Toys undoubtedly play a big part in a child’s life. Therefore, it makes sense to give the best toys to a child. However you don’t want to buy your child a toy that isn’t safe or that he isn’t going to play with. More important than that, you don’t want to buy a toy that is not safe and could be dangerous to your children’s health even threat their life.

Although KidKraft Kitchen is one of the safest toys, it’s your duty as a parent to instruct your child and make sure small play food and utensils will not be confused with the real things.

Here are some tips in regards to play food from well-known expert in safety area ConsumerReports.org:

If you have a play kitchen, be sure the play food is age-appropriate. Play food is often designed for children over age 3. It can look very realistic, and toddlers may try to eat some. Be sure you are giving your younger child play food that is large and can’t be accidentally swallowed. If you have a child older than 3 who sticks everything in his mouth, the food is enticing, or you worry about accidental ingestion, you may want to stick to the large play food for your older child as well.

Keep play in the play kitchen or play area. Be sure your child knows that the knives and forks in her play kitchen and the plastic pots, pans, and kettles on her play stove are pretend. Play kitchens are not recommended for children younger than 3. Real utensils and pots and pans should always be off-limits, because you don’t want your child to reach for your real ones and risk a burn or other injury one day.

Technorati Tags: childrens play kitchens, Pretend Play Kitchens, wooden play kitchens

Very often toys with buttons, levers, lights, music, etc are marketed as “developmental” because the toy has so many different functions. “What are the educational benefits of sounds, lights and music?” – curious parents would ask themselves while choosing new toy. And believe it or not, proper answer would be “NONE“.

Unfortunately, music/lights toys often have effect opposite to developmental for the child. The more a toy does, the less your child has to do. If your child can sit and watch the toy “perform”, then it is likely more entertaining than educational. In addition, these toys can be confusing to a child who is learning cause-and-effect. If a toy randomly starts playing music, or it is unclear which button made the lights start flashing, then your child is not learning which of his actions (the cause) produced the lights and music (the effect). In short, the most useful toys are those that require the most action on the part of a young child. The more children have to use their minds and bodies to make something work, the more they learn.

Below are some ideas from ZeroToThree Blog for choosing toys that will grow with your child, challenge her, and nurture her overall development (her thinking, physical, language and social-emotional skills):

• Select toys that encourage exploration and problem-solving. Play gives children the chance to practice new skills over and over again. Toys that give kids a chance to figure something out on their own—or with a little coaching—build their logical thinking skills and help them become persistent problem-solvers. They also help children develop spatial relations skills (understanding how things fit together), hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills (using the small muscles in the hands and fingers).

Examples: Puzzles, shape-sorters, blocks, nesting blocks or cups, art materials like clay, paint, crayons or play-dough

• Look for toys that spark your child’s imagination. During your child’s third year, her creativity is really taking off as she is now able to take on the role of someone else (like a king) and imagine that something (like a block) is actually something else (like a piece of cake). Look for toys that your child can use as he develops and acts out stories. Pretend play toys, such as KidKraft kitchens, help to build language and literacy skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to sequence (put events in a logical order).

Examples: Dress-up clothing, blocks, toy food and plastic plates, action figures, stuffed animals and dolls, trains and trucks, toddler-friendly dollhouses, toy tools, and “real-life” accessories such as a wrapping paper tube “fire hose” for your little fire fighter. The all-purpose large cardboard box is always a big hit for toddlers and is free.

• Seek out toys that encourage your child to be active. Toddlers are doing all kinds of physical tricks as they are stronger and more confident with their bodies. Your job is to be an appreciative audience for your little one’s newest playground achievement! Look for toys that help your child practice current physical skills and develop new ones.

Examples: Balls of different shapes and sizes, tricycles or three-wheeled scooters (with appropriate protective gear), plastic bowling sets, child-size basketball hoop, pull-toys (e.g., toys that your child can pull on a string), wagon to fill and pull, gardening tools to dig and rake with, moving boxes (open at both ends) to make tunnels to crawl through

Technorati Tags: developmental toys, educational toys, expert advice, Pretend Play Kitchens

Debra Muccio, also known as Frugal Friend from her same-name successful blog, designed to help families reduce their expenses through grocery deals, coupons, rebates and by receiving free products from reputable companies, was featured on CBS-11 promoting two KidsKraft play food sets. Famous for her tips on budgeting and cutting grocery costs significantly, this time Debra reviews Holiday toys ideas for under 30$. Although Holiday season already gone and next one is almost a year ahead, you can definitely use Debra’s great list for bunch of other occasions.

Technorati Tags: children's toys, KidKraft play food toys, play food sets, Wood Toys, wooden educational toys

Play is not merely a passing of time but plays a pivotal role in improving a child’s emotional and learning capability. Playing enables to widen a child’s capacity and maximize his potentiality.

