Brother helping his Little Sister Opening Her Xmas Presents

With Christmas 2009 gone and past many people were doing some last minute shopping scrambling around frantically trying to purchase gifts for the kids. Of course, you want to buy them something they'll enjoy. After all, there's nothing quite like that gleam in their eyes on Christmas morning when they receive something really special from you. Whether you have a baby, toddlers, kindergarteners or even pre-teens, there are plenty of hot toys out there for you to choose from this year. Here's a look at what many people bought and at some of the best selling toys for 2009.

Top Toys for Babies

Sometimes shopping for a baby is a bit difficult. Usually it's best to look for toys that they'll enjoy and toys that will help them learn and develop. Here are a couple of the hottest baby toys and gifts in 2009.

Learn and Groove Table

A great toy for your baby that is definitely on the hot list this year is the Learn and Groove Table by LeapFrog. There are more than 40 songs and 15 activities on this table. It allows kids to explore, lets them enjoy music, and introduces babies to counting, numbers, and shapes. You'll pay around $35 for this toy.

Zoo Activity Center

The Zoo Activity Center is a hot toy for babies this year as well. It costs between $60 and $100, depending on where you buy. This center provides babies with a lot of fun, helping them to develop hand and eye coordination, stimulating their imagination with colors and objects, and it includes jungle designs, the alphabet, and more.

Top Toys for Toddlers

Are you looking for toys for your toddler? If so, you will want to make sure you purchase them toys that are fun, but you'll want the toys to be educational as well. Not sure what the hottest toys are for toddlers this year? Here's a look at the hot toddler toys for 2009.

Elmo Live Encore

One of the hottest toys out there is the Elmo Live Encore, which is celebrate the 40^th birthday of Sesame Street this year. It comes with new jokes, songs, and more. The toy starts up when you squeeze or tickle the nose, foot, back, or tummy. His mouth opens, his head moves around, and he sings three of the classic Sesame Street song. This is one hot toy, so you'll want to move fast. You'll spend between $50-70 for this toy, depending on where you make the purchase.

Elmo Personalized Music

At More4kids, this was one of our top sellers. This personalized CD stars Elmo® and his friends from Sesame Street. It features "Happy Tappin' with Elmo" and "Elmo's World". Elmo® sings and says the child's name over 60 times throughout the 23 tracks. This CD is available for over 1650 names and has a running time of just over 30 minutes. Visit the More4kids Giftshop for our Elmo Music CD

My First Kitchen

Another of the hottest toys for toddlers is the My First Kitchen set by Early Learning Centre. It offers kids pretend play, helping them use that imagination. It has won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, and is appropriate for kids from 1 year to 3 years of age. The price is reasonable, ranging from $30-50, depending on where you buy it.

Ride and Learn Giraffe

The Ride and Learn Giraffe Bike from Vtech Ride is another of the hottest toys this year for toddlers. It helps your kids get active, it comes with an LCD screen, has a bouncy seat, and teaches kids about objects, animals, and letters. For about $30-45, you can purchase this fun toy for your toddlers.

Top Toys for Ages 5-10

Kids that are ages 5-10 become a bit more difficult to buy for. Don't worry though, there are plenty of hot toys. Here is a look at the hottest 2009 toys for your 5-10 year olds.

Zhu Zhu Pets

Zhu Zhu Pets are hot this year. Not sure what they are? They're little hamsters that are motorized. They run around, make sounds, bump into things, and zoom around in various directions. These pets come with all kinds of accessories that you can buy, like hamster wheels and balls. They are hard to find though, but you may be able to find them online.

Transformers Toys

You probably already know that Transformers 2 was a hot movie this year and now there are toys out there that based on this movie and they are very hot this year. Some of the best Transformer toys include the Devastator, Ultimate Bumblebee, and the Optimus Prime.

2009 Barbie Holiday Doll

For girls that collect Barbie dolls, a hot choice this year is the 2009 Barbie Holiday Doll. This is a limited edition doll and is different from any other Barbie out there. It's fairly easy to find, since plenty of them have been made, so store shouldn't run out of this hot Barbie.

