Last week I had the fun opportunity to take a road trip up to New York City for the day to attend the Holi-Day of Play with The Toy Insider and Women’s Day magazine. Regional bloggers from Philly – NYC were invited to come and see the results of the annual Toy Insider review which looks at all the newest toys and picks the hot ones for the holiday season.

Views of Central Park from the 44th Floor of the Hearst Building

First we were treated to a yummy lunch on the 44th Floor of the Hearst Building in NYC. The views were stunning. I especially liked the view of Central Park from the 44th floor. During lunch we got to hear from the lovely Laurie Schacht, CTO (Chief Toy Officer), who told us how she and her team review all the new toys and what’s hot for 2013. Something I was really excited about was the new Top Tech 12 list. So many toys incorporate tech now that this is a valuable guide to navigating through which tech toys are tops in technology this season! The Toy Insider also offers the guide broken down by age group so if you really aren’t sure, just check out the recommended toys for your child’s age group.

Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer and Big Hugs Elmo

After Laurie’s overview we were set loose to play! I had such a super fun time playing with all the fabulous toy picks made by the editors of The Toy Insider and learning about the hot new toys of the season.

Photo Courtesy: Stephanie Glover Photography

The majority of people seemed to be flocking over to the Doc McStuffins display so I went the opposite direction to avoid the crowds and went immediately to the Ninja Turtles. My two girls (ages 5 and 3) LOVE Ninja Turtles so I was excited to see what they had for TMNT fans this season.

Photo Courtesy: Stephanie Glover Photography

There were so many toys there to play with and view that I actually did not even get to see them all during the time we had there. Some highlights for me included these Laster Pegs toys (which I had never heard of) which are sort of like the *other* brick construction toy (ahem, Legos) but they have lights in them!! They were really cool and the price point was super reasonable, too. Kits start at $12.99 and go up to $39.99. There is also a Laser Peg toy table too.

Photo Courtesy: Stephanie Glover Photography

One of my absolute fave toys of the day was also this Twilight Turtle Tunes. Now, this twilight turtle has been around for years now (in fact my girls had the lady bug version which both have used and loved) but now the twilight turtle has been updated to include bluetooth technology to pair with your iPad or iPhone so you can download an app to create lullaby playlists, play white noise, and more. This is sheer genius. I wish this was available when our girls were younger because we have used white noise and/or bedtime sounds for both children. In fact, we still use a soothing nighttime music routine with this stress reduction music for kids but we end up leaving our iPhones in the kids’ rooms. Now I need to run out and get two twilight turtles for my girls PLUS one for every expecting mom I know! It seriously would make the perfect shower gift!

Another “hot” toy that I loved was the Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle from Mattel. This castle is a great stand-alone princess castle with fairy tale themed rooms and 35 accessories pieces. But, it also come magically to life with the Disney Magic Mirror app. Kids can use any iOS device to scan labels throughout the castle to unlock special activities. I got a special demo of this castle from Toy Guru Laurie herself and it is really really cool. My two girls are going to love this (ahem, you know if Santa decides it can fit in the sleigh this year).

I couldn’t end the day with out getting my own special time with Big Hugs Elmo, one of the hottest toys for the holidays for sure. He really was cute and very huggy and sweet. My two girls are sort of out of the big Elmo stage or he would definitely be on our must have list.

There were just so many cool toys it’s impossible to cover them all. Want my best advice, check out The Toy Insider Guide in the November Issue of Women’s Day Magazine or online.

Big thanks to Joey Fortman and Stephanie Glover of Real Mom Radio, The Toy Insider, and Women’s Day Magazine for a great day in NYC and super fun sneak peek at the hottest holiday toys!