A warm welcome to everyone coming from Moms Favorite Stuff! I hope you’re enjoying the festivities leading up to Toy Tuesday, December 8th.
If you’re just now joining us, we’re having virtual play time (or a blog hop) and sharing our favorite toys, toy trends, and places to buy them for the best bargains of the year.
After my tips on making Christmas Day more fun for everyone,
learn how to enter to win a $250 gift card
AND a $500 in products to your favorite charity or school!
I have 3 boys, two of which are only 22 months apart. There can be some serious competition and disappointment on Christmas morning if I neglect to keep a few things in mind while toy shopping. Therefore, I thought I’d share with you my philosophy on Christmas toy buying which makes Christmas morning more fun for everyone.
The Tip Junkie’s Christmas Toy Philosophy: Limit your gifts to 4-8 (depending on cost) for each child. Make sure there are a variety of good quality toys so nothing breaks and there’s plenty to do throughout Christmas day. This ensures no one is disappointed or is bored an hour after opening presents.
1. First, know what your child wants. I take into consideration my boys’ wish list and their likes and dislikes. You can have the best variety of toys imaginable but if it doesn’t cater to their special interests then it’s still a no-go.
2. Next, I like to make sure my boys each get:
- Something to build
- A video game to play
- A toy for their imagination
- An item to build on whatever they are collecting
- Something to play with outside
- A board game
- A big gift from Santa
Any of these qualities can be combined for one toy. For instance my boys’ favorite Christmas gifts have combined “something to build” with “a toy for their imagination”. Having a wide range of toys expands their uses, creativity, play time, and excitement throughout the day.
Things to Build:Â Marble Run, K-nex, Bionicles
Favorite Video Games: My Sims Agents, Star Wars Legos, Mario Kart
My Favorite Toys We’ve Collected:Â Anything Star Wars, Imaginext, Legos
From Santa: Santa gifts are usually large and go for the shock value. I don’t go overboard on price but I do try to make it fun and unique.
Other options to consider:
- Art supplies: to paint, draw, or create. Play-Doh, Pixo’s, and craft kits
- Electronics:Â MP3 player, DS, radio, spy gear, watch, Funkeys, computer game
Entertaining Toys:
- Zoom-o (surprisingly fun for $10)
- Anything Nerf
- Air Hogs (the new ones are more durable)
5. I try to keep things fair:
- The same number of gifts or price range for each child.
- Size matters with boys! So I make sure each kiddo has the same number of “large” wrapped gifts. Even if I have to put a toy inside a larger box. {{evil laugh}}
- Same number of items in stocking and I try to have larger items next to stocking for shock value when the boys come down the stairs.
So what’s your toy buying philosophy?
Feel free to leave a comment which automatically enters you to win a $250 gift card. Details below.
Huge thanks to Bill Me Later for organizing such an informative and fun play time. Feel free to check out all the blogs participating and their favorite toys and money saving deals. They’re worth the read.
What is Toy Tuesday?
Toy Tuesday will occur on December 8th and is a one day sale event held over on Bill Me Later’s website. You’ll find all kinds of amazing deals to wrap up all your holiday shopping from these stores:
| Toys R Us | Walmart.com |
| eToys | Mercantila (trampolines) |
| FAO Schwarz | Drugstore.com |
| Little Tikes | HP.com |
| Overstock.com | MacMall |
| Step 2 | and moreÂ… |
Bill Me Later wants to get YOUR attention and to do so they’ve not only come up with a really fun campaign that introduces you to some new bloggers and new toys, but they are putting up some serious CASH and discounts!
Bill Me Later has made it really easy to enter to win a $250 gift card AND $500 in products to the winners favorite charity or school. They aren’t messing around and are taking good care of everyone involved. They’re buying some toys from Wal-Mart for my boys AND they’re paying YOU some hard core cash to get your attention.
A $250 gift certificate to FAO Schwarz and a
$500 product donation to the school or charity of winners choice.
Share what toys you are most excited about giving this year
or your toy buying philosophy in the comments.
This giveaway will only last until midnight Saturday (CST).
P.S. Toy Junkie’s, tomorrow head on over to Bargain Briana for her toy tips and another $750 in giveaways.
I like to try and keep the general # of gifts around the same so both kids can spend the same amount of time opening presents. Since they are both still young, it works great to open a gift and then play with it a bit before moving on to the next one. Since budget is tight this year, that will help with not having to buy a whole lot of gifts either. This year we decided to do one big gift for the kids together and then some other smaller gifts for stockings and such. I am really looking forward to giving my son his train that he loves, and my girl her baby doll! It’s all so fun!
our tradition is to make Christ the center of our celebration 🙂 our children are 6 and 7 – and each receive three gifts (amount given by the Magi)…which include something they need, something they want and something to read. we include the magic of santa as well…but our children know that santa brings presents to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. then, in the days following, our children choose three things of theirs (toys or books) that they donate to other children.
we give each of our kids 3 gifts, not only to keep our costs down, but also because that is what jesus got. they also get one gift from santa and a few little ones in their stockings. thanks so much for this giveaway! i’d love to win because its been a financial stretch this year to even get the 3 gifts.
Your ideas are great and we think along the same lines. My husband does not get the whole”equal” think but I have done it that way for years. Sometimes it is hard to do but I am always counting and rechecking to make sure everyone has the same number of gifts. We like to give them things “to do” as well so that Christmas Day is more relaxing. We especially like giving our boys DVD’s so that we can lounge around and watch them all day. We try and hold onto the new ones that come out to give them at Christmas. Love your site!
At the beginning of the year, my husband and I sit down and set a budget for each of our kids.It is always the same amount. We then put some of the tax return money into an account to use if we find a great deal. I am really excited to give my 4 year an art easel. She has been asking for once since this past January. My 2 year is going to get a Cars toddler bed with Tinkerbell sheets. I can’t wait to see the look on her face. And for my 6 month old I can’t wait to give her the soft, fabric blocks I made for her. I can’t wait!!!