Toys

Let me take you back a few years. It is Christmas Eve. You are running about the house pausing every few moments to strain your ears for any sound resembling sleigh bells, flight or a boisterous ‘ho, ho, ho’. What you do hear is mom calling that it is time to open a gift.

The first gift

You race as fast as you can to the tree. You hardly dare believe your ears: open a gift, now, tonight? Older siblings greet the news with less enthusiasm, and rather knowing expressions. Missing these subtle clues you tear into your box expecting to find the toy of your dreams. What you get are PJ’s.

Your childish heart is only momentarily dampened, older siblings dive into new jammies with familiarity and gratitude. This scene repeats every year. You can mark holidays in photos by what jammies you are wearing, not the gift you open.

A New Night Dress

Flash forward; you are the parent creating and contemplating holiday traditions. As you and your spouse begin a family the need for holiday traditions becomes more personal and warm. Your baby may not remember opening a red pair of footie PJ’s, but the photos will tell the story.

Christmas pajamas are a great way to curb, control or reward your toddler’s Christmas enthusiasm. Knowing there is a special gift under the tree that they get to open on Christmas Eve will occupy their attention and relieve pestering questions of, “When can I open my presents?”…or “Can’t I open just one?”

The practical side

As a toddler or child, it may not have occurred to you that your yearly gift of pajamas was not only fun, but practical. Christmas is in winter, and kids grow so fast. Often there is a need for warm pajamas that fit, which perfectly coincides with the advent of the holiday season. Making the necessary item into a fun tradition is a great way to meet two needs with one solution.

Toddler appeal

New parents might worry that their toddler will be less than pleased with this gift and feel cheated on Christmas Eve. This feeling of being slighted may lead their precious toddler to spoil the holiday spirit with a full-blown tantrum! Well, this is not usually the case. Toddlers just love to open gifts. They might show a preference for one toy over another once they are all opened, but if there is only one gift opened this is not an issue.

Toddlers also love to be included with what their parents or older siblings are doing. If mom, dad as well as brothers and sisters all get jammies, then your two year old is not going to be disappointed.

A Christmas gift basket of a different sort for the newborn baby would be a moses basket. The moses baskets are the perfect gift for using when visiting family and friends as the baby will then have some where to sleep other than the car seat or other carrier.

What to get for the parents who seem to have everything and want for nothing is often a perplexing question. When babies are new it seems that gifts are showered upon them from all sides. New parents like to shop for and pamper their new babies. Friends and family also ask parents what their wants and needs are to insure that the baby is well supplied. Grandparents are perhaps the biggest spenders sparing no expense to spoil that baby even though the baby has not been born.

The Christmas Question

This initial cascade of baby gifts is fun, but the holiday season can create a problem: What can I possibly get for this baby that she doesn’t already have in duplicate? Holiday shopping should be fun, especially when the gift is for a baby or toddler. To this end when searching for that perfect Christmas gift for baby think of obscure, but fun items that will enhance baby’s well being but might be considered non-essential.

Non-essential items are more interesting to select and often fill a need mom or dad didn’t even know they had. This is why these particular items often escape selection in the deluge of gift giving that precedes and follows the baby’s birth. A perfect example of a great Christmas gift idea for a baby is the Moses Basket.

A basket?

Moses baskets are made to create a portable bed for baby. These baskets can be quite simple woven and lined with cute linens or very ornate with handles, frilly details complete with a shade canopy. A Moses basket allows baby a safe place sheltered from the drafts of winter to sleep or rest when mom or dad’s arms are otherwise occupied.

Different from a swing, bouncy seat or play yard, Moses Baskets transport easily from room to room, take up very little space and create a warm snuggly bed.

What’s the point?

This gift is the very definition of filling a need that mom didn’t even know she had. Most new parents get the bouncy seat, which is portable and the baby swing, which is not so portable thinking that is plenty. What happens in reality is this: their tiny new born slips and slides so much in the bouncy chair that it can’t be used until they get bigger with more muscle control. The swing works well but limits mom to being in the living room because it is difficult to move.

A Moses Basket solves these problems. The basket is easily moved from space to space. It is not large and is warmer and more supportive of new babies than a bouncy chair. The smaller size allows mom and dad to take baby with them to any room while they work or relax.

Form and function

Even the simplest Moses baskets are beautiful. This makes them a welcome addition to any dcor. Baby accessories like swings sometimes create an eyesore that parents can’t wait to remove once they are out grown. A Moses basket does not carry this same stigma.

