Baby Toys: Interact With Newborns With the Yoee Baby at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair (ChiTAG)! by Elisa Schmitz

New parents are always looking for fun ways to interact with their babies. While at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair (ChiTAG), we got to chat with the inventor of Yoee Baby, Jillian Lakritz! And can you believe the baby toy all started with a feather! 

"Yoee Baby was inspired by caressing Baby with a feather," says Jillian. "The tail is very soft and feather-like, and it’s got little rattles and crinkles, and a food-grade silicone teether.” The handle makes it really easy for Baby to pick up.

The baby toy is “great for stimulating Baby’s senses, for tickling, for caressing, and babies love the touch of the soft feather-like tail that makes them smile and coo, and really it’s a great way to play with Baby from day one,” says Jillian. 

There’s a couple things that are really important about Yoee Baby. "First, not many baby toys are designed for playing with an infant who can’t get stood up or grab for things or move around, so this was really a toy that was designed for very joyful, interactive play from day one," says Jillian. "And you know science tells us that babies are born ready to play. And play is a backbone for healthy development. When we do things like caress and tickle, and they smile and we smile back at them, you’re actually helping to build healthy brain architecture and that is really foundational for building strong bonding relationships.”

But basically, all Baby knows is that the toy makes him smile and coo – and we all know that’s a good thing!

Yoee Baby just got picked up by Nordstrom and is available nationwide.