Tweens and Teens

As kids get older, many of them seem to think that they are beyond getting toys for Christmas, but there are actually some hot toys out there this year that even tweens and teens are going to like. Here are a couple options on the hot list that this age group is sure to love.

Bakugan 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid

If you have a tween or teen that is into the Bakugan show or game, then this is a great game. Basically this game/toy is a meeting of the Japanese anime show, card games, and the Transformers.

Twilight Dolls

Tweens and Teens, especially the girls are really into the Twilight Saga, especially with the recent release of the movie New Moon. Now there are Twilight dolls out there that even Tweens and Teens are sure to enjoy. There are Bella, Jaco, and Edward dolls out there that you can purchase from various manufacturers.

Nintendo DSi

This is the new hand held Nintendo gaming system and it's on the hot list this Christmas. It has built in sound recorders and cameras to make portable gaming even cooler for kids.

There are a lot of hot toys out there for 2009, so you will definitely want to get out there and make your purchasing quickly before the hot toys are gone. Another great option is to take a look at some of our personalized kids gifts as well, taking great gifts and making them personal for a special Christmas gift your kids will enjoy.

As a kid I would have gone crazy if I had the Capsela

With the Christmas season upon us and thinking about what I am going to buy my own kids. There are so many things to choose from. As my kids are starting to get older they seem more and more expensive and they all tend to be more electronic.

As I fell asleep last night  I had a few flashbacks from the past. So this morning I hit up the Internet and found some videos of toys from my  past.  I even found some great toys that I missed out on. Here are 3 commercials of toys I would have absolutely gone crazy over as a kid.

Capsela

What kid does not building things? I know I did. I had my blocks, I had my Erector Set,  and I had my LEGOS. But I never had or knew about the Capsela. You could build things that actually work and move. The commercial shows a rover, a solar station and even a space aged submarine! Best of all you could even get a remote control. I bet if I could lay my hands on this my kids would love this today:

Mego Elastic Super Hero's

As a kid I loved my superheroes. I read all the comic books, had superman, the incredible Hulk, Batman and Robin, and about all the superheroes you can think of. However, I missed on the Mego Elastic Super Hero's. What kid does not love to abuse and stretch their toys? Check it out:

Animal Monster Truck

All boys love to play with their cars and trucks, and I was no exception. I had my match box cars, dump trucks and fire engines. However I did not have the Animal Monster Truck! It is truly an animal, what is so cool about this truck is claws pop out of the wheels for extra traction. Would love one of those even today!

So what toys did you have as a kid? Go to the bottom of this page and let everyone know!

How many more poisonous toys will parents have to endure before quality is improved and recalls are stopped? At this point, we have no idea. 2007 was a year filled with stress for parents of young children, with the Aquabeads recall, warnings about magnets in toys, and the continual anxiety of not knowing whether that red toy is tainted with lead or not. Parents have a hard enough job without the additional worry of what we once took for granted: the safety of our children when they are playing under our supervision.

What We Saw In 2007's Toys

The big toy news in 2007 was lead paint and lead content. In America and most Western countries, lead paint has been illegal for decades, and though older buildings sometimes still have lead paint on walls, we had grown complacent about the things we buy in stores. We count on manufacturers and retailers to sell us quality items that are safe for all intended purposes – like going into a baby's mouth.

Of all the recalls, the biggest loser and biggest shocker was Aquadots, little bead-shaped plastic pieces that, when moistened, stick together to form all kinds of nifty geometric shapes – like Lite Brite without the board. Common sense tells you that kids, when presented with a toy that needs moistening to work effectively, will use the most convenient source of moistness: spit. And the simplest application? Sticking the beads in your mouth, of course.

Unfortunately, the approved nontoxic binding chemical in Aquadots had been replaced without notice by the Chinese manufacturer with a cheaper toxic replacement that happened to be the precursor for a date rape drug. When children did the not-unexpected thing of swallowing some of the beads either on purpose or accidentally, the drug acted in their systems, putting at least four in the hospital with seizures and coma.

But there were hordes of toys recalled for lead paint as well. U.S. manufacturers don't use lead paint when they make children's toys, and had the same expectation of Chinese manufacturers. Unfortunately, we did not account for their cultures. Like many emerging countries, China may have product standard laws that look good on the books, but they have neither the infrastructure nor the knowledge to actually enforce those laws.