Don’t fancy the idea of crowds and traffic? Do your shopping online. If you have had it with traditional holiday shopping you are not alone. Even the most fearless and most organized holiday shopping divas tire from the endless crowds and cheesy holiday music. Luck for us in this day and age there is another option: internet shopping.

Internet shopping is sweeping the nation and is quickly become a very normal occurrence. Yet as any shopping diva knows there are a few ins and outs that can greatly increase your success.

Shop Savvy

First off, just because you can shop from home in your undies does not mean that you need any less preparation. You are a shopping diva, after all, and just because you are taking your list into cyberspace instead of retail space does not eliminate the need to check it twice. Once you have prepared your list with the utmost care, then you are ready to shop.

Shop Safe

With identity theft being an ever-growing threat, one of the first things an internet shopping diva needs to know is how to make her funds secure. There are a few ways to do this. One of the first ways is to make certain you only give out credit card information on secured websites.

Check if the site is secure by looking for a padlock icon on your browser window. If there is no such icon, the site is not secure and you shouldn’t give out your information. Never ever give out credit card information in email. Email is not secure.

Other security measures include using the same credit card to make all your online purchases. This card should carry a low spending limit. That way if your information is stolen the culprit can’t rack up huge bills. Also using just one card eliminates the question of what card was used when or if you need to contest a charge.

Shop Smart

One of the great things about taking the shopping online is that there are tons of review websites. When shopping in person at Holiday Toddler Toy Emporium, the only review you are likely to get about a toy is from the box, fellow shoppers or the teenage sales clerk. These resources often leave much to be desired.

Not so with online stores. Reviews are plentiful, detailed and have real life experience. This kind of information at your fingertips will help you avoid poor purchases.

Shop Savings

Hesitate to shop online because you think the cost is too much? This is not true. You can use the same coupons online as in the store for cost savings. In addition to coupon savings you rarely need to pay sales tax on online purchases. This is a savings of on average 8% right back into your pocket.

Shipping costs are a concern, but if you shop early you can avoid high express shipping rates as well as the trip to the post office when you need to send your three-year-old nephew his Christmas gift.

The American baby shower is a celebration in which a new-coming child is welcomed into the world by family and friends, and is traditionally “showered” with baby gifts. Baby showers have become increasingly popular in the United States, and the custom of hosting a baby shower is a wonderful way of helping expectant parents get essential items for the infant, such as baby bedding, strollers, clothes, and diapers. In America, baby showers are generally held about one to two months before the baby’s arrival. By having the baby shower a while before the baby is born, parents can be better prepared and have all the necessary articles, furniture, and appliances that a new baby will call for.

Although historians are not completely clear on exactly when the baby shower custom began in the world, there is evidence that shows the previous existence of what we would call today, a baby shower, in several ancient cultures. During the Roman, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese eras, for example, newborn babies and their mothers were presented with a variety of hand-made gifts by family and friends, during beautiful feasts for the little girl that would celebrate their life. Historians believe that the American baby shower draws its origins from these ancient cultural traditions.

Baby showers did not become popular in North America until the baby boom era after World War II. They were actually held when the baby was presented after birth, and coincided with christenings and baptisms in the case of a religious family. These first baby showers were considered a women’s event, and by no means allow men as guests. The original post-birth American baby showers also served the purpose of giving the new mother and baby some company while they were at home for the first month of the infant’s life.

Today, the modern baby shower is usually held one to two months before the baby’s due date, not after the newborn’s birth, like it was originally held. There has also been a recent trend in which families are breaking social paradigms and constraints, and therefore, co-ed baby showers are becoming increasingly popular. It is now common that friends and relatives of both the mommy-to-be and the daddy-to-be are invited to celebrate the coming of a new member of the family, regardless of their gender.

The gift-giving process has definitely evolved since ancient times when guests would bring handmade gifts to “shower” the baby. In modern society, the expectant parents usually register with a department store or a baby specialty store in order to create a wish list. Friends and relatives would then go to the store that the parents are registered in, look them up in the registries by name, and print out the wish list. This is a great way for guests to know what the parents need or desire as gifts the new baby boy.

The modern American baby shower is a wonderful way of welcoming a new baby into this world. Baby showers are enjoyable and fun for both parents and guests, and they are the perfect occasion to celebrate life and help parents prepare for the new coming baby.

A mother is not the only one who has memories of baby and toddlerhood. Grandparents also play a very important part in the making and keeping of a child’s memories.

The advent of the holiday season marks the passing of another year. Each of us becomes a bit more nostalgic than usual at this time so rich in tradition and with the reminders of ending and beginnings so close on every hand. As minds wander over the previous year and holidays past we can see those little ones that are dear to our hearts and mark their growth with each Christmas.

