Last Minute Toy Shopping Under $20 #GiftGuide

December 10, 2018 by Samantha Leave a Comment

Adorable plush Rescue Runts and Cinco Linko game are under $20 and available in-store at thousands of Walmart stores across the country. You can shop local and not worry about products shipping in time. These toys are family-friendly, encourage creativity and offer year-round fun!

Cinco Linko (Big Potato)

Cinco Linko is a super-simple five-in-a-row tile game that you can clip to your bag and play on the go, no matter where you’re headed. With no game board required, any flat surface can be your playing field – whether it’s the coffee table at home, the tray table on an airplane or even the sand on the beach.

Learning is easy. Just choose a color, grab your stack and take turns laying down tiles side-by-side until someone manages to get five-in-a-row of their color, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Sounds simple, but when there’s players blocking you at every turn and a board without any boundaries, winning can go from simple to tricky in a flash. Run out of tiles? Well, that just means you’ll have to pick up the ones you’ve already placed and reposition them one by one until you manage to sneak your line of five past the other players.

Cinco Linko comes with 60 tiles (15 pink, 15 yellow, 15 green, 15 orange). The tiles stack easily onto four included racks that clip together with a connector to keep everything together on the go. Just use the included carabiner clip to hook Cinco Linko to your bag and you’re ready to play anyone, anywhere. Value: $9.99, 2-4 Players, Ages 8+, Available in Walmart Stores.

Rescue Runts (KD Kids)

Rescue Runts need a home to call their own! The super soft plush puppies and Limited Edition Rescue Runts Unicorn arrive in their crate packaging with matted fur full of fleas, dirty paws, bruises and bumps, tears in their eyes and downturned ears. Care for your Rescue Runt using the included grooming kit to pick out the fleas, remove the cast, clean the dirt from their paws, wipe away their tears and brush their messy fur. Perk up their ears to complete the transformation from ragged runt to perfect pet! Choose a name and write it on the collar to make the adoption official.

Just like any pet, Rescue Runts will need regular grooming, love and care so kids can engage in repeated animal rescue play. Rescue Runts’ fur will become messy again over time, so brunch them each day to keep them well-groomed. Dirt will reappear on their paws, so clean them up again and again! Rewrap the cast to care for their injuries. Place the fleas in their fur and tweeze them out. Flip their ears up or down to go from happy to sad. Rescue Runts include one pet, a brush, collar, tweezers and towel. MSRP $19.99, Ages 3+, Available at Walmart

Filed Under: gifts, Holiday Gift Guide, toys Tagged With: gift guide, holiday, holiday gift guide, toys

Adorable Moosh-Moosh Stuffed Toys #GiftGuide

December 6, 2018 by Samantha 1 Comment

smoosh toys

Do you know someone who loves soft, squishy toys? My son (and my partner) both loft pillow-like toys, especially when they are super soft on the outside. They would be great gifts this holiday season. If you know any kid (or kid at heart) who likes to collect stuffed toys, these are sure to be a hit.

Moosh-Moosh is an adorable new, marshmallow-soft, squishy stuffed animal/pillow. You can use it as either or both (we do). You can find them in the aisles of Michaels Stores or CVS, Moosh-Moosh comes in quite a few sizes and options. More than three million cuddly characters have been sold since they first came out this year. Cuddle, snuggle, squish or stack these cuties, they are fun to collect as well. Moosh-Moosh makes the perfect December present for stocking stuffers, dreidel game prizes or an under-the-tree surprise.

You can get these soft plushies in a palm-size 4”Clip-on ($5.99) to a huggable 7” Regular ($9.99) to the ultimate 10” Large ($14.99).

Shop for over 72 styles online at Moosh-Moosh.com . You will have a hard time choosing just one, but as with all things, they are better with friends. These have been hot sellers at neighborhood Staples, JOANN Stores, AC Moore, and Party City, as well as select Hudson News airport stores.

Companies that Care- GOOD DEEDS

Behind the Moosh-Moosh logo is a caring company that donates plush buddies as need arises. A Kindergarten teacher in the Washington, DC area was looking for an educator discount to buy her 28 students plushies for reading circle. Imagine her surprise when Sean Price, VP of Business Development and Marketing for parent company MMG Brands, shipped her two dozen soft friends.

