LilSugar

Target and Wal-Mart Start to Slash Prices on Toys

babysugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:00:28 -0700

Shoppers, listen up! The pumpkins are barely ripe for carving and already the mega stores are having price slashing wars. Target and Wal-Mart have made the 2009 holiday toy budget a tad more realistic as they have marked loads of games and dolls down to half-price. Parents who like to keep their local mom and pop businesses afloat may be reconsidering that approach this holiday season when they see Barbies and G.I. Joes at dirt cheap prices. Will the state of the economy affect where you are shopping this holiday season?

Crib Toys to Keep Babies Busy in Bed

LilSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:05:00 -0700

Party in the baby's crib! Once an infant is alert enough to take in their surroundings, add some stimulation to keep them occupied during non-sleeping hours. By putting a safe accessory in the crib, mom may buy herself a few minutes after nap time.

Before attaching any toy to the crib rails, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends checking to ensure that the ties are no longer than seven inches and that no loops have a perimeter greater than 14 inches. To see some entertainment options, check out the selection.

To see more crib toys to entertain babies, read more.

View 7 Photos ›

Source: Flickr User valentinapowers

Mommy Dearest: Baby Drools on Toy and Mom Puts It Back!

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:45:00 -0700

Mommy Dearest,

My friend and I like to take our kids shopping together once a week. The children keep each other entertained, and we get a chance to gab and buy groceries or birthday gifts and necessities. But, there's one thing that makes me uncomfortable - my friend lets her 3-year-old son and 11-month-old daughter each choose or hold on to a toy while we make our way down through the store. Then, she shelves them before check out. On our last trip to Target, she gave her teething daughter a plush toy that was covered in drool by the time she put it back. As a customer, I wouldn't want to purchase a germ infested item for my child. Do you think her practice is appropriate?

- You Play, You Purchase

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more.

You Play, You Purchase,

I've seen this happen a lot while out shopping with my own kids. And, it's the reason I reach to the back of the shelf when buying things like stuffed animals. I'd like to think that those that are harder to reach haven't been gnawed or drooled on. While it's one thing to let a child try a rocking horse or bike floor model, which is put out for that purpose, it's another to have them use an item as their own and not pay for it. Is there a reason your friend doesn't pack a teether or small toys in her diaper bag? Or, at a place like Target have her kiddos select something from the $1 bins to occupy them so she can also afford to make the purchases? I'd suggest those options since her current practice makes you uncomfortable.
– Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on TeamSugar.

Tell Mommy: What Are Your Top Three Toddler Toys?

babysugar — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:00:01 -0700

One person's trash is another one's treasure. The same can be said for wee ones and their toys. While my daughter obsessed over her Radio Flyer push wagon, some of her playmates found it less exciting than a rug. General favorites among youngsters are cardboard boxes, musical tables, or simple wooden figures.

What are the three toys your tot fancies most?

10 Brilliant Beach Toys

LilSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:10 -0700

Hit the beach! What better way to spend a lazy days with the family than in the surf, sun, and sand? Packing a beach bag with engaging toys is essential for prolonging a stay on the shore. Check out some of our favorite toys that will help occupy your quality time.

View Slideshow ›

What Is Your Tot's Favorite Gadget?

babysugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Place a brand new fluffy dog that squeaks in front of a tot and he'll reach for the keys. Toy companies took note and tried to replicate some of mama's best tricks in rubber or wooden forms, but neither they nor mommy can pull the wool over itty bitty eyes.

Plastic cell phones aren't nearly as exciting as ones that light up and actually ring. Remote controls without batteries are not as fascinating as the ones that turn the channels. Tiny tots even choose hard metallic keys over the colorful chewy ones that won't leave gashes in their foreheads. What's the most popular adult gadget in your home?

Recession Proof Toys

babysugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:00:39 -0700

Keeping lil loves entertained is a task that keeps moms searching for the latest and greatest gadgets and toys. Sometimes the answer to mama's prayers is a household item sitting right on the counter and in these tough economic times who has the cash to keep stocking up at the toy store? Check out the sundry items that can suit a tot's fancy and feel free to add to our list!

View Slideshow ›

Parenting Q&A: Toys Have Cluttered Our House!

LilSugar — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Q. Our house looks like Santa's workshop with stuffed animals, race cars and art supplies scattered throughout. We try to get our children to keep their items in their own rooms, but it seems like a losing battle. Should we get rid of stuff or is there a best way to organize goods to encourage tidiness?

A. Santa’s workshop has elves to maintain order, mommies typically don’t. We all have found ourselves stepping on a Barbie shoe or broken Pez head. Toys can cost so little and manage to buy us time at the check out counter or relieve guilt after a frantic day. These things become meaningless and clutter our children’s lives and our common living spaces. Here are some tips to purge and reset order in your home.
1. Spend a few days observing your child’s play patterns. Toys that are not touched and have gathered dust around them need to go on a toss or store mental list. Whatever you do, do not ask your children. They will attach to every item like a tick. When children are gone, go through and toss or store unused toys.
2. Create simple portable bins for remaining toys. Take pictures of items or label them if your child can read so they know what to put in the bins. Legos go in a designated bin as do cars, etc. Bins are stored in the children’s room and can be brought out at in an agreed upon amount. Some children want to build a dinosaur kingdom so certainly the dino and block bins can come out at the same time. Heck, some creative carefree households could allow all bins. To see the other step Lonna recommends, read more.
3. The trick is in the clean up routine: a timer. Warn children when the clean up timer will be set, then set a timer for a reasonable amount of time - say five minutes - to clean up. Children love a timer, the bigger and more visual the better. Clean up becomes a game and since things can be placed in their bins in a simple and quick way, success is certain. If, by the way, a timer with a buzzer is offensive to your senses, use a music box. It's just as effective.

- Lonna Corder

Parenting expert and Montessori school director Lonna Corder has been doling out advice for 25 years as a teacher, parent/child consultant, and on television. For more information, visit lonnacorder.com.

If you're at your wit's end about an issue and want another take on the situation, private message your question to lilsugar. We'll be running this feature all week!

Source

Villa Sibi Modern Doll House: Ga Ga or Ga?

LilSugar — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:00:00 -0700

If mommy and daddy covet the designs in Dwell, baby may feel right at home in this Villa Sibi Modern Doll House ($855). The trouble is, the down payment on this mini modernist dwelling, which comes with a large deck and pool house and sliding doors that are made of plexiglass and wood, is rather steep. Do you like the idea of mimicking contemporary designs in your children's toys, or would you rather an old fashioned fixer-upper?

Toy Box: Where the Wild Things Are Gear

LilSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:00:08 -0700

Where are the wild things? They're hanging out on toy store shelves, apparently. The recent release of the trailer and first poster for the film version of Where the Wild Things Are has the Internet abuzz and companies showing off their wild paraphernalia. The movie, which is scheduled to be released Oct. 16, is a Spike Jonze-directed adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story. You can get your family prepared for the flick with Where the Wild Things Are dolls ($28).