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What happens when you give dozens of parent-and-baby testers some of the newest – and potentially hottest – toys and gear? You get a parent-and-kid-approved list of the must-buy gifts this holiday season.
Welcome to PART II, aimed at toddlers who are about 12 to 24 months old. I find this a really tough age to buy for because (a) of the sheer volume of toys, books, music and such that’s directed at this age group, and (b) toddlers are frickin’ nuts. Their attention span is basically non-existent and what they like from one day to the next is unpredictable at best.
Of course I can’t guarantee that your kids will love these toys as much as our kid testers did, but I can assure you that everything here got rave reviews from parents and kids alike.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here is Mommy Gearest’s Glorious Gift Guide PART I, PART III and PART IV. If you’re looking for a round-up of what I consider the top stocking stuffers this year, click here.
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What is it? Squishy Banana kids’ music CD – great for ALL ages! (Read my Squishy Banana review)
What’s it cost? About $10
Where can I get it? A CD directly from SquishyBanana.com or eco-friendly files from iTunes
What is it? Playskool’s Sesame Street Come ‘N Play Cookie Monster Kitchen Cafe (18 months+)
What’s it cost? $79.99 – but it’s 25 per cent off (just $59.99) until Dec. 2!
Where can I get it? Sears
What is it? Parum Pum Pum by B. You Toys, a big drum that comes with centipede drumsticks, jingle bell ants, busy bee maraca & clacker, caterpillar tambourine and two shaka-shaka eggs (read the review)
What’s it cost? $49.95 (including shipping)
Where can I get it? Indigo
What is it? Stand-up Ballcano from Mattel
What’s it cost? $49.99 – but it’s 25 per cent off (just $37.49) until Dec. 2!
Where can I get it? Sears
What is it? LEGO Duplo Read & Build Busy Farm (18 months+)
What’s it cost? $14.99
Where can I get it? Toys R Us
What is it? Little People Music Parade Ride-On by Fisher Price
What’s it cost? $54.99 (batteries included!)
Where can I get it? Canadian Tire
What is it? Beba Bean Rattle Plush Sock Monkey (great for the under-1s, too!) [enter to win one here!]
What’s it cost? $17.99
Where can I get it? Kidobaby.ca
What is it? Sniff!, written & illustrated by Matthew Van Fleet, is packed with pull tabs, textures, flaps and more
What’s it cost? $11.99
Where can I get it? Indigo
What is it? ViNCi Tab II M Early Learning System, an interactive, education-based tablet with 43 subjects appropriate for three age groups (starting at 18 months) & online progress tracking (enter to win one here!)
What’s it cost? Starting at $169.99 + cost of curriculum
Where can I get it? The ViNCi Store
What is it? Playskool Rocktivity Walk ‘N Roll Rider
What’s it cost? $59.99 – but it’s 25 per cent off (just $44.99) until Dec. 2!
Where can I get it? Sears
What is it? Playjamas – five different organic cotton PJ designs that spark imaginative play (read my Playjamas review)
What’s it cost? $38.95
Where can I get it? Playjamas.ca (remember to order at least one size up!)
Don’t forget the batteries! I don’t know what’s worse, buying a toy that costs enough that it should come with batteries or your kid getting a batteries-not-included toy as a gift to which someone didn’t attach a pack of batteries.
Don’t be that person.
I just read that Duracell has engineered all of its batteries with DuraLock, a power-preserving technology that guarantees power for up to 10 years in storage. Not like that’s going to matter with any of these toys – these aren’t going into storage any time soon.
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DISCLAIMER: The majority of the products featured in this gift guide were provided either to me or to another parent tester. Some were personally purchased. In all cases, products are only considered “gift guide-worthy” if they would receive a minimum 4/5 gears (see “What the gears mean”). Many other products were provided for consideration that are not featured. You can trust that brands/agencies/companies have not paid to be in this gift guide!
tennille says
I don’t know much about kids tablets but I liked the tracking part .
tennille says
I don’t know much about kids tablets but I liked the tracking part .
Julie Cooper says
I love that the Vinci Tablet starts at such a young age. You see so many young ones playing on their parents’ phones and ipads…it is nice to see that a company is catching on!
Julie Cooper says
I love that the Vinci Tablet starts at such a young age. You see so many young ones playing on their parents’ phones and ipads…it is nice to see that a company is catching on!
Julie Cooper says
Sniff is a great book. Very interactive!
Julie Cooper says
Sniff is a great book. Very interactive!
Jeannie says
I like that the vinci tablet has tracking progress online. I think most tablet doesn’t. It’s nice to see how the child is progressing.
Jeannie says
I like that the vinci tablet has tracking progress online. I think most tablet doesn’t. It’s nice to see how the child is progressing.
Shari says
The Vinci seems like it would grow really well with the child, I hate toys that are only useful for a short period of time.
Shari says
The Vinci seems like it would grow really well with the child, I hate toys that are only useful for a short period of time.
Bree says
I love the vinci tablet is for a variety of ages and you can track their progress online!
Bree says
I love the vinci tablet is for a variety of ages and you can track their progress online!
Em Sands says
I like that the ViNCi tablet is geared towards such a broad age group – others we have owned were outgrown too quickly for how expensive they were!
Em Sands says
I like that the ViNCi tablet is geared towards such a broad age group – others we have owned were outgrown too quickly for how expensive they were!
jenniferfox919467559 says
I think what differentiates it is that you can track your childs progress online. So cool!!!!
jenniferfox919467559 says
I think what differentiates it is that you can track your childs progress online. So cool!!!!
Marianne says
It’s so cool that the Vinci tablet has online tracking. I would love to know what my 2 year old is doing and how well she is doing 🙂
Marianne says
It’s so cool that the Vinci tablet has online tracking. I would love to know what my 2 year old is doing and how well she is doing 🙂
chantal wiggins says
I love that the vinci tab is for all ages and you can get different software. That is amazing 🙂
chantal wiggins says
I love that the vinci tab is for all ages and you can get different software. That is amazing 🙂
Elizabeth A Bailey says
My daughter is making a sockmonkey at school in Art. I’m glad to see they are still aronud.
Elizabeth A Bailey says
My daughter is making a sockmonkey at school in Art. I’m glad to see they are still aronud.
Shari says
You can also find a coupon for $10 off the ballcano at Websaver
Shari says
You can also find a coupon for $10 off the ballcano at Websaver