A bigger shout out came from Omaha, Nebraska, home of Elliott’s Hoedown for ATCP. After learning about the A-T Children’s Project, MMG Brands donated $11,000 worth of toys! The Midwest charity creates awareness for A-T (a rare, inherited disease that affects several organs and systems, including the nervous and the immune systems) and funnels donations to Johns Hopkins’ A-T clinic in Baltimore, Maryland.

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, review, toys Tagged With: companies that care, gift guide, holiday gift guide, stuffed animals, toys

Win Barbie® Doll & Swimmin’ Pup Pool as well as App Game Code!

October 15, 2018 by Samantha 77 Comments

Barbie is one of the most iconic toy brands in the world, encouraging children to explore their limitless potential and grow through the power of play. And now, the beloved and trusted brand is releasing a new mobile app that allows kids to explore their creativity and create their very own adventure: Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, inspired by their favorite Netflix show. We’d love to work with you on a feature highlighting the app’s family-friendly fun that your readers and their kids are sure to love.

Available now on iOS and coming soon to Android, Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures lets players create their very own Barbie Dreamhouse experience. Join Barbie and friends for a bunch of fun activities including baking, dancing or even epic pool parties. Plus, players can design every room in the house, dress up characters in fashion-forward looks and hang out with all of Barbie’s BFFs (and their puppies)!

This would be fun for any Barbie lover, and it’s nothing scary for parents. A safe app is a good app. Of course, always monitor your children’s Internet use to be safe.

You can win a code for your child to use, as well as a Barbie Doll toy set.

barbie playset

“Join Barbie doll, swimming mommy dog and puppy for complete pet play right out of the box with this fun pool play set! Inspired by the movie Barbie™ & Her Sisters in a Puppy Chase, these three are ready for pool-time fun. Place the mommy dog in the water-filled pool, and push the button on her back to see her swim around and around, all on her own! Puppy wants to try, too! Just attach the puppy to its mommy’s back so the puppy can learn to swim! The fun feature can also be activated with Barbie doll’s hand for a totally wow moment! Watch the pups as they swim again and again to perfect their doggie paddles. And help them practice perfect dives off the diving board. Barbie doll is also ready to make a splash wearing a floral plastic swimsuit with pink cover-up. But dip her into warm water for a fashion change – her suit changes color from purple to pink! The two pets match with island-themed floral details.”

Feel free to enter using RC form below. Ends Oct 31, 2018. One winner chosen by RC random generator. Must complete entires to win, will be verified. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: entertainment, giveaway, technology, toys Tagged With: app, Barbie, giveaway, toys

Cute New Interactive Toys and Take Alongs

August 31, 2018 by Samantha Leave a Comment

With summer coming to a close, you might be trying to get a few more road trips in, and as much outdoor time as possible. These fun items are sure to please even the pickiest members of the family.

cat toys

Pomsies are too cute, your kids will love them. While they might be aimed at girls, we all know that gender marketing is ridicules and that kids pick what they like- my son and his friends liked playing with Pomsies, as well as my daughter. These wearable and interactive pets could be the next Fingerlings, who knows. They are really sweet- they are like a wearable Furby. Available since July in all major retailers for about $15, they have a long fuzzy tail that can be wrapped around your wrist, suitcase, backpack or whatever your child feels works for them. Pomsies have eyes that light up and change color to express their mood, such as being hungry, silly, happy, or giving 50 reactions when you play with them. They purr when you interact with them (which you can feel), and love it when you brush them with their included brush. These are super cute, and not too pricey. I’m thinking you and your kids will like these quite a bit- we do.

