Girls’ Holidays Presents Ideas.

Winter Holidays are coming and present time is getting closer too.

Because our daughter’s birthday is right before Christmas, it’s not easy for me to make her impressed with something. She gets a lot of presents every year, and she is still too young to understand the value and importance of presents, but following our traditions we are trying to teach her to appreciate everything that she gets.

I am not a fan of  many toys, because kids usually get confused and get bored very easily, they don’t know what to play with, what they want etc.

Anyway, toys make kids happy and this year( for the first time), Sophia asked for the present that she really wants: A DOLLHOUSE. I have no idea where it comes from, but to be honest with you, we already got the dollhouse for her for Christmas.(BINGO)

I decided to share some gift ideas with you for the little girls that I recently found on line or saw in the stores. Most of them are eco-friendly, natural toys.

1.Hape – All Season Doll House – Furnished Playset

Hape is a great eco-friendly european toys brand. This is the dollhouse that we got for Sophia. If you decided to buy it, get the furnished one, because it gets a little pricey to furnish it by yourself. The doll family doesn’t go with it, so you need to get it separately.

2.Hape – Gourmet Chef Apron Set

Hape brand again. Your little one will love pretending to cook with the Educo Gourmet Chef Apron Set! Includes a chef’s hat, apron , and play oven mit. The apron has a functional front pocket. Washable. Ideal for children 3 to 8 years old. You little ones can use it while playing chef or in real kitchen when helping you with cooking.

3.miYim Minnie Mouse Plush, Grey

This beautifully made organic cotton Disney Baby plush toy is the ultimate in safety and softness for baby. Minnie Mouse features organic cotton and recycled fiber filling, with embroidered details and a chime inside to entertain and soothe. I love, love, love this brand. We have some of these stuffed toys from the time when Sophia was a baby, and she loves them. I am glad they are organic and completely safe for your little ones. Sophia keeps hers in her bed.

4.Little Scamp Mette 16″

 Every little girl wants a playmate to love and care for. A playmate that lets her wash and comb her hair, pick her outfits, tie her shoes. One who will be with her until she grows up and will bring back memories of childhood for decades to come. These are the best organic dolls that will last forever, because they are well-made, washable, organic, safe for you kids. They also have multiple clothes and accessories choices.

Sophia personally has this doll, but they have different characters to pick from.

5.Melissa & Doug Bella Ballerina Floor Puzzle (48 Pieces)

For the ones who likes ballet. Puzzles are perfect for the little kids. They keep them occupied for a while. I got the ballet one for Sophia,because she loves everything about dancing.

6.Modern Twist Kids Silicone Placemat with Markers Set, Day at the Pond

This is the best investment ever. We have this placemat for a few month already and it works great during the eating time, when I am cooking in the kitchen and want to keep Sophia busy. The best thing about it, the markers are not toxic, washable and came off from anything. The placemat is washable too, so you can use it again and again. They have different themes of these placemats( we have alphabet one).

7. Greenstart Play, Draw, Create Princess: Reusable Drawing & Magnet Kit

These Earth friendly, completely reusable kits contain everything needed for everlasting fun, learning, and creativity! Each fun-filled kit includes a magnetic dry erase board, over 30 magnetic play pieces, five dry erase markers in assorted colors, and a write-on/wipe-off activity book filled with lots of reusable activities and games.

Related articles

• gift ideas for my 1 year old girl (wildflowerramblings.com)
• Cardboard London Dollhouse (babyccinokids.com)

Wonderworld Toys Review.

I believe the toys market is the biggest selling market in the world. Nowadays, you can find any kind of  a toy for you kid. Unfortunately, not all the toys are safe for our little ones. They are loaded with chemicals, toxins etc.Toxic or dangerous toys can still be found on store shelves despite tough new federal regulations, according to a report released Tuesday.
For example, one vinyl toy, the Marvel Super Hero Squad Soft Shield, contained 29 times the legal limit of lead.

“That toy is recommended for ages 2 and up,” said Andrew Fish, a program associate with the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. “It really shouldn’t be recommended for anyone at that level.”

A Lamaze-brand infant play mat contained high levels of antimony, a toxic metal that has been classified as a cancer-causing agent. A Ninja Turtles Pencil Case contained high levels of phthalates and cadmium. Phthalates are chemicals suspected to cause developmental health effects. Cadmium is a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities and kidney problems.

That’s why I always look for the least dangerous toys for my daughter. She doesn’t need to have a lot of toys, just a few, but well made and safe for her health.

One of our favorite ones are wooden toys.

Advantages of wooden toys over plastic toys

Most wooden toys tend to be more durable than plastic toys. Most plastic toys are likely to break easily, while wooden toys can last for generations. When plastic toys break, they shatter into small pieces, which can be dangerous to toddlers since they might be able to swallow them.

The surface of well-crafted wooden toys is smoother than that of plastic toys, which is another safety factor for your child. Some plastic toys also have sharp edges, which can hurt your child. Since wooden toys last longer than plastic toys, there will also be lesser waste in the environment.

Tons of plastic toys were also proven to have contained harmful chemicals, including Lead, Phthalates, and Bisphenol A (BPA). Wooden toys do not have batteries, which makes it safer since parents will be worried that their toddlers would be putting them into their mouth and be chewed.

One of the brands which I found few years ago was Wonderworld Toys.

Wonderworld takes great pride in bringing both enjoyment and education to children through high quality wooden toys that are specially designed and created for the age range of birth to five years old. For over twenty years Wonderworld has offered their products all over the world and they are recognized for excellence in design, as well as having the highest safety standards.

