You can recreate that vacation you had with grandma and grandpa in the tent trailer.  Fisher price has a little people set with a campfire two fold out chairs complete with pop and cookies in the appropriate cup holders.   A little radio that sits on the counter of the trailers ergonomic kitchen plays some campfire sounds and twittering crickets when pushed.  When the vacation is all done the trailer folds up, chairs attach to the roof , cooler loads up in the car and the trailer hooks up to be towed away!  Bon Voyage little people!

It’s the little things that they now think about in kids toys today that help push the imagination.  They pay attention to the detail, gone are pop open houses with painted on furniture, today the furniture is not only real but it functions too!  Live action sounds, a fridge door that opens and closes, a potty that flushes all the things that my parents would have lined up at the department store to be the first to have in hand.  I am happy someone that toys have evolved with everything else and allowed me to re-experience my childhood with my children showing me the way.

My daughter, who is 20 months old, just recently gave up her nap time and the challenge was now how to have her sit still for some much needed daily relax time.  Our Nintendo DS has always been a popular item at our house, the kids love to watch and play themselves.  You may think that there are no games that young kids can play but you’d be wrong.  

Nintendogs by Nintendo DS

·         Realistic Graphics            

o   The puppies don’t have a cartoon look to them they are realistic and kids can relate to them

·         Feeding the puppy

o   Kids get to feed puppy with wet/dry dog food, water and milk.  The dogs breathing becomes louder and eventually doesn’t respond to anything an obvious indication (when explained) for young kids that it need to be feed.

·         Playing with the puppy

o   Kids get to throw balls, discs, blow bubbles and many other toys.  All are fun and teach coordination with the DS.

·         Interacting with the dog

o   Kids get to call by name, touch and pet the dogs.  My daughter loves when the puppy licks her hand, many little laughs happen with this reaction.

·         Naming the puppy

o   Kids get to come up with their own names and feel ownership when the dog responds to it.

·         Walking the puppy

o   You can map out a path for your kids and they can walk the puppy easily.  There are parks to visit, shopping to do and presents the puppy comes back with.  They can control the puppy with the leash it is on and pull it away from eating garbage, see that it pees and learn to even pick up its poop (with a touch automatically into a bag)!

·         Grooming tools

o   Kids can take care of puppy with a brush or even a bath.  It indicates if the dog is dirty visually so they don`t have to read in order to know when its needed. There is even an option to dress up the dog which is usually creates some giggly good fun.

·         Variety of different breeds

o   Kids can learn the different type of breeds and recognize the different looks of each dog.

Nintendogs had been a great game that my kids have had a lot of fun with while learning too.  There are very basic skills of caring for a pet that becomes knowledge and without any messy clean up and headache of a real pet!  My daughters have had many hours of fun while sitting, relaxing and enjoying the fun activities the game creates.  I do have to say that there some aspects that are beyond the scope of young children but that is where I have either joined in on the fun or taken care of on my own time while the kids were in bed in order to keep the game running smoothly.  The game is very forgiving though because my kids have had fun playing and forgotten to feed the puppy but simply by feeding it all fun was restored.

My reasons to buy are very simple

·         Learning all about pets is important

·         Concepts are easy for kids to understand

·         Skills needed are very straightforward

·         Nintendo has made the pets realistic visually and with the puppy’s behaviours

No matter if it’s by plane, train or automobile here are some tips to keep your kids happy, smiling and out of your hair!

• Travel games
• books
• MP3/FP3
• DVD
• Journal and pens/color book
• Toys
• Snack and container

You’ll need to carry all those things in something and I recommend an amazing travel backpack with a great price and all the little compartments needed when you have kids.

Columbia Sportswear Ord Cyberpack

I have come across a lot of great products some I own, some are classics I have enjoyed in another form and some have just impressed me. Here is a list of what I suggest:

Games

Melissa & Doug Travel Hangman

trouble fun on the run travel game

Rubberneckers: Everyone’s Favorite Travel Game

Cranium Grab & Go Super Sudoku

• I have only listed one example but the brand chicken socks/Klutz has an impressive collection of books all with great activities and toys to keep kids busy.

I Spy Memory Game - Travel Edition

MP3/FP3

SanDisk Sansa Shaker 1 GB MP3 Player (Blue)

• MP3 players are now relatively inexpensive which makes it great for any age. Even young children have a lot of fun with music. On that note Fisher Price has made an FP3 which allows parent to download music off their website that are age appropriate like Old Macdonald and includes all the safety needed for toddlers.

Fisher Price Kid Tough FP3 Song & Story Player - Pink

DVD

Fisher-Price Kid Tough Portable DVD Player Blue
Audiovox Electronics D2011 Widescreen Ultraslim 10.2 inch Portable Widescreen DVD Player with Car Headrest Bag, Mounting Straps, Remote Control, AC/DC Adaptor and AV Cable

• This is more of an investment in the beginning but it is something you can use when not traveling as well.