A few examples of toddler’s educational toys incorporate math basics, geography and variety of games that enhance the analytical skills, kids spelling and many more. In the recent years demand of the pretend-play toys has amplified because children now prefer those toys with which they can actively interact than the usual stuffed toys.

Accordingly to editors of Parents.com

“Between 18 months and 3 years, pretend play is mostly about imitating, whether kids are mimicking parents in their daily routines or characters and plotlines they see on TV shows. But eventually the make-believe plots will come from the kids’ imagination, accompanied by improvised props and costumes. And when your child substitutes a banana for a phone (usually between ages 2 and 3), you’ll know he’s capable of symbolic thinking. Why is this so important? It means he’s developing the ability to think abstractly, laying the groundwork for reading, math, problem solving, and other skills that are so important for success in school and beyond.”

Technorati Tags: childrens play kitchens, Pretend Play Kitchens, toys, Wood Toys, wooden educational toys, wooden play kitchens

It is widely stated by experts in the field of child development that play is a fundamental component of developing cognitive, social, language and motor skills. Children explore their environment, try out social roles as well as discover to express themselves via the games that they play.

Wooden toys available for children are the safest type of toys and they also enrich the learning capabilities of the children. They come in various shapes, sizes, designs and configurations that help in the development of the learning capabilities of the children of various age groups. For example, wooden play kitchens enable children to learn in a quick and easy manner, helping in the development of various skills like motion skills, dexterity skills, decision making skills thus stretching the imagination of children to higher and optimum levels.

Here’s what experts from EducationalToysBlog say:

“Education can be really filled with fun if it is done with wooden educational toys and it also extremely safe. It can also be really creative and imaginative when they play with building blocks, working tools and board games. Wooden education toys will also include lot of puzzles on various topics like national flags, geography, science, math etc. ”

It is therefore extremely critical for parents and caregivers to supply their kids with an array of children’s toys and play material that are safe, educational, stimulating and creative.

Technorati Tags: children, childrens play kitchens, educational toys, Wood Toys, wooden educational toys, wooden play kitchen

It’s a problem every parent faces – the battle of the child room clutter. No matter how hard we try to disguise them, many toys peek from the toy box as a giant eye sore. If you too are at your wits end with those unsightly or wayward toys, wood toys are a design savvy solution to this common headache. Here are a few tips that are sure to please your little ones, all while helping you “take back” your house . .

Treasure Blocks

Wood blocks are a wonderful investment for any room. They are a canvas of endless possibility and you can match them to the theme of your child’s room. All you need is a few bottles of acrylic paint and a glossy sealant such as Mod Podge. If your child has a pirate themed room, you can create Jolly Roger flags with black and white paint, wood planks, ocean waves or anything you can imagine. After painting each block, let dry and then, apply the glossy sealant. These are a beautiful and decorative addition to any child’s room.

Buried Treasure Toy Chest

A wooden “pirate” chest is the perfect place to house your child’s toys. Telling him that it is a place to “bury all his treasures” will encourage him to keep his prized toys off the floor. You can store your treasure blocks away in clear, shapely containers and set them up on your child’s shelves. Wood toys such as classic ships are also a perfect decorative touch to grace the walls.

You can keep a tidy, design savvy home – even with a houseful of tots. All you need is a little time, a little hard work and most importantly, a BIG imagination.

Technorati Tags: toys, wood, Wood Toys

When it comes to baby showers, it often seems that everyone gets mom and baby a variation of the exact same gifts. If you want to give a gift that breaks the “baby shower” mold, wood toys are the perfect solution to giving mom and baby a toy that is sure to stay in the family for generations to come.

From baby rattles, to pull along duckies and alligators – there are so many unique items from which to choose. By picking a unique wooden toy over your run of the mill plastic baby keys, you can be sure that your gift will not make it to the returns line or to the bottom of the toy basket. With their traditional and aesthetically pleasing appeal, these toys even have the potential to end up on display in baby’s room.

If you want to be twice as unique, opt for an unfinished wood toy and decorate it yourself. Make sure to choose paints that are baby friendly and not lead based as the toy will certainly make its way to baby’s mouth. If you just cannot find the time to create a masterpiece of your own, create a shower gift basket for mom and baby. Include unfinished wood toys, a variety of paints, artist brushes and a bottle of good glossy or matte sealant. It will be a fun do together project for mom and dad.

The most important thing to remember when choosing a shower gift is stay true to your budget. If you cannot afford a large wood toy, opt for a smaller one instead. Do not stress over counting pennies you do not have. After all, when it comes to gift giving, the only thing that really “counts” is the thought.

Technorati Tags: toys, wood, Wood Toys

Recall after recall, it seems that every day we hear a new one on the evening news. It is scary to think that after so many advances made in technology, we seem to be taking more steps backward than forward. If you too are worried about the safety of your children, wood toys are a great alternative.

