Halilit is a brand dedicated to producing high quality musical instruments for children. Their brightly coloured and engaging musical toys help sensory development, hand eye coordination and motor skills. After being featured in an Instagram post by author and blogger, Giovanna Fletcher, as well as being included in a Prince George’s First Birthday Gift Guide on Hello! Online, the brand has been pushed even more into the public eye.

Here, Baby Brands Direct talk to Judith Stark, Halilit’s Managing Director, to find out more about the brand’s history, future and inspiration.

Halilit was established in 1983 and is still going strong. What were the founding principles of the company and in what ways do you think the brand has developed over the years?

Halilit was set up with a view to supply premium infant and pre-school toys to the market, offering retailers a straightforward supply chain with a personable approach. Over the years our product offering has expanded, though we have ensured all ranges that we represent feature high quality manufacturing skill and educational elements for children. As a result our customers have come to know they can rely on us to only offer the very best in pre-school play from the global market, consolidated under one roof.

Halilit are well known for their range of musical instruments for babies. Are there any proven benefits to children playing with musical toys from an early age? From what age are the Halilit toys suitable?

One of the key features of the Halilit range is their suitability for even the smallest of hands. Some of our most popular products can be used from just 3 months old and studies have found that babies who regularly participate in ‘music making’ express superior communicative gestures and social skills, and also show improved cognitive skills through the exposure to patterns, counting and memory.

Why do you think Halilit is popular with parents, educational institutions as well as industry experts?

Halilit doesn’t over complicate anything. Each instrument is brightly coloured so as to actually appeal to babies and young children, and doesn’t require an instruction book to play properly. For parents this means children can explore their own abilities in a safe manner without frustration. Being accurately tuned these can still be used in the most professional of settings and the wide variety of instruments on offer means there is something for everyone.

What is the best-selling item by volume in the musical range? Which are the core supporting products that retailers interested in stocking the brand should carry?

The Halilit Baby’s First Birthday Band is consistently our best-selling item in this range, offering a colourful collection of instruments and play along CD. As a gift set this is the perfect choice for that special day and comes in a lovely neat box with carry handle that can be retained for storage at home. Retailers should look at combining this with one of our other gift sets for a younger age, such as the Mini Orchestra, some of the ‘stand-alone’ products such as a Baby Drum, Tambourine or Xylophone and then a couple of smaller items such as Jingle Bells or Maracitos offered for sale in CDUs for those impulse purchases.

What type of retailer would you say is most suited to the Halilit products in stock at Baby Brands Direct? Can you provide any shop floor display tips?

The great thing about the Halilit range is that there is something that would work for all store types. The gift sets are beautifully boxed and take pride of place on a shelf, whilst the CDUs are colourful and eye catching offering a pocket money priced, add on purchase. If you have the space to pop a couple of CDUs near the till that always works well or alternatively take a look at a branded FSDU to add some extra space in a location convenient for yourselves.

What should a retailer mentioned to a consumer about the products as being over and above comparison with other musical instrumental toys available? Have any Halilit musical toys won awards?

Halilit musical instruments have all been accurately tuned to ensure they offer the very best in performance. They are fully tested and designed in consultation with professional musicians, combining both educational and fun elements into one bundle that fits neatly into a small hand. Last year the Baby’s First Birthday Band obtained a bronze award at the Prima Baby Awards and has already been shortlisted for the ‘Best Baby Toy 12-24 months’ category at this year’s Best Baby and Toddler Gear awards along with three categories in the Loved by Parents awards… watch this space!

More About Judith…

What is your favourite childhood movie?

Definitely ‘The Sound of Music’ which I have only just realised fits well with how my life has worked out! I never tire of watching this and am almost word perfect much to the annoyance of my family!

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Book an amazing holiday and invite all of my family and friends to join me, a month-long Caribbean cruise would be a great start! I really would have to share my win to truly enjoy it.

What is your perfect weekend?

Collecting my children from school on a Friday afternoon, driving up to the North East coast & spending our time walking on beaches, flying kites, exploring castles, digging in the sand and eating salty chips with the wind in our hair.

Baby Brands Direct is a leading wholesaler of baby products. Check out our range of Halilit products now!