NYIGF Part 3: Walking the Aisles

Now that I've shared all of the Best New Product nominees that I evaluated in the Baby & Child division showcase at NYIGF, it's time to highlight my favorite finds as I "walked" the rest of the show. I was there on Saturday and unfortunately some parts of the show had not opened yet, but, lucky for you, most of the kid-related exhibitors were already open for business.

Well, almost all of them (I had no idea that Crocodile Creek was a Jewish company, something that I--a Reform Jew who went right from kids' Shabbat services that morning to the Javits--very much appreciated).

While we're on the topic of Judaism, here's my first find: the new KidKraft Torah Set ($31.48 at Amazon.com). My kids have enjoyed Kidcraft's other sets including Chanukkah and Passover; this one consists of a curtained wooden Ark to keep the plush, roll-up red and blue Torahs safe inside.


A while ago we had a newborn plush set giveaway from Apple Park Toys (courtesy of NYC shop Gift Hero). This growing brand of eco-friendly plush animals and book sets will introduce products for preschool-age kids, too, in 2011.



I met the NYC dad/TV sportscaster who launched Danzo diaper bags along with his wife.


These nylon exterior diaper bags have tons of transparent compartments inside which you can label (and re-label) with Velcro tags. No more fumbling around wondering which pocket houses your keys. Clever idea.


Organic, made-in-the-USA baby onesies by All Good Living Kids. This "Writer" Onesie ($25) which reads "So my story begins..." was definitely my favorite.



Bolivian designer Claudia Beccar exhibited "Isabella's Collection"--her beautiful hand-made line of girls' coats and dresses--for the first time at NYIGF. Don't you love that red coat?



Besides the Lullaby Framed Music Cubes which were nominated as Best New Product, Tree By Kerri Lee exhibited other lovely keepsakes including (top to bottom) wooden music boxes, tooth fairy boxers, and birth announcement wall hangings.




Although many major NYIGF divisions (such as "Accent on Design" and "Tabletop and Housewares") were not open yet, I did sneak a peek at some products from Handmade Global Design, including these two picks:

Tote of Many Colors ($67) by Maggie Bags. This colorful bag is made entirely of 100% recycled seatbelt webbing (pretty cool, right)? in a Fair Trade practice factory in the Dominican Republic.


I also loved this Mesh Bag by Sevya Handmade. It's made from recycled plastic wire and is crafted by handicapped women in India, providing them a sustainable livelihood.


That's it for my own NYIGF photos, but I have more products of all types (for kids and moms!) to share with you soon from the stacks of press kits I'm sifting through. Stay tuned.