It is often difficult to believe that the little one that runs about the house with pattering feet and a barely decipherable chatter was little more than a roly-poly smiling bundle at this same time last year.

Good intentions

Each baby is born to mothers who have the best of intentions to record and photograph each moment of this child’s life. Many mothers rise to this challenge amid hectic schedules and life’s demands. Yet few remain as committed to the scrapbook of the last child as they were with the first. Some mothers just don’t have time to even begin and those cute baby memory books remain untouched as the years pass.

Filling a need

Moms and Dads are not the only persons in a child’s life that have memories to record and share. Aunties and Grandmas also love and care for these babies from birth to the toddler years and right on up. This year why not give a gift that records and shares these precious memories with your precious baby?

Photos that are locked on computer hard drives or remain hidden on memory chips in cameras aren’t very accessible. Toddlers love to see pictures of themselves and hear stories featuring them as they were when they were a baby. A memory book dedicated to them will be a big hit.

The toddler is not the only one who will appreciate the memory book. Moms from the dedicated scrap booking enthusiast to the mom who never even started will appreciate photos of her child that are already arranged, journaled and require nothing of her time and energy other than pure enjoyment.

Unique perspective

Grandmas and Aunties have a unique perspective that they can share. As a grandparent or sibling you can share memories of the baby as well as the parent you knew as a child. Pointing out similarities in looks, behavior and attitudes is often fun for both the toddler and their parent to discover. You can also laugh more readily at the natural naughtiness of childhood. As a loved one not in the parental role it is a funny occurrence - not a tragic mess - when the toothpaste is emptied from the tube, or the butter is eaten in huge bites right from the cube.

Getting started

To start your memory book Christmas gift give yourself time to complete it. The value of this gift is in its creation and not the monetary investment, so make sure you give it the time it deserves. The internet will be your best friend. You can get the photos you need by sending them directly from your PC to the photo shop via email. This saves time and gas. If you have the capability you can even print the photos yourself at home.

Memory books come in all shapes and sizes. You can get a one-time book that you can fill, or you can get a book that allows for the addition of pages as the years roll on. Browse online to find the book that is right for you, and then get to work. This is one gift that will be pleasing to giver and recipient alike.

Classic toys from a bygone era bespeak the tradition of the season and a connection with antiquity that is renewed with each holiday season. There are some things which seem impervious to the dimming factor time has on most. Christmas and traditions which are woven into its very fabric stand the test of time year after year. Most folks have great memories of the Radio Flyer wagon they got and if they are lucky, have kept.

Babies and the renewal of life, the freshness and love each tiny little bundle brings is also a timeless experience. Each new parent or grandparent will attest to this fact. Babies and the memory of babies stand forever young.

The marriage of babies and Christmas is almost unavoidable. Parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles the world over wait for Christmas to spoil and love the newest additions to their family circles, just as the childless wait for a baby to complete their Christmas celebrations.

Heirloom Gifts

Babies don’t usually need a lot, nor are they very aware of the gifts bestowed upon them for their first Christmases. To this end it is fun, and befitting to select gifts of heirloom quality. This kind of gift has a value which goes beyond the item itself and springs up from tradition, love and the memories of antiquity as well as dreams for the baby’s future.

Big bucks

An heirloom gift does not need to be expensive, but is usually of a higher quality than the more disposable counterpart. For example, a silver or pewter cup engraved with the babies name and birth date is not an extravagantly expensive gift. Yet the gift itself will last into future generations honoring the special feelings felt for this child. The grandbabies of this baby will share in that birthright of love as the cup passes hands.

Specifics

Heirloom gifts do not need to be fancy; some of the most beautiful heirloom gifts are the simplest. Toys made from wood like wooden cars and trucks or boats and animals are of heirloom quality. Raggedy Ann dolls are also cherished heirloom toys. This kind of heirloom gift can be played with and enjoyed in ways other than just observing it on a shelf.

Other heirloom gifts are less sturdy in play, but no less valued. Gifting a silver picture frame along with a certificate for a photography session is a gift that will certainly be appreciated long after it is given.

To select the perfect heirloom gift for the babies on your list think about traditional gifts such as: silver cups, bronzed baby booties, a pewter rattle. More modern gifts that still qualify as heirloom gifts include: classic books like those by Beatrix Potter or A.A. Milne, well made toys fashioned after eras past, porcelain dolls, bonnets, layettes and christening gowns.

