MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best baby, toddler and sensory toys

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• Best baby toy
• Best baby tech toy
• Best toddler toy
• Best sensory toy

Best baby toy

Play is the best way for babies to learn and develop, which is why the right toy is worth its weight in gold. Our mini testers chewed, explored and cuddled a wide range of baby toys to find their favourites.

Parents considered how stimulating each toy was, how easy it was to use and its overall quality. From soothing teethers and playful baby mats to cuddly soft toys, these are the best baby toys of 2025.

Gold: Sophie la girafe

Elizabeth loved Sophie at first sight. She is always excited to see Sophie. She smiles, giggles and eagerly licks Sophie whenever she can. Sophie has quickly become her favourite teether. I can see her continuing to enjoy Sophie throughout her teething journey.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Chewing, chomping, gnawing and jawing, there's a reason Sophie is the classic first baby toy, going all the way back to 1961. She remains one of the most-loved teething and all-round baby toys and generation after generation of babies continue to fall in love with her — a true icon worthy of the Gold award."

Silver: COZYPLAY Kinderkraft

My daughter was happy hitting the toys and looking at the mirror, and was actually smiling and cooing — it was lovely to watch. It’s such a nice material and the sides are so thick and soft.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "A thoughtfully-designed, multi-functional playmat; testers commented on how cushioned and soft it is, making it much less stressful when those baby face plants inevitably happen! An utterly gorgeous playmat."

Bronze: cuddle+kind - Kelsie the pony

It’s gorgeous and the thought behind it all is magical. It is so beautifully made, it will certainly last a long time. Most importantly, I would be happy paying this price knowing that it is feeding 10 underprivileged children.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Beautifully handcrafted in Peru, cuddle+kind toys are soft and tactile hand knitted toys. We love that each sale also provides 10 meals for children in need; it feels good to know your purchase is doing good for others."

Available from cuddle+kind

Best baby tech toy

Tech toys for babies add a new layer of interaction and curiosity to early play. From gentle lights and sounds to interactive features, these toys engage little ones and support exploration in a safe, age-appropriate way.

Our testers explored every sound, movement and feature, while parents looked at ease of use, durability, and whether the toy held their child’s attention. Here are the 2025 winners.

Gold: Chicco First Dreams Purring Cat Plush Toy

This toy has been great, especially as Lylah has had a cold recently and she has found the sounds and music very relaxing. The vibrations seem to be soothing. She really enjoys the classical music and we often use it at bedtime to relax her. She enjoys the feel of the material as it is very soft.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Super soft, soothing and comforting — this interactive plush was a big hit with our testers who praised it for its range of sounds, lovely soft material and calming effects on their babies."

Silver: Fisher-Price Soothe 'n Snuggle Otter

Sienna has seemed to find the otter comforting and calming, enabling her to fall asleep quickly beside it.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "The lovely soothing sounds and soft textures of this snuggly Otter were praised by our child testers' parents, whose babies found this interactive plush calming and relaxing"

Bronze: TULSY Kinderkraft

Molly was able to relax in the swing for a substantial period of time. The cosy yet cool lining, canopy, toys and recline feature made her able to relax with her arms by her head, just like when she goes to sleep.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "If you're looking for a super comfortable, safe and interactive rocker that has play potential — the TULSY is a great choice. Our testers loved the calming swing settings, plus the cute duck toys for sensory exploration and sounds were a huge hit too. A useful piece of tech to introduce babies to early play."

Best toddler toy

Toddlers are ready for toys that encourage independent play, problem-solving and imaginative adventures. From pretend play sets to ride-on toys, these winners keep little ones busy while boosting skills and confidence.

Our testers played with a variety of engaging toys, while parents considered safety, durability, versatility, plus how often their children returned to the toy. These are the 2025 champions.

Gold: VTech: 3-in-1 Mow and Grow Tractor

The features on this toy were great! Amaia seemed to have endless fun on it. She really loved riding along, singing to the songs and pressing the buttons. She really enjoyed the push along lawnmower too and was racing around the garden with it. The fact that you can remove the driver panel was a lot of fun too. It enables imaginative play and the possibilities were truly endless.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "An absolute dream for toddlers, this 3-in-1 toy easily transforms from a ride-on tractor, to a push-along mower and driver. With lights, sounds and interactive features galore, this toy has so much play potential and entertained our toddler testers for hours."

