Baby Safety Alliance 2026 awards: every winner, every category

You do not think about coin batteries until the back falls off something at 7 p.m. and you are on the floor counting the pieces. The Baby Safety Alliance has run its Awards of Excellence for 37 years, judged by safety experts, retailers and journalists, with parents voting the Parents' Pick. This year's Best in Show went to a battery. Here is every winner, category by category.

Best in Show: Energizer Ultimate Child Shield

A coin lithium battery built so that a child who swallows it is far less likely to be burned. A titanium alloy stops the chemical reaction that causes the injury, a bitter coating discourages swallowing, and a Color Alert turns saliva blue so you know it happened. More than 3,500 children a year in the US swallow one of these, most under six. This is the winner to actually go and buy, for every remote in the house.

Parents' Pick and Feeding, Bathing and Changing: VezaFlex

The one product that took two awards. VezaFlex is a sit-to-stand high chair: the child sits for a meal or stands, supported, at counter height, in the same piece of furniture, adjusted without tools as they grow. Designed with pediatricians. It does not ship until 2027, which is the only caveat.

Innovation: Evenflo Transformer Stroller to Wagon Travel System

One frame, nine modes, stroller to wagon with no extra parts, rated to 130 pounds, with the LiteMax NXT infant seat in the box. The seat's SensorSafe chest clip talks to the Evenflo app and warns about four things: an unsafe temperature, an unexpected unbuckle, a buckle left on too long, and a child left in the car.

Child Restraint Systems: Cybex Callisto T 360

A rotating all-in-one seat meant to last from newborn to grade school, developed over four years and 400 crash tests. A steel-reinforced one-piece shell, an anti-rebound base, a tether you install once, and the same SensorSafe alerts. The full 360-degree turn works in any recline, and the harness stays open when unbuckled so nobody fights the straps.

Design, Fashion and Style: HALO SleepSack SwaddleStretch

A swaddle for babies who hate having their arms pinned. Stretch sleeves let them rest arms up, out or anywhere in between while a snug zone around the body keeps the womb-like containment that calms the startle reflex. Hip-healthy sack, two-way zipper for the 3 a.m. change.

Infant and Parent Care: Boppy Complete Nursing Pillow

Boppy's full-circle pillow for breast and bottle feeding, with a bolster on the outer edge that stops the baby rolling away and a padded belt that extends to 65 inches so the pillow does not slip. The interior is water-resistant and the cover goes in the wash.

Nursery: Fisher-Price x Dream On Me August Nest 5-in-1 Crib

A crib that becomes a toddler bed, a daybed, a sofa and, at the end, a standalone easel, because the whiteboard panel is built into the structure rather than clipped on. A bookshelf is built in too. Linen finish. Also a 2027 product, so it is one to plan around rather than buy this week.

On the Go: Mockingbird Travel Stroller

Mockingbird's answer to the flimsy-or-bulky travel stroller problem: a one-second one-handed autofold, never-flat tires with anti-wobble steering, more storage than the category usually allows, and a FlexConnect adapter in the box that takes more than forty infant car seats.

Play and Entertainment: Nuby StepPebbles with Balance Board

Lightweight EPP foam stepping stones for lava-crossing, stacking and obstacle courses, soft underfoot, waterproof and wipeable, from twelve months to 44 pounds, indoors or out. The balance board is thrown in.

Safety: Babelio SensePass Smart Baby Gate

A pressure-mounted metal gate that unlocks itself by infrared as you walk up with a child, a laundry basket or the shopping, closes and locks behind you, and sounds an alarm if it is left unlatched. The one award in the list that is about the parent's hands being full.

Six of the winners are brands in the club: Evenflo, Cybex, HALO, Boppy, Mockingbird and Nuby. The Alliance's full release is at babysafetyalliance.org. See the offers →