In addition, it has long been culturally accepted in China to have lead in cosmetics, medicines, and other very personal products; it probably didn't seem like a big deal to just use cheaper lead paint in manufacturing toys to a Chinese executive. How bad is it? In one independent study, 26% of random Chinese products tested met neither Chinese nor American safety standards. And among imported goods in America, 38 of 39 products recalled for lead were of Chinese manufacture.

Add to the Chinese quality control problems some very poor decisions on the part of American toy designers. Why, when we know that two magnets in a child's intestines can cause blockages and rupture, do American manufacturers still put improperly secured magnets in toys? And why did they fuse two parts together to make certain baby toys, instead of making them in one unbreakable unit? Bad design like this, shipped to Chinese manufacturers for production, made China look even worse. In fact, the vast majority of recent toy recalls have been due to design flaws, not poor quality control.

2008: Will Things Get Better?

China is engaged in a massive PR project right now to save the reputation of the nation's manufacturers. But so far this year, there have been 21 major toy recalls, from magnetic dart boards sold at the Family Dollar to the Baby Einstein Baby Neptune crib toy, designed for the youngest infant and a toy that this writer's baby daughter happens to own. You can find a complete list here:

You'll notice that there aren't so many lead paint recalls to date this year, and that's almost certainly because of the outcry against them. In addition, some of the recalls may be items that don't concern you too much because of what causes the problem in the product. (I'm keeping the Baby Neptune because the problem is one I can easily fix myself.)

Yet the fact that there are so many recalls should be concerning. How many of the toys of this year and last year does your child have in his or her room? Worse, how many of them are owned by your child's daycare or school, where they may not be checking recall lists so closely? You need to look everywhere for these items, and always check the recall list before shopping. Here is a list of the most recent recalls: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html 

What You Can Do To Protect Your Child

Fair or not, the onus is on parents to do final product testing to keep their children safe. The following tips and your common sense will protect your sons and daughters.

Subscribe to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) mailing list for timely updates on what toys are being recalled and why. You can subscribe here: https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx

Avoid toys painted with red paint; this is the most common color contaminated with lead. If you have doubts, pick up a lead testing kit, available at many places online, and check your children's toys yourself. If you find a contaminated toy not on the CPSC recall list, email them and let them know.

Buy new toys, not toys sold at secondhand stores or yard sales. It's hard enough to keep up with new recalls without going through twenty years of past recalls, and you'd be surprised at how many recalled toys find their way to a consignment shop.

Buy toys only from department stores, toy stores, and trustworthy online sources, not from dollar stores. Cheap prices to you mean paper-thin profits to the toy manufacturer, and the lower the profits the more tempting it is to break the rules around product safety. Also, dollar store toys often don't find their way to the CPSC list; they are often one-shot manufacture runs that are immediately discontinued, so they aren't on the market long enough to be recalled. Even better, shop at your small local toy stores, where you can chat with the proprietor and get a sense of how on top of toy recalls they are.

Do not assume cloth toys are safe. Last year, one of the Boppy pillow covers was involved in a recall involving lead paint. Check everything that comes in contact with your child.

Don't overlook the big picture. With dozens of parents angry about this issue, we can have a real impact on the government. Already the federal government has announced more rigorous testing of imports at docks; with more pressure, we can get retailers, manufacturers, and government agencies working together to keep dangerous products out of our children's toys to begin with.

My son and I usually get up early the day after Thanksgiving and spend a couple hours hitting the Black Friday sales. And you know what? That is about all the “bricks and mortar” shopping I do. Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving is the start of the online shopping frenzy. I have discovered the joy of online shopping, and it sure does make Christmas a whole lot easier and more fun –

• I get my shopping done from the comfort of home after the kids are in bed. No schlepping through the mall, trying to find a parking place, waiting in line to check out, and then trying to sneak packages into the house.
• We get mail! What is more exciting for kids than the UPS truck stopping in front of their house and delivering a mysterious brown box? But I can leave the box securely taped shut until I am ready to open it far away from prying eyes.
• I can find more unusual gifts. My daughter collects Statue of Liberty items and one of sons collects owls. I have been able to find cool items for their collections that I would never find on a store shelf at the mall.