Or think about any of the Radio Flyer toys, Airflow collectibles for pedal planes or tricycles. As a child, there is nothing like being able to have your own set of wheels to cruise around the neighborhood and many of those children will keep that toy forever and ever and even pass it on to their own children.

The holiday season is here and the excitement for children is noticed by everyone. Not surprisingly, the hottest toys are already flying off the shelf as if they were being pulled by Santa’s reindeer, but there is already one toy that far surpasses all the others. This year that Top of the List, hot toy is the Fisher Price Smart Cycle.

Fisher Price is a phenomenal company that has a history of making the most adored, durable and safe toys in the market. Most adults have fond recollections of owning many of the classic products with the FP logo. With the launch of the Fisher Price Smart Cycle, they have again earned accolades for creating a unique, innovative, and educational toy that is taking the nation by storm.

This incredibly imaginative toy is a child-sized version of the car that is seen in those racing games found in arcade rooms. Now thanks to Fisher Price development and design, this innovative toy brings the arcade excitement to your younger children at home. This toy is much more than just an amusing plaything, it combines some of the best educational video games with physical fitness, and children love it.

There are many video games on the market right now, and some of them are designed for smaller children. The Fisher Price Smart Cycle Software adventures combine the flash and fun of video games with learning adventures that are designed to educate younger minds.

This cycle not only gives them a fantastic arcade game and a stationary exercise bike; it basically plugs into your home television system to create an entire new world of adventure and fun. A Learning Adventure game cartridge is included which gives children access to a variety of cute characters that then introduce them to games, races and other exciting arcade style fun.

The Fisher Price Smart Cycle is targeting kids ages three-to-eight, but even the older ones are sure to have some fun with it as well. It has a battery system to keep it up and going and requires no electricity. If you use care, the batteries really do have a long life.

Fisher Price toys are known for their resilience but in the event that you need to replace a small pedal or other part, you can always deal directly with the company. Their service record is amazing, and they will usually send you the part you need at no cost.

This Christmas there are a lot of new games that will also be available as accessories and children are sure to be won over by their favourite characters. You can choose from Fisher Price Smart Cycle software adventures like Scooby Doo, Elmo, and Planet Hero. Your children will want to add every game they can for a wider assortment of gaming fun. Parents can’t go wrong when they choose this toy for their kids this year. This cycle will be giving kids a way to keep busy inside when the weather is cold, exercise, learn, and have fun.all at the same time.

Puzzles from Santa - Getting the perfect gift for your toddler shouldn’t be a riddle and can be the best investment you ever made for many reasons.

Toddlers are a busy, imaginative group of individuals. Their minds and needs have progressed past the impulsive desire to chew every thing their fingers grasp into slimy shreds. They love colors and will not forget about an object simply because mommy has hidden it out of sight.

Toddlers are also natural problem solvers. Don’t believe me? Then why the need for a million dollar baby proofing industry, constant parental supervision and a great deal of improvising when the fancy toddler proof containers fail to keep your toddler out?

Work with it

This Christmas as you select holiday gifts for your toddler use these natural impulses to select gifts that stimulate these natural tendencies and capture the imagination. To that end puzzles are the perfect gift.

What kind?

The latest trend in holiday gifts or newborn baby gifts is the childrens personalized step stool. Choosing a childrens personalized step stool can be one of the more unique ways to add the enjoyment of having a puzzle along with their own name engraved in the stool. The stepstool not only promotes independence, it encourages learning to read with dexterity.

Of course your toddler will not enjoy a 1000 piece puzzle of Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpieces, but you are not too far off the mark. The best kind of puzzles for a toddler will take into account their fine motor skills and love of colors, learning and imagination. If you do choose a landscape type puzzle, choose one with a large pattern or picture. Too many intricate details will mean that this puzzle is dumped and abandoned for mom or dad to piece together again.

When selecting a puzzle for toddlers keep the following things in mind:

-Toddlers might not chew on everything, but will be tempted to take a nip or two every once in a while. Choose puzzles that can handle that kind of wear and tear without falling apart and creating a choking hazard. To this end wooden or foam puzzles work best.

-Nimble toddler fingers adept at defying the childproof cap still have trouble with fine motor skills. Puzzles with tiny pieces which lock together might confuse and frustrate them. Choose puzzles that have larger pieces and whose pieces fit into their own slot on the puzzle board.

-Some puzzles come with little knobs or handles attached to each piece. These are especially easy for even the youngest puzzle enthusiast to master.

-Bright colors and themes to match and stimulate your child’s interest are best.

