Photo: Flickr/meddygarnet
It’s almost July. That means you’ve made it through 6 months of the year and now have 6 more to look forward to. For parents, it means you need to start thinking about Christmas. Why? Because if you have children, you know full-well that you’d better start saving up now to get the latest toys and gadgets for your little ones come the expensive festive season.
Being a parent is costly. Not only in terms of energy or time, or because you have to think about nappies, clothing, and eventually, education. No, it’s expensive because of the simple fact that toys are costly and these days kids aren’t happy with just being plonked into a sandpit and handed 5 wooden blocks. They’d look at you confused and possibly utter something along the lines of “what the frog?!”
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Parenthood has more positive aspects than negative and luckily for you, we’re here to help you find the best prices on all those toys Santa will need to fit down the chimney come December. Here are some favourites you may want to consider:
Lego
Photo: Flickr/avrene
Lego was created way back in 1949 and has still not lost its wonder. Almost everyone can relate to using the little brightly coloured bricks to build all sorts of things at some point in their lives. These bricks have developed a lot though since their introduction to the market in the 40′s, and these days there are so many different Lego series that it’s possible to build almost anything your child’s imagination comes up with.
Popular Lego series include the Star Wars, Harry Potter, Ninjago, Bionicle, City and Duplo series.
Educational Computers
Although there is educational value in almost all toys, you’ll probably feel better as a parent if you get something that officially falls under the “educational” banner. Quite popular at the moment are children’s computers.
Vtech InnoTab – this is tablet designed just for kids aged between 4 and 9 and features a 5-inch colour touchscreen. It offers children a world of logic, language and mathematics games and further apps, games and books can be purchased and downloaded by parents using a special desktop application. Alternatively you can purchase great InnoTab learning cartridges that are jam-packed with games, apps and an eBook.
LeapFrog LeapPad – LeapFrog’s learning tablet is ideal for children from around 3 to 9. It’s loaded with educational games, apps, and eBooks and includes a built-in camera and video recorder. Game cartridges can also be purchased for access to even more educational fun.
Photo: Flickr/MsBarrows
Monster High Dolls
Mattel, Inc.’s fashion-focussed Monster High Dolls have been a hit ever since their release in 2010. The characters in this series of female and male dolls are said to be the children of Frankentein’s Monster, Medusa, Dracula, the Phantom of the Opera, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. As such, the popular dolls have rather fitting names, like Frankie Stein (daughter of Frankenstein), Draculaura (obviously the daughter of Dracula), and Deuce Gordon (son of Medusa) to name but a few. Each Monster High Doll comes with a diary, its very own pet, a doll stand, a brush and other accessories that vary according to the doll purchased.Barbie Dolls
At 54 years of age, fashion doll Barbie is still as popular as ever and hasn’t aged a bit. In fact, with each year that rolls on by, Barbie just gets more and more glamorous and fabulous. Produced by Mattel, Inc. there are currently more Barbies than there are fingers on both your hands. They’re the essential ingredient for the toy collections of many children and can lead to hours of fun creating imaginary worlds and characters.
Slides, swings and climbing frames
If you’re lucky enough to have a bit of garden space, then investing in a slide, swing or climbing frame for your children is a good idea. Not only are they good for stimulating imagination and creativity, but they’re also essential for helping to keep kids fit and improve their co-ordination skills.
TP Toys, Plum Products and Little Tikes are amongst the most popular manufactures, and they offer play equipment in a variety of materials, such as plastic, wood and metal. Various different construction designs and sizes are available, and you can choose different equipment to suit specific ages.
Picture credits: Flickr 3.0 Common Terms/Image 1: Toys, Toys, Toys by Morgan | Image 2: Lego City by Sonny Abesamis | Image 3: Monster High by MsBarrows