TOMY International Announces Partnership for The First Years with Child Development Expert, Dr. Maureen O'Brien

OAK BROOK, Ill., April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TOMY International, a leading producer of high-quality infant and toddler products, has partnered with Maureen O'Brien, PhD, a nationally recognized parenting expert, for The First Years brand. Dr. O'Brien is a well-respected speaker and author, and her psychology expertise includes child development as well as parent support, education, and promotion of healthy parent-child relationships. Dr. O'Brien earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota and held a Postdoctoral position at Harvard University. Dr. O'Brien will provide child development expertise and advice related to product innovation for The First Years brand.

"Dr. O'Brien will work closely with our team at The First Years to incorporate her rich knowledge, clinical expertise and thoughtful hands-on approach to developing future products and a competitive advantage for the brand," said Annamaria Dooley, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for The First Years. "As we look to define the parenting processes, we believe Dr. O'Brien's vast experience will make her an invaluable member of the team in identifying key insights and guiding our teams to apply innovation to support parenting and speak on behalf of babies."

Dr. O'Brien is the author of a 3-book series called Watch Me Grow that provides parents with a deeper understanding of their growing one-, two-, and three-year-old children. She has been involved in research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Boston Children's Hospital and is the owner of Destination Parenting, a one-stop resource for all parenting topics.  

For more than 60 years, The First Years has helped parents prepare for and embrace the unpredictable moments life throws at them on the journey of parenthood. The product line includes pacifiers, baby baths, toddler feeding, potty training tools and the new, innovative 4-in-1 Remote Control Bottle Warmer.

About TOMY International
TOMY International (www.tomy.com) is a leading global designer, producer and marketer of a broad range of innovative, high-quality toys sold to preschoolers, youths and adults under the TOMY® and Ertl® brands as well as products for parents, infants and toddlers marketed under the The First Years®, JJ Cole® Collections and Boon® brands. TOMY International's mission is to make the world smile. TOMY International reaches its target consumers through multiple channels of distribution supporting more than 25,000 retail outlets throughout North and South America, Europe and Australia. TOMY International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based TOMY Company, Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Code No. 7867). © TOMY.

SOURCE TOMY International