For the exact opposite of Pomsies, check out Grumblies. Much like your cranky 2 year old, there is no pleasing a Grumblies. I think these are plural no matter how you are speaking about them…LOL. Grumblies are short-tempered trouble makers who don’t want to hear a word about it. Grumblies have more then 40 reactions when you play with them, but unlike Furbies or Pomsies, you can’t cuddle or nurture Grumblies. The more you play with them, the angrier they get. Each Grumblies have it’s own personality and sounds that it makes. $20 at major retailers.

kids toys

Waggables are not only adorable, but fun to make and quite unique. You and your child can design a pet that looks just like yours, from nose to tail. Visit the Waggables website for thel customizer where you are able to design your character to fit your pet’s look, then it is turned into a plush ball of adorable you can snuggle up with. It takes about 4 weeks to arrive from the day you make it on the website, and in the meantime, you will receive email updates telling you about your pet’s progress. Perfection takes time, after all. The notifications are really cute, the kids will enjoy them. In no time, your custom plush will arrive at your door. $40 at https://www.waggables.com

Can’t get enough of the World Cup? Perfect for soccer fans of any age or ability, Soccerborg is a innovative game that lets you play against your opponent, even when the weather is bad and you are stuck indoors. Your favorite soccer players are replaced by robots which go head-to-head in a game of skill. Work your robot’s corresponding remote control to make the robots dribble, shoot, pass the ball, and more. Soccerborg combines the fun of playing of soccer with RC technology, your FIFA fan will love it. (So do my soccer lovers, one big and one small- they enjoy playing each other. It’s a little more evenly matched then on the real soccer field.) Requires 10 AAA batteries. $60 at major retailers, on Amazon, or at https://tomy.com/soccerborg/soccerborg

What child doesn’t love horses? Spirit, a courageous horse, and his owner Lucky have had a lot of changes. When they make their big move to the countryside, Lucky lives with her Dad, her Aunt Cora, and her horse, Spirit, in their new home in Miradero. If your child is a fan of the new animated series by Dreamworks or of horses in general, the playsets by Playmobil are sure to be a huge kit- even my teen daughter is taken with them, even though she pretends she isn’t. Lucky’s Happy Home, set 9475, is a true-to-the-show replica, complete with an equipped kitchen and secret hideout. The set is really lovely, and comes with Lucky, Aunt Cora, Spirit, a goose, and everything you need for a kitchen. Aunt Cora is famous for her meals, and is intent on teaching Lucky how to be a “proper lady”, so the kitchen is kind of a big deal here. Don’t worry, Lucky is quite the little lady, and we all know that well behaved women rarely make history, after all. $100 at https://www.playmobil.us

Filed Under: toys Tagged With: newspaper cross post, toys

Lets Go Exploring

June 27, 2018 by Jacqui Leave a Comment

Summer is the perfect time to head out and play for the kids. I have a few really fun ideas for ways to encourage the kids to explore nature, to engage in dramatic play, and to keep their skin protected while soaking up the summer sun!

In order to go exploring you have to get their safely first. Mifold is small, compact, and you can take it anywhere! Instead of lifting the child up it brings the seat belt down. Making it safe and comfortable for them to ride. Imagine the places you can go exploring without having to have a big bulky booster seat around.

Sunblocz is my favorite option for very water resistant sun protection for the entire family. This is a 100% all natural option that has SPF 50+ and is safe for the entire family. It has no artificial fragrances and is full of antioxidants for a great choice in sun protection this summer.

After applying sunblock, it is time to head out and explore. The Haba Terra Kids Binoculars is a really fun way to encourage kids to enjoy nature with no frills, apps, alerts or screens! These are durable and effective for young explorers with the power to magnify 4x. I love that these come with a bag and a handy strap to keep them close for all kinds of summer explorations!

After a day of adventure, it is time to fire up the grill. The new sprouts grill it set by Learning Resources is a fun way to serve up a helping of imaginative play for the youngest chefs! This set includes all of the ingredients they need for a dramatic play BBQ! I love that this set includes fine motor play with a tasty helping of fun. The set includes 22 durable pieces including a grill, serving tools, steak, cheese and veggies to name a few.

If you have a favorite option for summer play, I would love to hear about it in a comment to inspire our future play sessions!

Filed Under: review Tagged With: camping, kids, sunblock, toys

Keeping Kids Entertained with Brio Toys

June 27, 2018 by Jacqui Leave a Comment

Summer is here and we are heading out to visit family, go camping and have a lot of fun making memories. This summer, I have a strong desire to make our memories hands on based, instead of technology based. I think that hands on play is vital to childhood development, no matter how old your kids get.

