Looking for "Hot Toy" Ideas for Christmas

Both me and my kids love the color wonder markers and coloring books by Crayola (for different reasons!). My husband said the new Tickle Me Elmo is really popular, it sounds cute, but not something I am wrestling another mom at the store for!! My boys like bionicles a lot starting at about 6.

An all-time favorite from when kids were little - I started brousing through thrift stores for old Prom dresses, suit jackets, ties, fancy/funny hats, etc... early in the year and by the holidays, I had accumulated a large box of "dress-up" clothes that they played with for years. I also put out word to friends and family that I was doing this and many were just looking for a place to dump the old bridesmaid dress and tacky jewelry. Two hidden bonuses: 1.)Because I sepnt only a dollar or two at a time, the shopping itself was nearly free! 2.)This really let my kids use their IMAGINATION! It was so fun to watch them make up stories and situations that they thought were "grown-up." (It also let me know how I was doing when I heard some of my own parenting matras coming out of their mouths - good and bad!)

Happy shopping!

A.

How funny to see this request tonight as I just got home from a Discovery Toys party. I had ordered before but had never been to a party and heard the presentation. They have so many toys for each age group. I am buying my 3 year old a couple games that he can play with friends and we can play as a family. Many of the games have different options so that they can get more challenging as they grow older. I didn't bring a catalog home but I got one that is kind of like a bingo game but with pictures. Also they have a neat fishing game fun but educational. You can look at her website at www.discoverytoyslink.com/chriscarlson

My 3 year old got his leapster when he was about 27 months and it has been great. I get him a new game every 4-6 months. It works well on the airplane or when he needs some quite time(or I do!).

My 21 month old daughter is really into her Leap Frog Leap Pad Learning Center. It's the only toy I can give her and actually cook dinner or wash dishes in peace! You can get all sorts of books and disks for it. She has already learned 10 states! Plus she loves wooden puzzles with the pictures under the pieces.

my four year son loves to play with the fisher price geo trax trains. and what is really neat is you can add more pieces. and i babysit for a three year girl and she even likes to play with the trains. i have to admitt both kids play together. i even have fun putting the track together with them. ebay is a great place to look for pieces to the train!!!!

My son loves his Leap Pad games. I also go to www.etoys.com to look up different toy ideas. You can break them down by age, boy or girl, and price range. You can sometimes find a better deal there too! Hope this helps!

My kids got the "V" smile. Made by VTech. It is a software system that has educational games, including Nemo, Elmo, Little Mermaid, Scooby-Doo ect...
I have a 5 yr old that loves to play this and I have played with her. It is kid friendly and easy to hook up. Fun and educational!!

H.,
My daughter will be 20 months at Christmas, so we are going through the same thing. I am not sure what the "designer toy" of the moment is, but my daughter loves anything that is like what mommy and daddy have. The 'Parents' line of toys have all sorts of thing, like a mini laptop, camera, ipod, cash register. They all light up, or play music, and pretty much all come in under 30.00 a piece. My daugher loves her "mypod" which plays about 15 different song so I got her the laptop for Christmas. She is also getting her first dollhouse, so that might work for your daughter if she does not already have one. Just check for small pieces!

I have to agree with alot of these ideas.. I got my son ( he was 3 at the time) a Leapster, and he LOVES LOVES LOVES it, and yes you can get some quiet time at home, or in the car... We also got him Geotrax train system and he loves it also.. Still plays with it, and actually going to get some new pieces for it this christmas..
Hope all these suggestions help.. Good Luck!

Over the years it has been easy to get caught up in the plastic/electronic jungle, but my kids always go back to the same toys! My kids favorites have been and continue to be: Thomas the Tank Engine railroad track and trains by Tomy, wood blocks, legos/duplos, playdoh factory and gadgets and kitchen set.

For the 2 year old girl I would suggest getting a baby doll with stroller and high chair. My daughter STILL plays with hers.

For a combined gift, a kitchen is a good buy for boys and girls along with fake food (you can usually get that at Toys R Us). Also, My FIrst Leapster is a good learning toy.

For the 5 year old boy, I would get a Leapster.

i know how you feel..movies are good.i try to get things they need and a few things they like...i bought my 4 year old the kids bop dance party where it hooks up to the tv.its fisher price so its made for younger kids..it has songs to chose from and they see theirselves in the tv.the mic he likes alot too!good luck i know ill need it!:)A.

When my son turned 2 we started buying him fisher price little peoples. He loves them and all the animals, he takes a couple everywhere with him and has even started some imaginative play with them. They are definately worth the investment for a couple of years till kids are big enough for all the little parts and moving figures. And the best part is they work for children of either gender. And for the older boy fisher price has imaginex (I might not have spelled that right)they are like little peopl only more "grown up" because they are more defined and have moving parts.

Our favorite toy purchase was the "shake and go" track and cars. my boys are 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 and they still play with it all the time. my little cousins are 5 and 7 and they even like to play with it. I know Ive seen some of the newer ones have the cars from the movie "cars" and my boys love them.

I'm getting my 5 yr.old daughter the new digital camera by fisher price. It is extremely child friendly, plastic and you can use a memory card. My daughter really likes camera's so I thought this would be a cool idea.

My daughter has EVERYTHING seriously so I started getting her things I normally wouldn't spend the money on and just do with what we have but like last year she was really excited to get Bratz sheets and comforter for her bed. I realize some kids might be disapointed but my daughter was thrilled.

Sometimes I'm stumped on what to get her and we'll just take a walk through toys r us and browse and I'll pay close attention to what she goes nuts looking at and what she's just like whatever about.

If your kids like trains I suggest geotrax. I love them. My son is 2 1/2 and they keep his attention for at least an hr at a time. If your kids like to draw a doodle pro is kind of nice and they are on sale at Target this week. Fisher Price little people sets are fun. Hope this helps a little bit.

I would definitely get the Vtech Vsmile. I got it for my daughter when she was three. It is educational and grows with the child. She started using it right away and now is 5 1/2 and still loves it. We just get new games when she grows out of them. She actually has learned a lot and has so much fun! It is definitely worth every penny.

A really quick side note the system does NOT come with the power cord. You have to buy the adapter separately. I assumed that it had the cord and then had to run out on Christmas Eve to get the cord so she could play it on Christmas day.