The Parents’ Guide to the Best Kids Toys
July 22, 2008 by Holly
Filed Under Children's Toys, Family
Parents seem to constantly be battling their children over what toys they absolutely need to have. After several attempts on their child’s part that likely go to the tune of “But Mommmmmmm! I need [insert toy here]! So-and-so’s mom let them have it and I need it, too. Neeeeeeed!!!” A lot of parents cave in, go out and buy this really awesome toy that without, their child would surely drop dead at the dinner table upon hearing that it would not soon be theirs.
Another problem parents deal with quite frequently, especially when their children start to get older, is thinking a video game their child can’t live without this week is simply just a video game or that a toy or item their children wants is just a toy. In reality, Some toys and even more so, video games that have been coming out recently that children just have to have are getting obscene reviews from even adults, so thinking about what kind of effect these means for entertainment could have on your child are frightening to even think about. It is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to keep up and shield their children from what the mainstream media is trying to tell and sell to their kids. Because of this, more and more parents are opting to join online parenting groups and websites to share tips and tricks on how to shield their children from the big, scary media monster. With more and more resources becoming available to parents, it is now easier than ever to make sure you know exactly what your children are being subject to when they are playing with a toy or video game.
Because of the lifestyles and schedules we lead today, for parents who don’t have time to sift through the archives of parenting groups, communities and websites, wouldn’t it be ideal to be able to go to a website that is specifically for children’s toys alone?
The Best Toys Guide is a website dedicated specifically for children’s toys and what toys are ideal for children to have and play with. This site has done all of the work for you and is ideal to consult the next time your child is screaming about a toy that they have to have or right before holiday or birthday present shopping. The website is split into categories making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. As a new site, they specialize in best toys 2008, giving parents a resource to consult for all of the best toys over the entire year. They have also compiled a list of the absolute best online toy stores. Because of our hectic schedules, it isn’t always a possibility to make a trip to the mall or the nearest toy stores and online shopping has gained so much attention for its accessibility and your ability to shop when you have the time to, all from the convenience of your own home.
The Best Toys Guide is definitely a handy resource to have at your fingertips when toy shopping for any child in your life.
bloggiedoggie on Wed, 23rd Jul 2008 10:22 am
Thanks for the Toy info. You might also want to check out the Best Toys section at Ziggity Zoom. http://www.ziggityzoom.com is a new Kids website with online coloring, games, online stories, crafts & activities for the younger crowd. But they also have a great Parents section that includes Best Toy selections for several age groups. We understand that they will be giving awards to the best Toys in the near future.
Videos youtube on Wed, 23rd Jul 2008 8:55 pm
Im very like the info. Is very important to the members of family
thanks!!!
Veronica Rush on Thu, 24th Jul 2008 1:13 pm
Video games are particularly difficult to weed through without some personal experience or guidance. They’re also pretty expensive so in an attempt to both monitor what my kids play and save some cash we signed up for a gamefly.com account. It’s a pretty smart online game rental service that parents can feel good about using as well as letting their kids use and we got 2 months for the price of one when we signed up because they’re having a summer promo. So more cash saved.
What really appealed to me about gamefly.com was, like a lot of the current gaming consoles, they have parental control features that allow you to password protect your account so your kids can’t get online and access any of the adult/mature themed games. You set the rating level and you’re covered. In addition to that they have all of the ESRB game ratings posted and game reviews from both professional reviewers as well as players so you can get a good idea of what you’re getting before you get it.
Failing all of that, if you don’t like something that comes to you you’ve got the liberty of dropping it back in the mail to them (works just like netflix). That alone is an enormous savings when you think about it. I simply cannot entertain the idea of spending $60 on some “must have” new game only to find it either inappropriate or, underwhelming so this seems a logical way for us to go about navigating the video game spectrum without too much concern.
So far so good. And I’m really enjoying the game selection process with my kids! Not to mention, learning a thing or two. My “cool” points have gone up considerably. : )
shawna on Fri, 25th Jul 2008 10:42 am
Thanks for the websites. I surely am concerned about my children’s recreation time. You can’t simply let them explore on the computer or pop in the latest video game, like you said. Terrible images and language are flying at them from all directions. The only thing I can be sure about is the outdoors. When hiking or camping with my kids I know they’re gaining a connection with the outdoors and learning more about the world around them.
CNC Lathe on Fri, 25th Jul 2008 1:19 pm
For Kids website with online coloring, games, online stories, crafts & activities for the younger crowd go to Google. But they also have a great Parents section that includes Best Toy selections for several age groups.
Polina on Fri, 25th Jul 2008 2:10 pm
Another sad thing about toys is that most of them (even those wished and needed desperately) are just forgotten the other day after they are bought… I wish there would be hints on how to choose toys that are playable, those loved ones, which are to stay with your child for more than a week…
Kimberlie on Sat, 26th Jul 2008 6:24 pm
Interesting article. I appreciate it. I think it is interesting how Bill Gates talks about monitoring his kids’ time playing certain games (I think we could all do a little better in this category.
