More mothers opting for developmental toys
By Janice Chamberlain -- Kids Today, 4/1/2006
It's an exciting, challenging world out there for our planet's youngest inhabitants. According to a study conducted by the American Baby Group in 2002, more and more mothers are opting to help their babies and toddlers learn and grow intellectually through developmental toys.
Developmental toys are designed to help the child focus on the five senses, motor skills and cognitive thinking, as well as emotional and social skills.
Asked about the importance of toys, 98% of expectant and new mothers surveyed said they would seek out toys that would aid in their child's intellectual development:
- 82% of first-time moms said they "agreed strongly" when asked whether they would look for intellectual toys for their baby.
- 70% of experienced mothers "agreed strongly."
Safety is the top concern when buying toys, followed by quality and price:
- More affluent mothers are as likely to consider brand name (35%) than price (34%) when buying baby toys.
- Moms earning less consider price over brand name (47% versus 24%).
Mothers in the study named their top three shopping destinations for toys as:
- Mass merchandisers (including Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart).
- Toy store chains (such as Toys "R" Us).
- Baby superstores (such as Babies "R" Us and Burlington Baby Depot).
At least 45% of the moms surveyed shopped at least one of these channels. Over half (51%) of first-time mothers shopped for toys at baby superstores, versus 37% of experienced moms.
- Mass merchandiser outlets and toy store chains are where most moms buy baby toys.
- Affluent mothers (household income of $75,000 or more) were much more likely to also buy toys in baby superstores, toy specialty stores, infant specialty stores and over the Internet.
New mothers were particularly likely to own stuffed plush toys, rattles/teethers/soft clutch toys, followed by baby books, musical stuffed plush toys and other musical toys:
- 99% of new mothers owned audio-visual toys, including electronic toys, baby videos, and baby tapes/CDs.
- Most moms have activity centers, with floor gyms, activity mats and attaching toys for strollers or high chairs among the most common.
Audio-visual toys are popular items:
- Older moms, as well as more affluent moms, are significantly more likely to own books, tapes/CDs, electronic learning toys, videos, and a tape player for baby.
- Musical toys are typically received as gifts. Otherwise, experienced mothers tend to re-use toys from an older child while new mothers are likely to buy.
- Based on new mothers only, electronic learning toys showed the greatest growth spurt, with 60% of the moms reporting they owned these toys in 2002, compared with 21% in 1996 and 24% in 1999.
Activity centers, including floor gyms, activity quilts/mats and crib-attached centers, also have their fans:
- Older as well as more affluent moms tend to own activity centers.
- First-time mothers primarily receive them as gifts.
- With the exception of electronic activity centers, experienced moms are more likely to re-use an activity center from an older child than to buy new.
- Electronic crib-attached activity centers showed the largest percentage-point gain with new mothers, jumping from 18% in 1996 to 56% in 2002.
| Type of mom | Household income | Baby's age | ||||||
| Expecting | New | Under 30 | 30 and older | Less than $75,000 | $75,000 and more | 6 mos. and younger | 7 mos. and older | |
| Soft blocks/balls | 34% | 59% | 45% | 57% | 49% | 55% | 48% | 82% |
| Nesting/stacking/sorting/bead toys | 23% | 46% | 31% | 47% | 33% | 47% | 35% | 67% |
| Hard blocks | 27% | 40% | 30% | 43% | 34% | 40% | 30% | 61% |
| Multi-piece plastic farms, houses, etc. | 22% | 32% | 24% | 34% | 26% | 34% | 24% | 47% |
| Interlocking blocks | 21% | 31% | 23% | 34% | 27% | 29% | 24% | 47% |
| Baby books | 70% | 86% | 77% | 85% | 78% | 86% | 84% | 92% |
| Musical stuffed plush toys | 61% | 86% | 76% | 80% | 77% | 78% | 85% | 91% |
| Other musical toys | 53% | 87% | 72% | 79% | 74% | 80% | 87% | 91% |
| Baby tapes/CDs | 47% | 71% | 56% | 72% | 59% | 70% | 69% | 77% |
| Electronic learning toys | 34% | 60% | 46% | 58% | 49% | 59% | 50% | 80% |
| Baby videos | 36% | 54% | 42% | 57% | 44% | 59% | 48% | 67% |
| Baby book clubs | 18% | 31% | 27% | 25% | 27% | 24% | 28% | 36% |
| Floor gym | 40% | 66% | 51% | 65% | 53% | 65% | 62% | 74% |
| Activity quilt/mat | 40% | 64% | 49% | 65% | 53% | 64% | 63% | 67% |
| Attaching toys for stroller/high chair | 39% | 65% | 51% | 62% | 54% | 65% | 63% | 69% |
| Electronic crib attached activity center | 31% | 56% | 45% | 50% | 45% | 52% | 52% | 64% |
| Non-electronic crib attached activity center | 18% | 34% | 25% | 33% | 27% | 31% | 28% | 46% |
| Source: American Baby 2003 Baby Products Tracking Study |
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| First-time moms | Experienced moms | |||
| Purchased | Gift | Gift | Older child or borrowed | |
| Soft blocks/balls | 48% | 62% | 22% | 69% |
| Nesting/stacking/sorting/bead toys | 45% | 65% | 19% | 72% |
| Hard blocks | 48% | 53% | 13% | 80% |
| Multi-piece plastic farms, houses, etc. | 43% | 53% | 17% | 84% |
| Interlocking blocks | 49% | 52% | 16% | 79% |
| Baby books | 74% | 68% | 36% | 66% |
| Musical stuffed plush toys | 34% | 82% | 57% | 48% |
| Other musical toys | 46% | 80% | 47% | 56% |
| Baby tapes/CDs | 58% | 63% | 36% | 56% |
| Electronic learning toys | 62% | 59% | 22% | 71% |
| Baby videos | 62% | 52% | 22% | 73% |
| Baby book clubs | 88% | 14% | 10% | 47% |
| Floor gym | 37% | 60% | 28% | 48% |
| Activity quilt/mat | 34% | 67% | 33% | 50% |
| Attaching toys for stroller/high chair | 52% | 58% | 26% | 49% |
| Electronic crib attached activity center | 44% | 61% | 29% | 39% |
| Non-electronic crib attached activity center | 44% | 58% | 21% | 54% |
| Source: American Baby 2003 Baby Products Tracking Study |
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| After birth | 51% |
| Before baby's birth | 49% |
| Source: American Baby 2003 Baby Products Tracking Study |
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