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Cheap Gift Ideas for Babies

Is there a special baby in your life to shop for this Christmas? Shopping for baby is easy and you don't have to spend lots of money. Here are six great gift ideas for babies that are all less than $10 each.

Books make a great gift. Even the smallest babies enjoy having loved ones read to them since hearing the sound of your voice is soothing to them. Choose board books for older babies who are able to grasp objects (so they won't get a paper cut or tear the pages of a paper book). If you are able to keep your baby from grabbing the pages, then Little Golden Books are a wonderful choice. They are economical and the stories are classic. Walmart typically offers very inexpensive books for kids, but don't overlook the bargain books at booksellers like Barnes and Noble or Borders.

All babies need clothes. Small babies may spit up frequently; older babies who are eating solid foods make lots of messes. Therefore, extra clothes are always a great gift. Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco, Kohl's and J.C. Penny (check out the line of clothes from Okie Dokie) are excellent, inexpensive retailers when it comes to a baby's wardrobe. Pajamas, one-piece sleepers, t-shirts and pants are all good choices.

A selection of rattles makes a great gift. Simply choose different sizes and colors and place the rattles in a small bucket. Baby will enjoy holding each rattle, while examining the color, texture, shape and sounds of each one. The best place to find inexpensive rattles is at a dollar store, such as 99 cent Stores, Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc.

Older babies may like simple wooden puzzles with large pieces as a Christmas gift. Puzzles with shapes or farm animals are good choices. Check the dollar section of your local Target store to find such puzzles for $1 each. They are not always in stock, but they are frequently featured in Target's dollar section.

A stuffed animal that is the appropriate size for a baby is a terrific gift idea. If you know what the baby's nursery theme is, use that as a guide to picking out a stuffed animal. For example, if the nursery theme is farm animals, choose a stuffed pig or cow that would look cute in the room even when baby isn't playing with it.

Lastly, baby blankets also make great Christmas gifts. Try making one homemade from quilting materials or fleece, or purchase one ready made. Blankets provide both warmth and security for a baby and are generally treasured.

Homemade Toys for Children

Here Are Some Easy Craft Ideas for Making Toys at Home

The economy has forced many people to look for ways to save money at every turn. Few ideas will provide as much fun and satisfaction as making homemade toys for your children. While most of these ideas are very simple, they will provide hours of fun for the whole family.

You do not have to be particularly handy to create most of these toys. The idea is to keep it simple yet fun and create toys that your children will really love. The next time you have time on your hands and are looking for a rainy day project, consider making one of these homemade toys for your child.

Tin Can Phones :

This craft project is as easy as it gets. Simply find two tin cans and a good length of sturdy string. Use a hammer and screwdriver to hammer a small hole into the bottom of one of the cans. Thread the string through and tie off a knot that is big enough to hold. Repeat this process on the other can. Make the hole and thread the other end of the string through it. Tie it off with a large knot that will hold when the string is stretched tight. You will have so much fun watching children play with this toy. They will hide behind doors and across rooms from each other to whisper silly things in the cans. Everyone that gets a glimpse of this toy will get a tickle remembering and going back in time. Have fun watching your children play with this one and don't forget to participate by whispering a few little secrets.

Beanbag Bullseye Game :

This game requires only some material, two old towels, a needle and thread and some dry beans. First you will want to make eight hand sized beanbags. Be sure to make four of one color or pattern and four of another. Sew the material into bag shapes and fill them half full of dried beans. Stitch them closed and give them a shake to be sure the beans won't escape. Find two old towels you can live without but, be sure they are each a different color. Lay one towel out flat. Cut circles of material from the second towel and stitch them on to the first towel to create a bullseye pattern. The whole family can enjoy this game. Each player gets a turn till all bags have been tossed. You can give each ring a certain number of points or just say that whoever gets the closest to center wins. This is a very simple and easy toy to make at home that everyone will love.

Wooden Blocks :

You will need woodworking tools to cut blocks out of whatever wood you have to use. If you do not have woodworking tools, you can still take your wood to a local lumber store and ask them to cut blocks of all shapes and sizes from it. They will probably charge you a small fee but, it is likely to be very nominal. Whether you cut your own blocks or have them cut for you, personalize them yourself. Use bright colored safe paints to make your blocks unique and fun. Children will have endless hours of fun building and creating things with these blocks. This is also a homemade toy that your children might possibly pass on to their own.

Puppet Socks :

This homemade toy will give you good use for any single socks around your house. Sock puppets are so easy to make and so much fun. Find old buttons, ribbons, bows and anything else you would like to use to make your puppet unique. Stuff your hand into your sock and pull in the end so you know where the mouth will be. Mark the places you want to attach eyes and any other items. Attach your button eyes and other accessories with simple tight stitches. Once you see how much fun you have making these puppets, you are very likely to want to make many more. Have a blast with it and put on family puppet shows or tell favorite stories through your puppet.

All of these homemade toys are great because of their simplicity. They give parents and children a very wide open chance to use imagination. Homemade toys have a way of becoming treasures to children as they grow up. Be sure to make things that will last so that they can be passed on to future grandchildren. Have a ton of fun with your kids and enjoy making homemade toys and memories with them.