American Idol Talent Challenge

This is the hottest karaoke machine ever. American Idol Talent Challenge hooks up to a television and comes with a microphone and DVD for your Child to become a household Star. The set allows friends and family to join in on the fun with a remote that lets them judge your rising star's singing abilities. Selling for $50 on average, this hot Christmas gift is fun for kids 6 and older.  Where to buy:  American Idol Talent Challenge

Barbie Girls

The old standby Barbie has just been improved. Girls from 6 to 10 will love this hot Christmas gift. Barbie Girls is a doll and MP3 player all in one. These dolls come with wig, extra outfit and other accessories. At around $55 this Barbie item is going to make thousands of little girls happy this year. Where to buy:  2007 Holiday Barbie – Caucasian

Eye-Clops

This is one of the most interesting items on the hot Christmas gift list this year. The Eye-Clops is a magnifying glass that hooks to your TV. The television screen shows the magnified object, at up to 200 times magnification there are all sorts of things you and your child can learn. This magnifying toy is battery powered and ideal for children ages 6 and up. Average price is $50. Where to buy: Eyeclops

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

This hot Christmas gift is a video game controlled with a guitar that allows kids to rock out while playing a video game. It is for kids who like to play guitar and it contains Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Wireless Kramer Guitar Controller, 2" Wide Strap, and Guitar Hero Key Chain. This allows the child to play the guitar game while holding a guitar as a controller. Running close to $100 this game is for children 8 and up. Where to Buy: Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock with Guitar (PS2)

Hannah Montana Singing Dolls and Pop Star Stage

Disney's Hannah Montana has her own doll. This doll can concerts on her own stage. Real music comes out of the side and there are real lights above her head on the stage. For around $60, your little girl can have this hot Christmas gift. These doll accessories are made for children ages 6 to 12. Where to buy: Hannah Montana "In Concert" Collection – Hannah Doll Singing "The Other Side of Me"

Nerf N-Strike Disc Shot

This hot Christmas gift is a gun that shoots fake darts at a launched disc target. The target launcher can be controlled with a wireless controller. For $50 this has got to be one of the best target games ever built for ages 8 and up, although there will be many 'grown-ups' this year hoping to to play too. Where to buy: Nerf N-Strike Maverick

Rubik's Revolution

The Rubik's Revolution costs on average $20. Built for ages 5 and up, this six sided cube has 6 challenging electronic games. Designed to look a lot like the original Rubik's cube, this puzzle is a hot item this year. Where to buy: Rubik's Revolution

Smart Cycle

This hot Christmas gift is for small children around 2-5 years old. Fisher-Price's Smart Cycle is a stationary bike that is plastic and hooks up to the television. The child has to move the bike to make it go on the path on the television screen. This teaches the child eye hand coordination while entertaining the child. The software that comes with the Smart Cycle allows the child to change driving modes. Where to buy: Fisher-Price Smart Cycle

 SPOTZ

This hot Christmas gift was made for girls between 8 and 12 years old. This toy is a machine that makes Spotz which are little gems that you personalize yourself. Making beads, campaign buttons, and thank you place markers, and other creative craft items is easy with this $25 item. Where to buy: Spotz Maker

Swypeout Online Battle Racing

This is online computer game is a hot Christmas gift this year. Online gaming is fun for kids who like to play video games on their computer. This game connects easily to your PC via the USB port. This game allows your child, ages 8 and up get to play video games online with other friends of theirs for a cool $20. Where to buy: Swypeout Battle Racing Starter Pack

Transformers Arm Blasters & Transformers Movie Ultimate Bumblebee

Whats a parent to do? The Christmas season is upon us and Santa may not make very many children happy this year. If there is a particular toy that your child wants and it is on the recall list, he or she is going to be very disappointed Christmas morning. Some toys are on hold and haven’t been shipped to the U. S. yet and some are sitting in ports waiting to see what is going to happen with them.

Not only are these children not going to get the toy they want, they may be getting rid of some of their favorites too. Recalls on Fisher Price, who is a subsidiary of Mattel are rapidly climbing as more problems are found with either lead based paint being used or small magnets that can be swallowed.

