PUSHED TO EXCEL PARENTS CAN'T WAIT TO BUY EDUCATIONAL TOYS SO THEIR KIDS CAN START LEARNING IN THE CRIB.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

Like any mom, Jessica Drossin wants the very best for her son so she has no problem shelling out big bucks for foreign language tapes and classical music aids that will give him an edge - even before he's old enough to walk or talk.

``It's not like I'm trying to raise a rocket scientist,'' Drossin says of her 3-month-old boy, ``but it's something to keep him stimulated for 20 minutes while I'm washing the dishes.''

Electronic learning toys have primarily been tailored to tots between the ages of 4 and 8, but now companies are peeking into the crib with products for children ages ``birth and up,'' mostly ranging in price from $10 to $50.

In the past five years, the industry of preschool learning toys ballooned 36 percent from about $120 million to $560 million, according to the NPD Group, a New York market research firm that tracks the industry.

Fisher Price this month released an interactive TV program to add to its new line of learning toys for infants and toddlers. The company gained about 6 percent market share as a result over the last year, said Neil Friedman, president of Fisher Price. Two more learning toys are already in the pipeline, he said.

LeapFrog - the Emmeryville-based toymaker that reaps the lion's share of sales in the learning toys category - this year rolled out 10 new products for infants to toddlers.

Though these toys are helpful, industry expert Steveann Auerbach said it's a fine line parents should walk. ``Every sound and color is exciting to a baby,'' she said. ``You don't want to dull their senses with too much.''

Some toys go overboard - like when a simple rattle will burst into a Braham's musical number, Auerbach said. Drossin, of Studio City, said she's even seen educational software for infants and parents - that's where she'll draw the line.

``I don't think a 2-year-old needs to be in front of a computer,'' Drossin said. Other parents like Melissa Rubin said she doesn't buy any learning toys for her son Charlie, 3. At his early age, Rubin said it's about learning to be in the world rather than advancing in academics. Even though he's received two LeapPads as gifts, Charlie said his favorite toys are his toy trucks and planes.

Whether electronic learning toys for babies work, companies are rattling even more options at parents who want to give their kids an early start.

So just why are learning toys becoming so popular? Parents say the reasons are varied. Drossin said she simply doesn't trust the public education system to teach her son everything he needs to know.

San Fernando parents Sergio Silva and Tannia Pena said kids today just need to learn faster. ``They're more competitive,'' said Pena, who buys learning toys for her 11-month-old son.

The proliferation of learning toys for young children is also being fueled in part by available technologies.

``Moms always wanted educational toys, but they were never any fun or very fulfilling,'' Friedman said. ``The child would never play with it after the first time.'' Now new technologies allow companies to load up a single toy with the technology and curriculum to guide children through several stages of development, Friedman said.

Fisher Price even has an ``age by age'' resource for toys on its Web site, starting from ``baby on the way'' and progressing to ``one month,'' ``two months'' and so on. The site even informs parents what they can expect from their 2-year-olds.

Since LeapFrog's first product for infants to toddlers was launched in 2002 it has remained among the company's top 10 sellers, said Craig Hendrickson, senior brand manager for LeapFrog's infant to toddler products. Historically, he said the company's biggest sellers were for children ages 4 to 8.

The caliber of the infant toys will be critical as toy companies look to form enduring relationships with customers through a child's development. ``That's our first embrace of the consumer,'' Hendrickson said.

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Sergio and Tannia Silva Jr. and son Sergio III cruise the learning toys section of Target in Van Nuys.

(2 -- color) Charlie Rubin, 3, of Studio City shows his preference for toys in the Target store in Van Nuys.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News