This year, we are taking Brio along for the adventures to keep the kids happy, engaged and learning.

One that the entire family likes to tinker with is the Brio Labyrinth. This is a classic toy that has been reimagined for a younger, on the go, audience. We love that it is two sided and completely sealed for a fun way to play and challenge young minds anytime, anywhere. Retailing at under $30 this is a fun toy for the car for your summer travels.

The Brio airport with control tower is perfect for preparing a young traveler for a first airport experience. We have been building excitement for the way an airport works for our youngest with this set to help ease any anxieties that he may have. This is a really well made set that will bring hours of imaginative play with the kids. Ideal for kids 3 and up this set retails for about $70.

The Brio camping set has been a huge hit with my kids. They love to go camping in the woods, in the backyard, or in the living room with blanket forts, so to reenact some of their favorite experiences with a well made playset has been perfect. My kids are crazy about the canoe that neatly fits on the family car in this set. It is such a fun touch.

These are fun options for summer play, on the go or at home. If you have a favorite Brio toy for summer, I would love to hear about it.

Filed Under: review Tagged With: activities, kids, play, toys

Best VTech Baby Toys To Keep Your Baby Entertained

May 31, 2018 by Jacqui Leave a Comment

All of my go to toys are from vtech. VTech offers a wide variety of educational toys that will keep babies and kids of all ages entertained for hours. If you took a look into any one of my kids toy boxes you are bound to see more than one vtech toy. This post is a sponsored post, but all opinions, stories, and my experience are all personal and true (like always)!

About:

Light & Spin Tug-A-Bug:

Pull the ring on the Light & Spin Tug-a-Bug™ to see a colorful light show inside the spinning shell. Press the friendly caterpillar button to hear it sing a song, play music and say playful phrases. The easy-grasp ring attracts your little one’s attention with three rattling beads. Use the link to attach the cute snail to strollers, car seats and diaper bags for fun on-the-go. With two friendly bug voices, colorful lights and a spinning shell, your little one will love playing with their smiley snail friend!

Lil’ Critters Singin’ Monkey Rattle:

Your little one will go bananas for the Lil’ Critters Singin’ Monkey Rattle™! Press its light-up tummy to hear playful songs, music, encouraging phrases and silly sounds. Shake the monkey to hear monkey sounds and fun phrases or see the tummy light up. Twist the bananas, slide the rings or spin the rolling ball to help develop fine motor skills. The easy-grasp handle is perfectly sized for little hands to give it a shake or for mom to grab when running out the door for playtime on the go. Your little one will love to monkey around with their new friend!

Play & Move Puppy Tunes:

Press the Play & Move Puppy Tunes™ music button and start grooving! This adorable dancing puppy rocks, sings and plays the guitar. Explore the drum, piano and saxophone buttons while listening to 30 melodies in classical, jazz and pop music styles. Then, press the music button to hear three songs. Two colorful lights flash with the music, attracting your baby’s attention. Grab this music player and never miss a chance to dance!

GearBuddies Lion & Mouse:

Go for a friendly spin with the GearZooz™ GearBuddies Lion & Mouse™. Connect the Smart Gear™ mouse and turn the handle to watch the gears spin! Placing the mouse on the lion’s back triggers fun phrases and stories. Turn the handle gear to hear a melody, then turn the handle faster and faster to speed up the melody! Press the light-up button to hear fun stories, or roll the lion to hear playful sing-along songs. Then, mix and match with other GearZooz™ playsets (sold separately) for more gear-rific fun!

My Thoughts:

These toys are perfect to have on hand. They are fun, educational, and little enough that they travel easy. I have a bag that I keep in my van for toys for Lee Lee and you can find all of these toys in that bag. It gets drug out at football games, baseball games, and when we are driving down the highway and he has had enough of being in the van. They are prefect for little hands and little minds. There bright colors, lights, and sounds keep little ones mind going and engaged. The handles and buttons are easy for little fingers to hold on to and push. In one way or other all of these toys work on some kind of fine or gross motor skill and concentrate on some kind of educational concept. If your family is constantly on the go or if you are looking for fun little toys to have on hand these are perfect for you!