Dora, a favorite for every little girl is being recalled due to lead based paint being used. Sesame Street is on the recall list as is Polly Pocket, Barbie, and Easy Bake Oven. If you have purchased any of the toys that are on the recall list, these toys should either be returned for a refund of your purchase price. If you do not want to do this at least
throw them away to keep your little ones safe.

Although China was where the recalled toys were manufactured, the problems may have started with toy manufacturers wanting their toys made as cheaply as possible. Since their main goal is to make money, shortcuts were taken and now it may be children who pay the price. Toy makers are understandably concerned. However, is it the profits that they may not realize that they are concerned about?

Mattel has recalled the highest number of toys. August 1, 2007 they recalled 1.5 million preschool toys due to dangerous levels of lead. Again, on August 14, 2007, another recall of 18 million toys for magnets and lead levels that were dangerous. Now, just this past Tuesday, another 844,000 toys were recalled due to lead levels above the recommended amount.

Toy "R" Us has recalled about 16,000 Elite Operations toys due to high levels of lead. These toys were made in China. The toys are military style and their surface paint has levels of lead beyond what is considered acceptable. Four Elite Operations toy sets were included in this recall. On October 4, 2007, Toys R Us recalled 15,000 Totally Me! Funky Room Décor Sets. These toys had high levels of lead on the back of the decorating kits’ mirrors.

Over 700 factories in China that manufacture toys for distribution to other countries have had their licenses either revoked or suspended due to the recent recall. Guandong Province, which exports the largest number of toys, is under fire to improve their facilities and the quality of the product they export. 1,726 toy factories were inspected and 1,454 were not up to par. That’s 85 percent of the factories. They were inspected by 200,000 quality supervision administrators for all the products they make for exporting. Not only were theinspections for toys but foods and medicines as well.

Following the inspections of the toy factories, 764 had their export licenses suspended or revoked. 690 were put on warning to improve the product quality of the items they manufacture. The latest industry figures show that Guandong Province exported 11.9 billion dollars in toys in 2005. Despite these figures, administrative officials in China insist that only 1 percent of the toys exported have any problems. The reputation of China’s toy manufacturer’s is suffering as more and more people start to watch labels and take a second look at anything that says ‘made in China.’

Due to the volume of recalls recently, some store owners are worried about the impact this will likely have on Christmas sales. Not only will the recalls affect the number of toys that will be exported. The number of exporters having had their licenses suspended or revoked will drastically limit the number of toys available for the Christmas season. Some manufacturers have told the companies they ship to that they either will not get any more toys or the ones that they get will not arrive until December 15th. This could have a dramatic affect on what is available for the Christmas season.

How can you keep up with the recalls, especially since the year is not over yet? The best place is the US Consumer Product Safety Commision  They have also setup a page setup for just toys and another for all other non toy child products .

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Here are a few ideas to keep your toy box from getting boring and not having to spend a fortune:

• Every 3 or 4 months change the toy box and it will be like having all new toys! (This is my favorite!!)
• When your child wants to buy a toy that you aren’t thrilled about have them make a list ~ why they want the toy and how it benefits them, this will help them see if they really do need or want the toy.
• Use Rubbermaid tubs as your toy box, but instead of buying one buy three and put different toys in each one. Don’t be afraid to let the kids pick what they want in the toy aisle, if it’s a chore give them options “you can get this, that or this” instead of standing in the toy aisle waiting for a decision 
• Find a local trading group and swap your kids outgrown toys for something more age appropriate; sometimes called toy co-ops. 
• Subscribe to the area freecycle list and give away and get some pretty cool toys (and sometimes stuff for mom and dad too!)
• Avoid having too many toys; they’ll get boring, broken, and lost faster than you can say “put your toys away”
• Read product reviews before you go shopping; avoid toys that break easily (certain brands of dolls and action figures are notorious for arms and heads falling off) 

Sound familiar? For many parents this is a common occurance. With the holidays behind you, no doubt your kids have received more toys for Christmas and the holidays. Unfortunately, they are everywhere you turn. Keeping the toys from overtaking the house is a simple process. Here are some ideas and tips that can help you bring your house back to order.