Making it fun

One of the elements that make puzzles fun for your little one are the wide variety of character, themes and age appropriate educational pictures that appeal to children of that age. Puzzles featuring the alphabet or numbers help your child to learn as they play. Fun characters or puzzles with cars, princesses or bugs stimulate imagination and foster your child’s interests in and awareness of the world around them.

Perhaps the best part of a puzzle for Christmas is that this gift often creates moments of one on one play with you and your child. What parent or toddler doesn’t love more quality time spent in simple play?

This is your first Christmas as the proud Grandparent. There is no greater joy than that of greeting a new baby, except perhaps that joy of greeting a new grandbaby. Grandparenthood is a special club that encourages reckless spoiling of those beloved creatures. There was no true maxim than that of: many a child is spoiled because you can’t spank Grandma.

If this year is your first year celebrating Christmas as a grandparent, congratulations! Not since the magical days spent with your own children will the Holidays seem so full. There are however a few pitfalls that new grandparents are susceptible to. For a joyous celebration that won’t create ill will here are a few tips to follow.

Holiday Gift Giving

This is the season of giving, and it is so much fun to give gifts to a toddler or baby. Baby clothes are so much fun to pick out and wrap. Toys are much more exciting to purchase and watch being unwrapped than the offerings for adults. It is easy to go overboard.

Remember, gifts are often expected at Christmas time, and they are very appreciated but an over abundance of gifts rivaling the collection of Ritchie Rich is not likely to engender the appreciation of the new parents. Try to set a limit for yourself. Your grandbaby does not need every single toy or pair of shoes you lay eyes on.

If you are not sure what the limit should be have an honest conversation with your grandbaby’s parents. When everyone is on the same page from the beginning there is much less chance of hurting feelings or over stepping some unknown boundary.

Special Gifts

When it comes to specific gifts some are just off limits to grandparents. This means that perhaps your daughter-in-law feels it a parental right to purchase her baby girl that all important first doll. Perhaps it is the unknown wish of your child to present his or her own baby with a keepsake quilt.

The problem with these special gifts is not so much the desire to be the one to give it to the baby, but the symbolism behind it. The flip side of the special gift scenario is that of contraband gifts. Perhaps guns or overly frivolous Barbies have been placed on the no-no list by the baby’s parent. As the grandparent you may have no idea what these special or contraband gifts might be.

Again it is time to discuss gift options with your grandbaby’s parents. No grandparent wants to become the stereotypical ‘in-law’. Keeping communication lines open will ensure that Christmas is a time of fun giving and spoiling that leaves everyone with feelings of love and respect.

Merry Christmas and happy first Christmas with a baby or toddler! Children add their own magic to the already intoxicating feelings of the holiday season. As new parents you are trying to create your own family traditions and spoil your toddler just a little bit.

Yet you are not the only persons concerned with your child’s Christmas celebrations. Aunts, uncles, friends, cousins and especially Grandparents will all feel a special desire to be close to your baby at this time of the year. Each person will likely have their own ideas of how the children should be incorporated into the celebration and will want to give your baby holiday blessings and toys!

Holiday and Flu season

Perhaps it is not the first thing that comes to mind when celebrating Christmas with your baby and extended family, but flu season does need to be accounted for. To this end before carting your child to endless dinners and parties it is a good idea to plan a flu avoidance strategy.

Call the host and ask about the health of their family. This is a very understandable question and will not offend. When taking your baby to parties have a supply of hand sanitizer at the ready so that would be admirers don’t have to be sent to the bathroom to wash their hands. Wearing your baby in a sling will reduce the requests to hold your child. This keeps baby close and keeps exposure to germs to a minimum.

Holiday Shopping with baby

The crowds, lines and stiff competition involved in holiday shopping is enough to daunt even the most stout hearted, but is especially tricky with your new precious cargo in tow. To this end a little preparation goes a long way. Feed your baby immediately before leaving the house, or even in the car in the parking lot. This reduces the need to feed in public, and may even put your child into a milk coma, meaning she will sleep blissfully for the duration of the shopping trip.

The diaper bag is an invaluable tool. Stock the diaper bag with several diapers, wipes, a bottle, two or three burp clothes, an extra binky, an extra blanket and an extra outfit for the baby as well as a shirt for you. Many a mom has learned the hard way that any of these items might become necessary during an outing.

Remember babies draw a crowd; even strangers will want a peep. Be gracious, but firm. This is your child and you don’t have to allow any stranger to look at or touch or kiss your baby. Keep the hand sanitizer at the ready. Put your baby in a sling that hides his or her face or in a stroller with the shades drawn. This sends the signal that baby is not to be disturbed without you having to play the bad guy.