Filed Under: review Tagged With: educational, infant, toys, traveling

Keeping Hands of All Ages Busy With These Fidget Toys

May 30, 2018 by Samantha 9 Comments

No matter what time of year, little hands (and maybe not so little hands) get into everything, especially when you just need a few seconds of stillness. No matter if you are in a restaurant, long car ride, or even just walking through a supermarket, it can be better to put something into the hands that want to touch everything and keep them occupied before they get into simply everything (or maybe just on your nerves).

Got a really little one? Manhattan Toy has several great options, one of which is the Click Clack Ball. This is a brightly colored, plastic ball with many handles to twist and turn. It’s also easy to connect to a baby stroller or seat so your kiddo can’t toss it onto any dirty floors (like they so love to do). It makes sounds when they turn the handles, and rattles as it moves. It is filled with tiny beads, so it makes lots of stimulating noise (but not so much that it will drive mom and dad crazy). The Click Clack Ball is also a hit with dad over here- he can’t seem to put it down, either. It is listed from $9.99 to $15.99 depending on where you buy, so get your Google on before you shop! Love this toy- perfect for baby showers, too.

Another great manipulative from Manhattan Toy is the wooden Classic Baby Beads. There is a reason these have such staying power. Your baby (and toddler, and beyond- really, dad plays with them all the time, and they calm his nerves. I bought him his own set) will enjoy twisting ad turning and rolling these wooden beads all over. The bright, water colored beads are non toxic, so no worries if your little one chews on them. The beads are able to be manipulated endlessly. They seem to love the clacking sound the beads make against each other as well. The Classic Baby Beads are listed from $9.99 to $16 in different stores, so look online first to get the best price.

Tangle, makers of twisty fidget toys that help reduce stress and enhance creativity, are also known to be “brain tools”. Educators and physical therapists are using these toys to help people not only reduce stress and relax, but also opens up the imagination as well as helps gain (or regain) dexterity. Tangle now offers new additions to their lineup, which already came in many options to suit all sorts of sensory needs as textured, metallic, hairy, fuzzy, classic, rubber, and more. One new option is Tangle BrainTools Imagine. It has bright and vibrant new colors, and uses ‘magic in motion,’ it seems to glide as you twist and turn it. It’s slightly larger then other tangles, and has transparent colors or solids. $5.99

The “Think” is our favorite, and larger the the “Imagine”. It is great for kids or adults, and often used in classrooms as well. This very tactile fidget toy can also be used as a hand rehabilitation tool or for physical or occupational therapy. It is ideal for children or adults with sensory issues or who need help increasing hand and finger strength and mobility. $12.99

Fidgitz by Thinkfun is a great fidget toy that is also a puzzle. Not unlike a Rubix Cube in that you have to manipulate it to solve, but very unlike it in that it’s also soothing. Shifting, turning, rotating the infinite loop of the beads had a calming effect, and it was indeed gratifying to solve, but the fun was in the turning of the beads. It had a soothing feeling. It is like the other fidget toys because it keeps hands busy and occupied, giving relief to nerves and impulses and helping with sensory overload. It is different in that there is a goal, but you can do it again and again and not be “bored” with it. The fidget portion doesn’t end when you solve, and you can do it differently each time. It’s nice, because it adds a “brain teaser” to the fidget aspect, something new and fun to challenge the mind. $9.99 at https://www.thinkfun.com/products/fidgitz/

Switcherooz by Tastemakers are really interesting, because they are also collectible for fans of comics, cartoons, and the like. They also change into different characters, which I’ve not seen anything like before. They are 3 inches, and change from one person (IE Batman) to another (like Robin) by flipping the bottom chin on the face backward. Sounds a bit scary when I put it like that, but it’s simple and easy. Kids can keep hands busy as well as create stories, act out their favorite comics or shows, and be creative with these fun fidgets. These are a bit harder to find, but worth it! $4.99 on http://www.tastemakersllc.com is the only place I have seen them available.