kindergarten class for testing, and the response was great. The notebook offers 30 activities that help develop skills necessary for school. The children used them to work on their vocabulary, basic math skills, and more. There are also creative activities such as a music composer, artwork studio, and more.

Best doll (tie)

Baby Annabell (by Zapf Creation, ages 3 and up, $49.99)
Baby Annabell is a very realistic baby doll. With her lifelike
qualities, it's easy to see why she's a huge hit overseas. She cries, laughs, and burps. She sucks on her pacifier and bottle and closes her eyes when relaxed. To the relief of our parent tester, Annabell stops making noise when put down for more than a minute. She comes in a cute little outfit with a bottle and pacifier. A plus is that her coloring and skin tone are realistic for many ethnic groups.

Jolie French Speaking Doll (by Language Littles, ages 3-6, $34.99)

Jolie French Speaking Doll is a cute soft-bodied doll. She's easy to dress and tote around. Her special feature is that she introduces children to another language. This educational doll would be a good choice for small children. Versions are available that speak Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Hebrew, among other languages. 

Zingo (by Binary Arts, ages 4-8, $14.99) 

According to our 4-year-old and 5 1/2-year-old testers, this game is a winner. The concept is easy -- it's a fast-paced bingo game with pictures instead of numbers. Zingo teaches shape and pattern recognition, as well as improving short-term memory skills.

Crayola Color Wonder (Binney & Smith, ages 3 and up, $17.99)

This coloring was a hit with both the children testing it and their parents. The Color Wonder markers they don't mark on anything other than the Color Wonder paper. That means there's no mess! It's also great for long car rides and airplane trips.

Tonka Radio Control Bobble Boys ATV  (Hasbro, ages 3 and up, $39.99)

Our 4-year-old tester loved this! He told us that the controls were easy t  operate, he liked the "yahoo" sound, and even though he smashed it into everything, it kept going. It took him no time to figure out how to make it work. His parents felt that even though this should be an "outside toy," it did no damage to the furniture it crashed into. They particularly liked the fact they could turn off the sound.

Little Tikes Cozy Push & Ride Car (Little Tikes, ages 12 months and up, $55)

This cute little coupe was tested by at least 20 kids ages 18 months and older, and they all loved it. It's cute, durable, and fun, with a pretend key, a door that opens, and a horn that "honks." This toy can handle nearly any type of weather, which means you can leave it outside or store it in the garage or shed, and it will still be in good shape to pass on to other grandchildren. This toy is built for years of use! 

Voice Tech Rescue Heroes Police Car (Fisher-Price, ages 3-7, $29.99)

Great imaginative play for any Rescue Heroes fan. The 4-year-old who tested this loved the flashing lights, sirens, and launching cuff. It kept his interest for a long period of time, and he continues to play with it daily. Plus, any Voice Tech Rescue Hero figure will talk while in the police car!

Kitchen Toy Box (Step2, ages 2-5, $29.99)

This kitchen offers loads of cooking fun and lots of storage space.  Our testers -- a 3-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother -- reported that the kitchen made cool cooking sounds, and they especially enjoyed pretending to cook with the microwave oven. They also loved the accessories, including the phone. Their mom liked the built-in toy box.  

Thomas and Friends Classic Figure 8 Set  (Learning Curve, ages 3 and up, $29.99)
This basic set makes a great introduction to trains. Both our boy and girl testers had fun putting the tracks together themselves, and they thoroughly enjoyed playing with the set. Although the manufacturer recommends this for ages 3 and up, we found that children as young as 18 months enjoyed this little set. (Note: If you are giving this to a child under 3, parents should remove certain parts, which might be choking hazards for toddlers.)

Pixter Plus (Fisher-Price, ages 4 and up, $49.99)

Pixter is a hand-held, electronic toy. Our 5 1/2-year-old reviewer said it was cool to draw on, had fun activities, and was great for long car rides. She could draw pictures, change them, and play connect-the-dots. She also tested some add-on software and particularly liked the "On the Go" Games.