Gold: Play+ Pretend Play Set - Cool Drinks

My daughter is really loving playing with this toy! She loves choosing the colour of the lights on the jug and is thoroughly enjoying making drinks and serving them to her brother and parents. She has been developing her imaginative play by using this toy and has been entertained by it for a good length of time. Her imagination and attention has been captured by it, which is not an easy feat for a toy for a two year old!

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "What really stood out about this play set is its fantastic play potential. Our child judges found so many inventive ways to play with the 'magical' jug and, as one parent said, 'it felt like more than just a toy'."

Silver: 1curiosity - Lantern

Naya was instantly drawn in when unboxing the toy. She was really curious with the different parts and immediately started placing each item inside the lantern. She was so happy with herself when she was able to place each item through the red ring.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "This beautiful toy offers toddlers so much play potential and our child judges had great fun exploring and engaging with the lantern — it's really clear that this toy has been designed with toddlers and their development in mind."

Available from 1curiosity

Bronze: TOMY Toomies Shower & Scrub Bluey

The play potential with this toy is great as you can do lots with it! My daughter absolutely adores this toy – she was quickly able to grasp the concept and learned how to make the bubbles, and shower Bluey quickly. It’s great for both small hands and small minds, and we had great fun role playing with this toy.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Bluey fans will be delighted with this bath toy — our toddler testers quickly learned how all the features worked and had great fun making bubbles and showering Bluey. So much so that one child tester 'didn’t want to get out of the bath without Bluey!'"

Shortlisted: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn 4-in-1 Activity Table & Easel | Fisher-Price Bounce N' Swing Sportspower | Fisher-Price My First Trampoline by Sportspower | 1Curiosity - The Nook | Soft Clemmy Sensory Washing Machine by Clementoni | Kikidex Upgrade Magnetic Drawing Board Toddler 1-3 | Jellystone Designs Narwhal Shape Sorter | Jaques of London Wooden Animal Skittles | Jaques of London Toy Ferry Boat

Best sensory toy

Sensory toys are perfect for engaging little ones’ senses, whether through sight, touch, sound, movement or a mix of all. The best sensory toys stimulate curiosity, calm, focus and creativity.

Our testers spent hours exploring fidget toys, glow-in-the-dark items, soft textures and more, while parents considered quality, versatility and lasting play value. These 2025 winners impressed on all fronts.

Gold: tickit Sensory Steel Colour Mystery Balls

The balls kept my 1 year old completely entertained. The balls all possessing different qualities meant that she was able to move on and play with each one differently, but also combine them to make different sounds and games. A durable and engaging sensory toy.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "A super simple concept with endless ways to play, these balls are a sensory delight. Shake them, bash them, feel them, chew them; we loved them."

Available from tickit

Gold: Jellystone Designs Glow in the Dark Calm Down Bottle

Bowie has really latched onto the Calm Down Bottle and it has become somewhat of a ‘security blanket’ for him. It has already provide Bowie with a lot of enjoyment and has been invaluable at times with helping him regulate when he has become overwhelmed and overstimulated.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Our parent testers raved about the calming and relaxing nature of this toy: 'She is calmer as she will stop and be more still when using this. This is something my daughter keeps coming back to to use.', and 'Invaluable at times with helping him regulate when he has become overwhelmed and overstimulated.' That's why this received a Gold award – it's a must-have for sensory seekers."

Silver: Soft Clemmy Sensory Washing Machine by Clementoni

This toy is fun, safe and extremely versatile, with the combination of stacking blocks, inserting them into the machine and spinning the drum it really does keep our daughter engaged. She isn't really into many toys, so it has been fantastic watching her be so involved with the washing machine.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "There's something about these soft Clemmy toys that are so irresistibly tactile and fun to play with. If you're looking for the perfect gift for a toddler, this is it."

Silver: Glo Pals Light up Sensory Jar

My daughter absolutely loves the sensory jar. She is on the autism pathway and has sensory issues – the jar has provided her with some of the sensory input she needs and has helped keep her calm in times of distress. I know she loves the jar as she asks for it every morning and there are always lots of happy stims during play with the jar.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "A lovely sensory toy, perfect for those moments when children may be overstimulated or need help calming down – this is definitely one to reach for."

Bronze: 1curiosity - Carousel

Raphy had lots of fun exploring the different parts. It's a great alternative toy which encourages natural curiosity and development. Raphy was initially very engaged with this toy and spent quite some time playing with it, both ways up and sideways. He used the components in different ways and I was really pleased to see how engaged he was in the play.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "This is a great multi-sensory exploration toy, which is great for open ended play. We loved seeing the toddlers discovering all the different parts and seeing how they worked together."

Available from 1curiosity

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