Wonderworld takes great consideration in the research and development of their products. To ensure that they provide only the best toys, Wonderworld conducts multiple field tests to monitor children’s behavior in relation to their play. To be sure that children are getting the most educational value from their products, Wonderland then alters their designs in accordance to test results so that their toys properly reflect children’s responses and the analysis obtained from real-life scenarios.

Wonderworld has successfully established itself among the world’s premier wooden toy brandnames. From the instant an idea for a toy is conceived on paper to moment that it eventually ends up in a child’s excited hands, Wonderworld takes pride in all that they produce.

We got our first toy Rainbow Sound Blocks when Sophia just turned 1.

• Made from rubber wood and strictly using non-toxic paints, dyes and lacquers
• Blocks are hollow and filled with beads that produce different tones
• Red, yellow, blue, green, purple and natural wood colors
• Sound producing transparent colored blocks filled with beads
• Winner of the Silver Practical Pre-School Award in 2006, and National Parenting Publications Award in 2001
• Made from formaldehyde free glue while the packaging is made from at least 70% recycled paper

She is still in love with these blocks. She loves to play music with them, build something, explore the colors, beads inside etc.

The other toywe got last summer Wonder Vacuum because Sophia was into cleaning a lot and I wanted to get her a vacuum, but not the plastic one, and I found this one. Believe it or not, but it really picks up the stuff from the floor.

The wonder vacumn is suitable for picking up small objects. It has an adjustable handle also making it easy to get to tight spaces such as underneath the table or bed. Comes with 2 pretend trash pieces. Comes with 2 trash pieces. Really picks up small objects. Encourages role play. Encourages social skills. Made in Thailand from rubberwood and strictly using non-toxic paints, dyes and lacquers and formaldehyde free glue. Packaging is made from at least 70% recycled paper.

This toy is a hit!!!! Every time when I clean up, Sophia uses her vacuum too, and I am glad that it’s not just a cool toy, but first of all it’s a well made, safe toy for my daughter.  

If you are still considering what to get for your kids for Christmas, Wonderworld Toys might be the perfect choice.

Related articles

• Wonderworld Peek-a-boo Ball (queenbee4green.com)
• Wonderworld Rocking Caterpillar (mikasol.wordpress.com)
• Natural Baby Holiday Gift Suggestions and Discount Code (familyfocusblog.com)

Spark Box Toys. Review.

Kids have too many toys today. I guess many parents may agree with me. Kids ask for toys, you buy them. They play for 5 minutes, and forget about it immediately. Your house is full of toys and games, and you don’t know what to do with them: donate, give away, sell, keep for younger kids?

Our house isn’t big enough to keep all the toys, and every year there will be more and more. I am trying to get rid of some of them, but still we have a lot.

Around month ago I was searching on line and found SPARK BOX TOYS. This is the saver for parents, kids, your budget, time, and home space!!!!!

What is Spark Box Toys?

This is the monthly subscription for renting toys for your kids.

How It Works

They send you 4 high quality educational toys in every box. Personalized for your child’s development. When you are done. Simply send them back for more. Shipping is always FREE.

1.Educational

Every Spark Box is designed by education experts to promote learning and development in your child

2.Safe & Clean

Every Spark Box toy is rigorously examined, cleaned and sanitized through a 5-Step process

3.Unbeatable Value

Each Spark Box is worth $120 on average. You pay as little as $24 every month.

They have different plans to choose:

1 box every 8 weeks-23.95$

1 box every 6 weeks-28.95$

1 box every 4 weeks- 35.95$

The age group is from 6 months till 4 years old.

The brands of the toys are: Plan Toys, Leap Frog, Brainy Baby, Fat Brain Toys, Alex, Tolo Toys, Geomag, Sevi, Guidecraft, Around Square, InnovativeKids, P’kolino, Mellisa&Doug, Tegu, Manhattan Toy Company etc.

You go on line, fill the information about your kid, pick the plan, and after that you get the option picking the toys. You can see the toys you have already, but you may change it, and pick the other ones.

So when I saw this Box, I decided to try the 6 weeks plan. I ordered 4 toys for my daughter, and got the box in 3 days.

What you get in the box?

4 picked clean toys. Everything was clean and packed in plastic. They looked like new.

Product Card for your Toys. The full description of every toy and ideas for using it during the play.

Mesh bag for toy pieces. This is cool. When you go somewhere, you can pack the toy with you and play with it anywhere.

Return label for returning the toys.

If you picked electronic toys, you get batteries for them.

We had the chance to play with these toys:

Beginner Pattern Blocks. by Melissa & Doug.

My daughter loved it.

Eggspressions. by Hape.

This is a good toy, but I guess it works better for older kids. Sophia doesn’t get the idea of emotions yet.

Fun Farm. by Hape

This wooden maze puzzle was one of Sophia’s favorite.

Screw blocks. by Guidecraft.

 Sophia loved this toy. She pretended fixing everything and liked the idea being like her dad.

I didn’t give her all the toys at once. We made some schedule, and every week she got a new one as a surprise, and I put the others away.

As I mentioned before, everything was clean and looked like new.

I really love the idea of renting toys. I can’t wait to get our second box.

I wish I knew about it earlier. I hope in the future  we will be able to order the toys for older kids too.

If you want to try SparkBoxToys, I have a surprise for you. You can save 10$ for your first order. Just use the code “LIDIYA” when checking out.

I will definitely share my experience with the future SparkBox Toys.

Stay tuned!!!!