Toy Safety Resources

With the Christmas holiday season upon us, parents are rushing out to fulfill their role as Santa Claus and cramming the toy aisles trying to find the toys that their children have their hearts set upon. While it's a wonderful feeling to see your little one's eyes light up on Christmas morning, toy safety should be your first priority.

There are many toy risks parents need to be aware of when choosing playthings for their children. The recent lead scare has caused toy manufacturers to pull millions of dollars worth of toys off the shelves, but the lead content of painted toys is not the only safety risk parents need to watch out for, and probably a minor one when looking at the big picture.

The oldest and most common toys can be the deadliest. Small rubber balls, balloons, and marbles can cause choking and death. Projectile toys such as dart guns or pellet guns can result in eye injuries or blindness. Toys that make sound are often loud enough to cause hearing loss when placed next to the ear. Hinges on toy strollers or toy box lids can cause little fingers to get pinched, crushed, or lacerated. Toy make-up kits may contain ferrocyanide, a poison.

World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.), a nonprofit organization, was founded to educate the public about toys and other products designed for children that pose life-threatening dangers. Since 1973, their "10 Worst Toys" list has informed consumers about which toys pose the worst safety concerns. The website includes a list of toy dangers that consumers need to be aware of, and a report card of changes resulting from their efforts.

A list of toy recalls is available from the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The laws regarding recalls of unsafe toys are weak, and it is up to the manufacturer to handle the recall of the toys they produce. Manufacturers often drag their feet, leaving unsafe toys on the shelves long after the recall has been made. A search page allows to you search for a particular toy or by manufacturer to see if any toys you currently have in your home are on the recall list.

Toys that are safe for an older age group may not be safe for a younger group. Choose toys for your children that are age-appropriate, and teach your older children to keep their toys out of reach of their younger siblings. For some tips on choosing safe and age appropriate toys, read Toy Safety: Choosing Safe Toys, which gives guidelines for choosing the right toy for your child's age.

Use these resources to be sure that your child doesn't have a dangerous toy lurking in his toy box. If you've already got your Christmas shopping done, it's not too late to return the recalled or unsafe item to the store for a refund or exchange.

Do Children Need Educational Toys?

The best toys are educational toys. But what is an educational toy? Does it have to be sold at a trendy toy store in a fancy box with paragraph after paragraph of so called experts spewing forth study results about why this toy will make your child a genius?

Any toy that encourages a child to think is an educational toy. Any safe item that a child has fun with can be considered a toy. All learning is purely academic. Children need to learn basic skills, develop cognitively, and learn to be creative. It does not take an expert to determine if a toy is helping a child to learn. Anyone can observe the act by simply looking at the child. Is the child interacting the toy in any way, even if that way is not the prescribed play function of the toy? Then that child is learning. It really is that simple.

The more a child gets to interact with their environment, get to observe, gets to play with toys, the more that child will learn. A child cuddled up with a stuffed animal (or favorite blanket, or funny sock) is learning about feelings and companionship. A child banging pans is learning about a myriad of different things from rhythm to the physics of metals. Is a child with a set of specially designed vocabulary blocks learning the lesson they were designed for? Sure, but he is also learning about engineering and exploring creativity.

Educational toys are an necessity for a child's mental growth and development. Expensive educational toys are not a necessity for anyone. A child will learn as much or more with a couple of cheap plastic cups and a bowl of water as she will with a designer toy specially designed to show fluids moving. I bet if you ask the child she will say the cheap cups and water are more fun.

Review: My First Winnie the Pooh Activity Ride

As I mentioned in an earlier review, my youngest daughter celebrated her first birthday this week and, as can be expected, got quite a few toys.

One of the things she got from my parents was a My First Winning the Pooh Activity Ride. When I first saw this toy, I thought it looked a lot like other toys I have seen at the store and didn't know if she was quite old enough to really enjoy it. However, it proved to be a good present for her.

This toy is one that she can either use as a walk behind toy or, when she's older, can use it as a riding toy. So far, she has had no interest in the latter. But, she is still getting her use out of it.

I want to take a moment to thank the people who made this toy for not using too much packaging on it. I was able to get it out of the box in a couple of minutes. This was very important to me both because there are way too many toys out there that go overboard with the packaging and because our daughter was trying to play with this toy while it was still in the box. And, I honestly could not blame her. There were so many little surprises when you turned the key or pushed just the right spot. I know I was doing the same thing while I was getting it out.

Oh, and assembly was very simple. I just needed to attach the bar to the back (something that simply required me snapping it into place).

My only real complaint about this toy is, while it is light enough for her to move it and walk behind it, it doesn't turn very easily. As a result, she usually can only walk a short distance before she is stuck and needs us to re-position the toy so she can keep walking.

However, the fact she does try to walk behind it is definitely something. She has a few different toys like that and pretty much ignores the majority of them. And, when not walking behind it, she does enjoy sitting by it and playing with the buttons and switches.

While not the most unique toy out there, the fact my daughter does seem to enjoy it does make me feel comfortable recommending it. If you have a young child that is just learning to walk, you can do much worse than this item.

Tags: #toys, #kids, #babies, #safe, #child, #birthday, #educational, #

Thanks for the articles goes to Linda Riggs, Mindy Carson, Jill Davidson, Teresa McClary, Steve Helmer

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