You could say that parents are overly protective and choosy when it comes to buying toys for their children. This is a natural response to most parents, especially because the welfare and safety of their child is what's always on their mind.
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When it comes to buying toys for kids, there are plenty of options to choose from. You may find a variety of colors, shapes, designs, and brands available at your local department store or even online smyths near me stores. This may lead to confusion for some parents, especially if it is their first time to buy one, or if they don't have any idea yet what toys to buy.
Don't worry just yet. Buying toys for your children is not actually as hard it seems. There are guidelines to follow and of course factors to consider in order to find the right toys for them. Consider these tips from experts:
Buy according to age
The first thing you need to consider when buying toys for children is their age bracket. This is because some toys are only specific or a particular age group. For example, if your child is still an infant, don't go ahead and buy them puzzles for this fits for children aging 3 onwards.
When shopping for toys at a toy store, check the age recommended as indicated on the label. If you need further assistance, you may also call the store sales person for help.
Toys of interest
Musically inclined parents who want their children to be as passionate as they are as musicians would naturally want to buy them musical toys. While there is nothing wrong with this idea, trying to push them into something they are not really interested in may bring more harm to their growth and development than good.
As your child grows, identify their areas of interest. Lucky for you if they display a similar interest as yours growing up, but if they seem to be different, that's totally fine. Let them discover their own interest and as parents, the best thing you can do is to support them.
By supporting them, you invest in toys that are according to their passion and interest. This will not only enhance their creativity and skills, but as well as make them very happy.
Safety
The most important thing to consider when buying your children some toys are their safety. Whether you believe it or not, toys can be hazardous to your child's health. Determine how safe the toy is by what materials they are made of (to prevent toxicity) and if they are CPSC and FDA approved.
It is also best to read the label and understand clearly the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations. If you have doubts or questions, don't forget to open it up to a professional or a sales representative. It's better to be safe than never.
Advantageous for optimum growth and development
Toys are not only age appropriate, but as well as advantageous for your child's growth and development. While there's a lot of different toys that can boost your child's abilities and performance, it would be best to choose one that is according to his or her needs at the moment.
Allow your child to master a specific toy first before moving up to another. Too many toys played at the same time might lead to confusion rather than focused learning.
But this also depends on your child's abilities and talents. If they are gifted at a very young age, you may want to give them toys that can assist in maximizing those gifts.
No to heavy toys
It is very important that you'd also consider the weight of the toy you are going to give to your child. Heavy toys may cause accidents later on and children may not be able to utilize the toys well. Instead, buy toys that they can completely manage. This means easy to carry and play with.
These are some of the factors you need to consider when buying toys for your children, but it also helps a lot if you would ask your child's pediatrician for more recommendations. Toys may be entertaining and educational, but they can also be hazardous when bought without precautions.
It is no secret that toys have been changing in the last ten years. With all of the technological advances made by toy makers and manufacturers, the word "toy" means something completely different than it did to the past generations. Parents will remember when toys meant things like dolls, tea sets, non battery operated cars and trucks, train sets and Lego blocks. Their children however, will remember toys like Nintendo, X Box, Guitar Hero, Robot toys and remote controlled cars, trucks and planes.
Granted, there were some technological toys on the market ten years ago, but they were nowhere near the toys of today! If the toy making trends are to continue on as they have been, I am sure that the next ten years will find us buying robots for our children that have the ability to convert into a few different types of toys.
Ten years ago, the top few toys on the market that children were asking for were toys like the Furby, the Tickle Me Elmo, the Tamagotchi, Beanie Babies and the Teletubbies. There was nothing too technological about these types of toys, and all parents understood them, and how they worked. (Except for the Tamagotchi...some parents may have had some trouble understanding what the point of an electronic pet was!) After that year, the next fads in toys were toys such as, the Baby Furby and, believe it or not, the Yo Yo! The Yo Yo came back on the scene after being completely redone and presented as the new and improved ProYo. Baby Furby was just as big a hit as the Furby of the year before, and toy stores made a good profit off of this interactive toy.
After these toy trends were over, the TV show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" hit the airwaves, and of course, the board game came out before Christmas and was asked for by many kids that year. Along with this popular game came some toys that were a lot more technologically advanced than the toys of Christmas past. One example of this type of toy is the robotic pet. This toy was very popular with both parents and kids, because it provided a type of surrogate for a real pet, without being smelly, dirty or noisy. The robotic pet did a lot of real, pet like things without the hassle of having to care for a real pet. It was also a great idea for families with pet allergies.
After the robotic pet, technology basically took over the toy industry, and now there are toys like, more advanced robotic toys, video games, X Box, Guitar Hero, Nintendo Wii and all of the plug and play games. There are actually toys that allow kids to exercise without even stepping outside! There are still toys in the stores that are like the ones we had years ago, such as doll, cars, Thomas the tank engine train sets, and the like, but kids these days are asking more for the technological toys. Toys have almost become a popularity contest - kids want what their friends have, and if they don't own certain toy, they are not "cool" to their classmates.