At Christmas I always have those people when buying gifts I struggle to find the right one. This time it was for three kids who have everything to start off with and are older but very close in age (oldest being 13). This time I think I bought the perfect gift for three typical boys that like to play board games.

Monopoly electronic banking edition is a classic challenge we have all played that brings out the competition but there is no more fighting over the money or rent and the banker can no longer make adding mistakes (or steal a little off the top!). The secret is the new edition has a built in calculator that uses debit cards to swipe instead of cash. When I came across it in the store I thought, “why hasn’t someone done this sooner?!”.

I think it’s very exciting to see new life in these games and I know my cousins are enjoying their new game that I am so glad to have found.

1.   Make sure to do your research.

There are usually numerous brands for any given product and it’s smart to make sure you choose the right one.  Which has the most to offer with proven quality?

2.   Know the child you are buying for.

Sometimes it’s not the price that determines how much the gift is loved.  Make sure it’s something they are interested in.  A few questions for the parents usually covers that knowledge.

3.   Check to see if its age appropriate.

Most toys have an age suggestion.  It can relate to small parts which area dangerous for young children or for the range of kids it appeals to. 

4.   If you are buying a product that will need to be shipped consider a gift card.

You can arrange with the parents or a relative ahead of time to have them buy the present in their city and save on shipping costs.  A gift card can be small enough for an envelope in regular mail.

5.   Don’t forget the accessories!!

The wrapping is always the first impression and it gives you a chance to have some fun with it bright bold colors, lots of tissue paper and maybe a singing card! Always double check to see if the product needs batteries, the biggest disappointment for a little one is to not be able to use it instantly.

My husband and I were kids in giant form before the arrival of our two kids. Still are I guess! We have always had a Nintendo in one form or another in our house and at around 18 months or so I noticed my daughter showing an interest.

At first we showed her how to play with her on our lap but it was too difficult to play when our arms were full. So I decided to teach her to do it on her own by watching me or letting her do the easy parts. She picked up incredibly fast. Now my oldest is three and she plays Nintendogs , mini games in New Super Mario Bros. and although some are a bit too complicated but she has fun just trying.

Nintendogs teaches her how to take care of a puppy while improving her dexterity and hand eye coordination. It takes a little skill to grab something on the touch screen and then release with proper timing! Mini games in New Super Mario Bros. , has many short games like Memory match (cards), Wanted (similar to I Spy) and Whack a Monty (whack a mole) just to name a few.

I really think that our children will far surpass our technology by the time they are grown! Learning these games may not seem very important but just learning to use the technology is and doing it with games is definitely fun!

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Waterproof Digital Camera Blue

My three year old daughter has always shown an interest in taking pictures with mommy’s camera.  Although I wanted to expand her creativity and photography was a good start, I just wasn’t comfortable with her using my expensive “grown- up” camera.

Fisher Price has come out with a very reasonably priced kid tough camera.  A very appropriate name for the product because its kid friendly durability.  Its simple layout is not only easy for kids to use but understand as well.

• Two eye view finder = no frustration or confusion on how to keep one eye shut.
• Soft rubber side grips = big enough for little hands to have a good hold.
• Big colourful buttons = easy to push and identify with different colors.
• Color LCD screen =  you can instantly see the picture you took.
• Built in auto flash = no need to worry about that complication.
• 64 MB of internal memory = can store up to  500 pictures.
• Built in card slot for additional memory = You can put in a relatively cheap memory card and not have to constantly unload the camera.
• Auto power off = will not drain your battery when child gets distracted and leaves on.
• USB connection with cord = easy to download slot and I didn’t even need to use any program other than windows that I already had.
• 4 ‘AAA’ Batteries = although you do need to change I was impressed at how long it lasted before needing it.  With kids we always seem to have batteries on hand!
• Two choices for image resolution = I chose the best image and could still store a large amount of photos.
• Available in Pink or Blue .
• Compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Apple Mac OSX, Apple Mac OS9

Kid Tough Digital Camera

Fisher Price did a great job with making this camera enjoyable for kids and parents alike.  It’s very durable casing has been dropped a few times in my household with no problems.  The design is very appealing and the choice of color is a nice option.  Two buttons (one on back and one on front) for picture taking may have been a nice option because my 19 month olds small hands have a hard time reaching around to the front but I am amazed at the fact that my baby is taking pictures at all!  I definitely wasn’t able to expand my photographic horizons at such a young age!  Both my kids have so much fun taking pictures of each other and seeing what they looked like.   But most of all I am glad to encourage my kids to feel like they can be creative and not have to have a worried parent hovering over the expensive camera making sure it’s not damaged.  My camera is no longer a target and quite often I am finding they take some great pictures that are a great addition to my albums.

This is a great product to buy because of its:

• Price

• Durability

• Ease of use

• Low use of Battery life

• Expandable memory with card slot

• Design