Kimberlie
Veronica Rush on Sun, 27th Jul 2008 10:55 am
Polina… so true… at least with our gamefly subscription we can get all the “hot video games” and then, when the hype is over or the kids lose interest they simply go back in the mail and get replaced by the next “hot new game.” Fortunately, some games have more staying power than others but it’s one way to help avoid clutter as well as spending your hard earned cash on something that’s only exciting for a week or two.
News Company on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 2:27 pm
Thanks for the websites. I surely am concerned about my children’s recreation time. You can’t simply let them explore on the computer or pop in the latest video game, like you said. Terrible images and language are flying at them from all directions. The only thing I can be sure about is the outdoors. When hiking or camping with my kids I know they’re gaining a connection with the outdoors and learning more about the world around them.
Chelle on Wed, 30th Jul 2008 9:24 pm
I’ve found my kids don’t really like toys – they’d rather make something or play with stuff we have that isn’t really considered to be a toy – like boxes and newspaper. I don’t mind, saves me a lot of money
sexo on Thu, 31st Jul 2008 7:21 pm
Wow! Very Interesting post. I think that certain games would be monitoring for the kids.
(I think we could all do a little better in this category. i’ m think too.
videos de jogos on Thu, 31st Jul 2008 7:34 pm
great post! I believe that children today have not had time to the old tricks, but it may be because of the violence on the streets.
Also bet that online games can bring for the child, develop their intellect.
Download Mozart on Fri, 1st Aug 2008 12:24 am
The best toys are the ones that serve as a creative outlet.
Anna K on Fri, 1st Aug 2008 12:28 pm
Our kids’ best toys are Lego. They have range of varieties and the product seem to be following the current trends, such as new episodes, movie, stories etc… The best part is that they re-assemble those parts (about 3 thousands tiny parts in one big bucket) and create into a new skywalker jet fighter, batman car with submarine profeller and so on. Watching them building this newly re-modeled vehicles or whatever-they-call-products is really joyful…
Angular Cheilitis on Mon, 4th Aug 2008 1:37 pm
The Best Toys Guide is a great resource! It’s nice to have such a calm toy shopping experience instead of battling other people in crowded toy stores.
Gainesville Florida Realty on Thu, 14th Aug 2008 2:58 pm
Thank you so much for the post. My kids love to play Lego and Disney character toys and I think that is advisable for every kids.
Issy Richardson on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 4:53 am
Great post. I’m all for proper toys rather than computer games – child development is better aided by real toys rather computer games.
Surgery on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 8:10 am
The major problem we have is the amount of presents that family and friends give! Far too many and a lot simply never get used and go to charity.
Wedding Fort Lauderdale on Sat, 23rd Aug 2008 3:54 am
That’s a great post, thanks for sharing.
I appreciate anything talking about kids and their needs
Automoblox on Thu, 11th Sep 2008 7:49 pm
I like to try and buy my kids the most educational toys I try to find. It really helps them to become more independent in the later years of their life.
Top Toys on Tue, 30th Sep 2008 11:30 am
What ever happend to playing in the dirt pile out back with your Tonka Trucks or Matchbox Cars.
Automoblox on Wed, 8th Oct 2008 4:21 pm
Well they do that to, but I like them to have educational toys as well as just plain fun stuff. :p
Renee Walker on Thu, 9th Oct 2008 12:38 pm
I toy web site I like is http://www.ParentsBestToys.com It lists toys reviewed and recommended by parents, for parents. The reviews are insightful and useful and it has links to a bunch of different online retailers with discount codes. I’ve used it for a couple of cousin’s birthdays and for my son’s friend who just turned eleven with good results. The advice on this site is solid.
kids toys on Sat, 25th Oct 2008 3:04 pm
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kid , excellent design, we have two types of gund toys and fish price toys , we provide you
excellent quality toys
Search for kids on Thu, 25th Dec 2008 12:47 am
I think parents need to consider whether the toys they will buy is educating the children or not. Toys are the best media to teach children about something, so we should ensure that we don’t spend money only to entertain our kids, but also to educate them.
Bakugan on Sun, 15th Nov 2009 2:34 pm
I definitely agree with the point that parents need to be extra vigilant when it comes to video games especially. There are so many parents who blindly buy the latest video game without checking the ratings and reviews first. Yikes! Great article.
mgriff on Fri, 27th Nov 2009 4:50 pm
Educational toys are great, and I think all kids should have some, but I think we can also go too far when it comes to “educational” stuff. Sometimes we just need to let our kids be kids, play in the dirt, climb a tree, explore a little bit. I think sometimes we hurt our kids by restricting them to only “educational” activities. Just my two cents as a Dad.
Terri on Fri, 4th Dec 2009 10:16 pm
I love the convenience of shopping at online toy stores from home. I quickly learned that going to a brick and mortar toy store with kids is very bad for the bank account!
P.S. I compiled a list as well (with several that were not on their list of online toy stores).
http://www.lifepluskids.com/online-toy-stores.