With the toy catalogs piling up on my kitchen table, most of the talk in my home is around new playthings these days. I buy toys, both for my kids and as gifts, from a variety of different places, but started thinking about where people shop. So tell me, where do you buy most of your toys?
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My son's birthday party isn't for another week, but the other night he opened a few gifts and it was the present topper that occupied him for hours. A fan of all things in flight — rockets, airplanes, helicopters, jets, hangliders, even birds — he was smitten with the tiny matchbox airplanes, or "big jets" as he refers to them, that my mom found for $2 each at Target. He fell asleep with them in his hand and woke up to soar them in the air some more.
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Buying gifts for lil ones can be a lot of fun, but for the gift giver who wants her present to stand out among the heaping pile of blankets, onesies, and burp cloths, it can be a difficult task to take on.
One site, eBeanstalk.com, has made the gift giving process a little bit easier and a lot more fun. The company specializes in Gift Series ($82 and up), where the child will receive four developmental and learning toys over a 12-month period.
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Toys buy moms and dads time. From the cardboard boxes our children turn into forts to the train sets that occupy them for hours, some playful inventions deserve recognition. The National Toy Hall of Fame recently inducted some more playthings to sit alongside past honorees.
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I've seen oodles of animal rockers — most of them plush and straight out of the jungle, if not the typical equine friend. Instead of a furry horse friend, the Play Sam Rocking Rabbit ($150) is modern, spunky, and adorable all at once.
At just under a foot high, this ruby red rabbit is suited for 1-year-old tykes ready to take a hare for a hoppin' good time!
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I still have a soft spot for traditional presents when gifting a newborn. I look for classics that the parents will cherish now and the child will continue to enjoy.
The family-owned Damhorst Toys began making wooden puzzles and stools in 1971.
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Teaching patience and a balanced perspective to a youngster can be a brain teaser for many, dare I say most, parents. Toys that encourage learning that type of behavior are too few and sometimes plain boring. The Groovin' Balance Board ($98) may teach a tot a thing or two while providing them hours of pleasure.
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Tea and hand knit cookies anyone? I recently came across an online shop that sells some of the most darling toys I have seen in a while. Selling only artisan-crafted items, Quiet Hours Toys features an array of classically designed items that do not require batteries, screwdrivers or instruction manuals to operate.
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My daughter is obsessed with tea parties. I love watching her gather her stuffed animals around the table and serve them cups of her finest brews, but I've been hesitant to buy her an actual tea set because the only ones I've seen are made with questionable paint sources and plastic.
The eco-conscious company Green Toys makes a tea set that will leave the worrisome mother gleeful.
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