There are wonderful Tupperware chests you can purchase to store all of the toys skewed about the house. In addition, most of them come on wheels, which make the picking up of toys easier. They also come in colors and sizes, which can compliment any child’s room. Also available are hanging chests which would really make life easier for you. They can be hung on the wall of your child’s room, which is ideal especially if the bedroom is small.

Once you have all of the toys neatly assembled; the task before you is to get rid of the old or unwanted toys in your kids’ bedroom. This is something you will have to either confer with your kids, or determine on your own which toys should go and which should be kept. Just gather them up and place them in large boxes. If they are broken, and you can fix them, give them to a charitable organization. If they are intact; add them to the charity box as well.

When kids receive new toys, they quickly forget the old; well, usually they do. Again, the process doesn’t have to be traumatizing. Just discuss it with your kids, make a decision, and explain to them the importance of donating their old toys to charities. Make sure you explain to them the more room they have, the more toys they may receive next Christmas.

Check online to view all of the different toy chests available. Take your kids with you to buy these chests. In this way they can participate and choose whatever color or style they like. You can be assured once you arrive home; they will be bursting at the seams in anticipation of putting their toys in their new chests.

I just read an intersting fact that the US Consumer Product Safety commission estimates that about 165 thousand kids 14 and under will be injured or trearted this year for toy related injuries. As a parent of two young boys, one 4 1/2 and the other 5 months it made me think about the toys we have and are planning on getting our kids this holiday season . Toy safety will definitely be on my mind this year. In doing a little research here are some quick tips to remember:

• Avoid Latex Balloons – When a balloon pops the fagments can pose a choking hazard and is almost impossible to remove from the airway .
• Read All Labels – Make sure when you buy toys you read and pay attention to any warning labels and guidelines. This is still important to do even though your child is older than the guidelines or is advanced for his or her age. You can never be too safe.
• Don't Forget The Helmet – Should there be a bike, skate or skateboard on your childs holiday list, don't forget to buy the proper safety equipment.
• Avoid Small Toys Or Parts – Choking is one of the main safety hazards for kids 3 and under, avoid buying small toys or toys with small parts that can be easily boke off.

This list is not include everything. Each parent has the responsibility for their child's safety and to be aware of their child's surroundings. Our children are our most precious gift, don't forget to use common sense this holiday season and be aware of not only the gifts you buy but the gifts family and relatives may buy for your children. More information can be obtained on Toy Safety by visiting the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Many children today have so many toys that they do not even play with half of them, and they lay forgotten in the toy box. Some of these toys are monsters and guns and many of them do not promote learning, but often promote violence.

When picking out toys for your children you should consider the educational value that they hold and how they will affect your children. Giving your child musical instrument toys is a good way to interest them in music at a young age and will perhaps later end up in them choosing to study some aspect of music.

There are various types of musical instrument toys to be found. There are of course drum sets, recorders, toy guitars, and xylophones. All of these musical instrument toys can be found for reasonable prices. There are several places you can find them and one of the best places to go is Toys R Us. You can sometimes find musical instrument toys at Wal-Mart as well however they can be a bit harder to find there sometimes.

Where to Begin?

Giving your children musical instrument toys can teach them a lot about music at a young age. Starting them out with simple rhythm toys is a great idea. With a little help from you they can take those toys and begin to play them with music learning important lessons about rhythm. Little by little, with other musical instrument toys they may begin making up their own little tunes and sometimes words to them as well. Musical instrument toys can light a spark in the heart of a child that will unleash a talent you might have never found otherwise.

If your child does love playing with musical instrument toys, when they reach an appropriate age it is good to think about starting them in some kind of music lessons. Find out what musical instrument toys they like playing with the most and this can help you and your child when making a decision about what instrument to play. If they have spend much of their time as a child playing with musical instrument toys it makes it easy to move them on into music lessons and playing real instruments.

Some parents might cringe when thinking of musical instrument toys because they are far from quiet, and sometimes might leave you with a headache, but the benefits are wonderful. If your child goes on to become a wonderful musician in life all those headaches will soon become worth the pain. Even for those children who might never become professional musicians the appreciation and love for music will be something that stays with them for the rest of their lives, and many will pass on to their children the love for musical instrument toys.