Shopping for children’s toys during the holiday season or for birthday and special occasions can get hectic. So many tempting choices! Here are a few helpful tips and toy suggestions to ease the burden.

• Select age appropriate toys.
• Determine the child’s interests. Ie: artwork, outdoor activities, dolls, trucks, reading, etc.
• Narrow your toy search to specific type. Are you looking for educational toys, games, books, puzzles, blocks, etc?
• Is toy ingredient composition important to you? Wood, metal, paper, etc.
• Decide what purpose the toy is to serve. Is it for fun, education, imagination, emotional expression?
• Do advance research on the internet before heading to confusing and overwhelming store shelves.

Canadian Toy Testing Council 
Fortunately, there are useful resources to guide gift giving. The Canadian Toy Testing Council (CTTC) tests toys to help in making toy purchases. Their philosophy is “to encourage parents to select toys which will guide and enhance a child's development and ability, while providing great play value at the same time.”

Canadian Toy Testing Council best toy suggestions must meet requirements for safety, assembly, design, durability, and function and play value. The Toy Council puts toys into the hands of children to have them test toys in their own homes for a period of six to twelve weeks. The hope is that kids will return to the selected toys again and again.

Best Toys: Here are 5 “best bet toy awards” for 2010 as announced in a November 16, 2009 CTTC media release.

Suggested age       Toy
 

8 months+               Teach My Baby by Teach My Toddler
An all-in-one activity set for parent and baby that includes puppets, puzzles, blocks, cards and more, so that parent and child can investigate sound and touch, first words, numbers, etc. It is priced at about $50.

12-36 months         Sort & Spin Blender by Vtech Electronics
This shape sorter with sing-along songs will help toddlers learn colors, shapes and fruit with hands-on-fun. It is priced at $14.99.

3+ yrs                       Sand Play Set by The Original Green Toy
This green toy is made from 100% recycled milk jugs, is phthalate- and BPA-free, and includes four pieces: bucket, sand castle mold, shovel and rake, costing about $20.

3-8 yrs                     Richard Scarry’s Busy Town Eye Found It!
This board game with Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm on a fun-filled race around Busytown will get kids to solve mysteries and find hidden objects. The game is priced at $15.

10+yrs                    Take a Letter by University Games
A lively word board game invites players to use word playing cards to create words using letters, prefixes or suffixes to get points. The game costs about $19.

Note: Prices may vary depending on time of year and retail location. Advance research can make the gift experience a meaningful one for all concerned.

Books make great gifts for kids.

For shoppers who would like to focus on educational toys or prefer to seek out eco-friendly toys, follow these links for suggestions.

After holiday shopping is done, it's time to check out some great Vancouver area Christmas events.