Zolo Peeko by Kushies

This cuddly discovery cube is a great toy that promotes visual and auditory exploration in infants (6 months+). The brightly coloured fabric flaps lift revealing many hidden surprises like a peek-a-boo mirror and a singing song bird. There are multiple patterns and textures, including ribbons and crinkly fabric, for baby to explore. The bonus feature is a detachable plush character named Ozlo (I think it's a dog) that baby can play with independently of the cube. Strengths: The cube is roomy enough to be able to hide other toys inside of it so the toy remains novel for curious infants. Kushies has a great reputation as a toy company, so their products tend to be well made. Weaknesses: The chirping sound that the bird flap makes tends to wear out quickly (at least it did on mine), but the toy still holds lots of interest for infants without it. Price: $19 - $21. Where to Buy: I naturally found mine on Amazon, but specialty toy shops for children would probably carry the Kushies brand.

Make a Sound and Move Around by Joe Rothstein

Toddlers and young children will enjoy the energetic songs on this CD created by a speech-language pathologist. Make a Sound and Move Around is designed to promote social, sensory, and speech skills through songs and games. The booklet that comes with the CD provides words for all of the songs as well as ideas for extending the songs to other play activities that help support development in young children. It's a great compilation of songs (my favourite is the Freeze Dance) that are developmentally appropriate for young children in the process of learning to use language.