Gadget Mommy » Children’s Toys & Gadgets

Snap to it!

Trish — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:02:41 +0000

My son got the neatest toy for his 5th birthday. It’s called Snap Circuits Jr. It is rated for 8 and up, but with a little parental involvement younger kids enjoy this as well. The premise of the toy is using snaps as a way to build electronic projects. It’s powered by 2 AA batteries and comes with a manual that shows you step-by-step how to create 100 different projects. It allows kids to use their imagination and curiosity to build a variety of projects from doorbells to games. My son has really enjoyed building with us and enjoys seeing the projects come to life. I would highly recommend this to anyone and have already given it to others for birthday presents.

Unwrapping Presents Nightmare

Trish — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:08:39 +0000

You’ve spent the time to find that perfect gift. You’ve wrapped it up with care. Christmas morning comes and the kids rush to open their presents and that’s when the nightmare begins. That cute little toy that they had to have will now take 30 minutes to excise from the packaging. The easy part is getting the main box open, then comes the invisible rubber bands, 1,000 twisty ties, tape hidden in random places. By the time you get one present done, you are so frustrated that you can barely stand the thought that there are more presents to unwrap. Let’s face it, most of this stuff is plastic and is in no real danger of ever breaking. So why must they secure each toy like it’s a matter of national security. Barbie is not going to escape her box and runaway with Ken. The Littlest Pet Shop animals aren’t going to run wild. Last year I had the pleasure of trying Amazon’s Frustration Free Packaging. It was great. I purchase the Matchbox Mega Rig Space Shuttle for my son. The box was a plain cardboard box, no fancy pictures like the traditional packaging. The excitement came when we opened the box. The parts were in simple plastic bags. We had it out of the box and he was playing with it in less than a minute. We saved ourselves the annoyance of all the extra packaging and my son actually got to play with his toy right away. Another benefit, is that it’s less packaging to throw away. We were able to just put the box in the recycle bin and not have to worry about disposing of all the other junk that comes with traditional packaging. So this holiday season, if you have the opportunity to try frustration free packaging, I highly recommend it!

Ideas, ideas, ideas….

Trish — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:22:50 +0000

Sometimes I feel like I am just out of ideas for presents for my kids. In a way I think it was easier when they were babies when they were entertained by an empty box. I remember our first Christmas together. I was so excited to see them open their presents. They were more entertained by the wrapping paper than by what was inside. Oh how I long for those days. Now I am bombarded by “Mom, I want this” every time they see a toy they don’t have. So the pressure is on. With a little over 2 months until Christmas, I have no clue. No inspiration. I aimlessly browse toy websites and stroll up and down the aisles at Target hoping for some glimmer of inspiration. So far…nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So now, I’m feeling panic set in. I need the perfect gift. I MUST find the perfect gift. There has to be someone out there that can help me. I call on my trusted friend, Google, to come through for me. And here is what I found:

Gifts.com: Not only can you find gift ideas for your kids, but also for any other person and for a variety of occasions. Their holiday recommendation are sorted by age group so that you can easily find recommendations.

Amazon.com: Offers a variety of ways to sort by available toys, as well as lists featuring the best selling toys. Also browse other parent’s lists for their children to get ideas.

Wishlist.com: Not only can you search for toys, but you can add them directly to your child’s wish list. You can then share that list with friends and family (See my previous post on Wishlist.com)

THE Hot Toy for the Holidays

Trish — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:36:38 +0000

Every year we hear that phrase; “It’s the hot toy for the season” or “A must have this year”. So what is the hot toy this year? Apparently it’s something called a Zhu Zhu Pet, hamsters to be precise. The commercials started airing about a month ago, and now it’s all people can talk about. Parents are obsessed with obtaining the elusive little critters. Apparently they are in short supply and in large demand. I believe they usually retail for about $10 per hamster, but that is IF you can find them. There are some vendors online that have them at ridiculously marked up prices. I have heard that you can pre-order some items at Toys-r-Us.com, but they won’t ship until mid-December. These little hamsters have driven Moms around the country to stalk their local toy stores in the wee hours of the morning hoping to score a couple of hamsters. While my daughter is at dance class I listen to all the Moms talk about their search for the hamsters and of course their matching accessories and habitats. So if you feel like you need to add some critters to your household this holiday season, this may be the toy for you. For me, I think I have all the critters I can manage at the moment.

Terrific Toy Tuesday : Computer Cool School

Trish — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:16:26 +0000

Fisher Price Fun-2-Learn Cool School

The Cool School is an educational toy that is sure to capture your child’s attention. I came across it last year in a magazine and it looked really interesting. So we made the purchase and have loved it ever since. In our house we judge a toy by how long the kids are amused by it, and I’m happy to say that we’ve owned this toy for over 6 months and our kids are still thoroughly entertained by it. It teaches them letters, numbers, music, drawing, and many other skills all in the form of fun games featuring their favorite cartoon characters. Favorites in our household include Scooby Doo and Spongebob.

How does it work? Plug it in to a computer via a USB connection. Kids use the keyboard and stylus pen to interact with the games.

What software is available? The Cool School does come with one software title out of the box. Additional titles are available for about $16 a piece. Available titles include Spongebob, Scooby Doo, Dora & Diego, Clifford and Elmo. Each disc comes with unique games, activities and stories.