Introducing New Siblings to Young Children Meets Children’s Play

Explaining to your young child that a new sibling will be joining the family can be a pretty difficult task; Beleduc, a company that prides itself on helping children to learn during their play, have created 5-layer puzzles that make it easy to teach children about the human body while putting together a fun puzzle.

One of the puzzles teaches boys and girls about their bodies, from the skull and outward to what they see when they look in the mirror, and more interestingly, a mother’s body puzzle ($22.50) that makes it easy to teach small children about their mother’s new pregnancy, showing them the various stages of their new sibling’s development. The puzzle is directed towards children ages 4 and up, but I would think could be used for children as young as 3. It contains 29 wooden pieces in all and made of birch plywood, German water-based paint and lacquer.

I think this puzzle is a great idea; it’s always a good idea to back up any close-to serious conversation you need to have with your small child with some fun games and toys and it can definitely be a tremendous feat to portray exactly what is going on that they should be aware of during a pregnancy and an impending new sibling. However, of course concepts like this are novelty items that aren’t always “in season” when it comes to the various toys children accumulate, so this puzzle is a bit on the pricier side.

Would you use a puzzle like this to help explain pregnancy and a new sibling entering the household to your child or is it a waste of money?

FurReal Friends Biscuit My Lovin Pup

All kids love animals. Whether you have a boy or a girl, at least several times during their childhood they are probably going to ask for a pet of some kind. As a woman who was raised with a German Shepard through childhood and then a purebred Rottweiler and Siberian Husky throughout adolescence, I know that dogs are great pets for boys and for girls alike. However, most children want a pet and will ask for one incessantly until you cave in and say okay. Give it a month or so and most children will get bored and start asking for something else or (and I’m willing to bet this has happened in most families with pets) the children will not have any part in the feeding or cleaning up after the pet. They may love to play with them, think of them as part of the family and love them to death but after that pet needs someone to clean up after it, that kid doesn’t want anything to do with the pet–They suddenly don’t even know who it was who insisted on bringing that animal into the house.

Well, that’s where FurReal Friends comes in.

There have been many different variations of cats and dogs that felt, acted and sounded like real pets for children who want pets as part of the household but don’t want to be told to feed or clean up after them. However, FurReal Friends offer the best animal-like toys for children. In 2002 they came out with the FurReal Cat that purred and sounded like a real cat and in a very short amount of time it became the very best toy you could purchase for a child who wanted a pet of their own. FurReal friends went on to offer not only a cat, but a horse, a parrot, a duck and even a few small dogs. A few years later and they have finally come out with the next best animal toy for children–A 2 foot Golden Retriever named Biscuit.

FurReal Friends Biscuit My Lovin Pup is a soft, cuddly and fully trained dog that comes with an adoption certificate that your child can go online with so they can say that they truly own Biscuit.

In a very short amount of time Biscuit can understand your child’s voice and also comes knowing six commands, including “sit”, “lay down”, and “speak.” Each time your child speaks to Biscuit he will reply with either a bark or a whine–A whine if he’s hungry, wants attention or a treat and a bark if he’s happy. Biscuit will also obey his commands just like a fully trained dog and bark with joy every time you tell him to speak or give him a toy biscuit. Biscuit is most definitely the best alternative to a real dog when your child gets to the age of wanting to add a pet to the household.

If you think Biscuit would be a great addition to your household, read FurReal Friends Biscuit review. The best thing about this toy is that he does not have to be plugged into the computer or anything to get him to recognize your voice; after speaking to him a few times, Biscuit has the technology to understand your voice no matter where it is coming from. Biscuit is a widely talked about toy and great for young children, children allergic to pets or for those of you who live in an apartment where pets are not welcome.

Say Goodbye to Couch & Kitchen Chair Forts

When I was young, I remember going to a friend’s house after school nearly every day and of course, we didn’t have all the cool technological toys that are out now for children’s amusement and so we made due with normal, everyday, household objects that may have looked completely ordinary to our parents, but to a child, a couch, a couple kitchen chairs and a few bedsheets were paradise. In our heads, we were anywhere we wanted to be and we could do whatever we pleased; it was very Narnia-like.

The times really haven’t changed for children too young to care about what video game system is out or what “must have” toys are out on the market; young children still have that magical essence about them where they believe that a couch, a couple kitchen chairs and a few bedsheets mean creating their very own, personal haven. While we absolutely love the creative minds and imaginations children have, putting the couch and kitchen chairs back can certainly be a pain in the butt, especially if you find yourself doing it nearly every day. The makers of Crazy Forts thought the same thing!

Crazy Forts is a genius idea to allow your child’s imagination to soar and to allow a little freedom for parents from having to pick up the house all over again at the end of play time. They aren’t battery operated and they aren’t something that your child will play with for a day and be done with; they are kits containing plastic building materials–25 geometrically precise balls and 44 sticks that connect to create countless structures for play time. By simply tossing a few bedsheets or light blankets,

Crazy Forts are one of the very, very few toys out there that promote collaborative play between boys and girls, just as long as your children aren’t in their “No boys allowed” clubhouse phases. While Crazy Forts are meant to be an assembly-by-child toy and are very easy to build into a variety of different structures, especially when the kits are combined, their website also has convenient design ideas and downloadable building plans for a castle, house, igloo, rocket and tunnel, which may be a great way to start warming your child up to creating their own forts if they’re not sure of the toy at first.

Crazy Forts are great kits, especially if you have more than one child who are close in age; this is a phenomenal way to get all of your kids to stay in one room, out of your hair and actually get along–If you’re lucky. It can also be educational, giving children a grasp on rudimentary engineering and physics concepts in a strictly fun way.

The Parents’ Guide to the Best Kids Toys

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.