Toys!!!! My problem in choosing toys is that I want them all! It takes me forever to select gifts like this when I just want to keep playing. Here are some of my favourite hot holiday toy picks:
- Propel Maximum XL Micro Drone. $24.97
Start small… It’s amazing that technology has come so far you can get a drone for under $25! LED lights make it easy to follow, and it has 3 speeds.
- Hatchimals Surprise – with twins inside. $89.97
Speaking of low stock…. This was the hot toy last year, and now you can get twin Hatchimals. You hold and care for the egg and the twins make sounds inside. One twin loves to move, while the other twin can repeat whatever you say! They can learn new things, talk, dance, sing, tell jokes, play games. They even interact with each other.
It’s hard to know what kids want, will keep their attention, and is durable. It’s the worst thing if they tire of something right away. Walmart created a new Toy Academy to take out the guesswork. It’s searchable by interest, age or price and it tells you if things are low stock and alerts you to rollbacks.
- 24 Sleeps Until Christmas Personalized Book + Personal video message from Santa $16.95 (Indigo and Amazon)
This one’s all about tradition. Portable North Pole has been a favourite for a few years now with free personalized video messages and even phone calls from Santa. This year there’s a ‘reaction recorder’ so you can record their faces when Santa tells them he names a reindeer after them.
This year they have created Twenty-four Sleeps Until Santa, that you read with your child every night leading up to Christmas. Every page is a hunt for Santa’s key to the magical Portable North Pole world. It comes with a special code for a personalized video message from Santa.
Here’s an example:
- Hot Wheels Ballistic Racer – remote control. $89.97
This is an example of a toy you can find in the Toy Academy section for kids who love wheels! It has hex moulded wheels, and you can push the ‘boost’ button to add extra power for 90 degree tail slides and 180-degree spins. It’s got a dual-sided body so you are always ready to race.
- Fisher Price Code-a-pillar Learning Toy. $39.97
I love STEM toys! Ages 3-6. You can put the 9 segments in different configurations so that the caterpillar performs different actions.
- Stocking: MAYKA Block Tape. $12.97
LOVE this! You can stick Mayka on just about anything and attach your favourite Lego to it!
- Stocking: Tsuro Board Game but as an app. $3.99 (on sale)
My last pick isn’t only an iPad, although I really want this one – it’s 9.7 inches with retina display giving 4x the resolution. Tsuro is a tangible, real board game that is selling out like crazy, and now it’s an app for 3.99 on iTunes. It’s a great idea for last-minute gifting. It’s a beautiful augmented reality game that is multiplayer and makes you feel like you’ve opened up a real board game.