Just last week I was reading over a recall alert on my home page. All the recent recall alerts had not really scared me too much until I saw it . . . a tiny metal Spiderman ring that toy companies had warned could cause lead poisoning in small children. I had bought the same exact ring for my son a few months prior. I remembered how he had loved it because it flashed shades of red and blue. He called it his “superpowers ring”. I also began to remember how I had witnessed him many times touching the ring to his face and even once, how I had scolded him for putting it inside of his mouth.

That was when it hit home for me. The dangers of these recent recalls are real and these types of scary situations can happen to any of us. It is so scary to think that my child could have swallowed that ring. If he had gotten sick, I might not have even known what was wrong with him. It was that moment that I went straight to the toy box and threw that ring into the garbage. I began to bring out his wooden blocks, his toy trains and his Lincoln logs. To my surprise, he did not mind one bit. Actually, he seemed to be having a much better time with the wood toys than he did with any of the umpteen plastic toys I had bought him this year.

When it comes to protecting our children, nothing is more important. The great thing about wood toys is that they are all-natural and contain no harmful substances that can make our little ones sick. Make sure to keep your little one safe from the recent recalls and opt for a safer solution that will keep your child happy all while keeping your mind at ease.

Technorati Tags: toys, wood, Wood Toys

With today’s toys following the trends of movies and cartoons, last month’s favorite toy can quickly make its way to the bottom of the toy box. It really makes you long for a simpler time when old trains and other wood toys were scattered across the floors, a time when the only sound effects you heard were an adorable “choo-choo” from a wee aspiring conductor.

Just last year, I watched my son as he pushed a red plastic fire truck across the kitchen floor. It was exactly the same as the one I had bought him the year before – only this one still had all four wheels. After going through several toys that couldn’t stand up to my son, I too began to think about the simpler days when a toy outlasted its first “crash” . . . and even the rambunctious ways of several generations.

My grandfather had an old wooden train that sat atop the fireplace of the den. I can still see him sitting there in his old red recliner and faded overalls as he watched me push it along the floor for hours on in. Born in 1915, he would tell me of the times he himself would see how quickly it could fly from atop the back porch in the summer and how it even survived the roughhousing of my nine aunts and uncles. It was amazing to think that it had been through two World Wars and even the Great Depression. It was more than just a toy. It was a history.

As my mind went back to that old farmhouse, I decided to pass the train down to my own son. When I did, it quickly replaced the likes of that old three wheeled fire truck! I could not stop him – he was all over the house, pushing it across the floor for hours on in . . . just as I used to do and my grandpa before me. It was that instant that I knew why Grandpa had watched me with that same old smile each time I took it from the mantle. It was a magical thing that managed to surpass the seventy-year gap between us and somehow make us both kids again.

To this day, my son still asks me every night before bed to “tell the one about grandpa” one more time. That old train has become something that has bonded us together like nothing else I could ever imagine. We sit and share the stories of a man he never got to meet and only knows through a few old photographs . . . and now, stories attached to one wooden train with a squeaky wheel.

If you do not have your own passed down treasure – create one. When it comes to longing for days gone by, online retailers have heeded the call by breathing new life into the heirloom toy, making it easier than ever to start your own cherished tradition. Wood toys make the perfect heirloom and there is just something so special about knowing that someday your children’s children will be pushing those same toys across the floor. When buying heirloom toys you are buying much more than a manufactured item, you are buying memories and a history that will last for generations to come.

Technorati Tags: toys, wood, Wood Toys

While we all want to do our part in making our world a healthier place, going green is not always as easy as we would like. Numerous products are environmentally friendly but many of those aren’t as “friendly” to our budgets. The good news is little steps like opting for wood toys over plastic ones and switching to reusable shopping bags can be just as beneficial to saving our planet as their pricier counterparts.

Did you know that it could take up to 50 years for one single plastic bag to begin to deteriorate in the landfill? It’s true. In China alone, 3 billion plastic bags are used every day. If just a few people opted to switch to reusable shopping bags, in as little as one year, they would already have made a dramatic dent in the number of plastic bags that find their way to our landfills.

Wood toys are also a simple way to go green. These toys have a longer shelf life than plastic toys and are also a lot more eco-friendly. With so many recalls being put out these days, as parents, wood toys also offer peace of mind – especially for parents of the smaller sets.

Recycle, recycle, recycle! It’s perhaps the simplest and most known way to “go green”. It does not cost any money to recycle and often does not require an extra trip to a recycling center. Many trash dumps offer a mini-recycling bin within their facility. If yours does not, team up with a neighbor or friend and take turns dropping the items off at your local recycling center each week.

From wood toys to hybrid cars, going green can be as complex or as simple as you make it. Doing your part, simply means doing the best you can within your budget. You do not have to spend a fortune or buy a fancy product to help save the planet. Even the smallest steps can make a big difference.

Technorati Tags: green, toys, wood, Wood Toys