Gifts For Kids

My son got a real cool gift yesterday. “Cool!” is actually a quote in this case! It was a moving and roaring dinosaur which captured his heart right away. A big one, a predator with big scary teeth, and a long red tongue that moves inside its mouth - doesn’t get more cool than that, you gotta admit!

The kids are playing with it today, and in our particular case, my boys, aged 4 and 6.5 are addicted, while their 4.5 yo niece isn’t showing too much interest, past the very initial “wow”. So, if you’re looking for a gift for boys aged 4-8, this comes highly recommended by this mom - a moving dino!

Here are two options, both of them available by Amazon (just click the image to get to the product page).

The Fisher Price Motorized Roaring T-Rex Dinosaur

What I like about this model is that it’s scary enough without being too realistic. With very bright colors (it has a version in red as well), and a distinct shiny “plasticky” appearance, this one is just the perfect dino for younger kids. It looks like a toy, but it roars and moves its head and it does come with a remote control.

Discovery Exclusive Remote Control T-Rex Toy Dinosaur

My second recommendation is for slightly older kids. This one is a beautiful and very realistic T-Rex by Discovery. It looks so good, one of the reviewers on Amazon mentioned that this “toy” is used as a decorative item in their living room! It is a big bad dinosaur though, which not only roars and moves his head, but actually walks too. All operated by a remote control, shaped like a dinosaur bone too, this one is bound to be hit with kids of all ages… and their parents too!

Still searching the girls section, I cam across this cool little gadget. I used to keep diaries as a young girl, but there was no way for me to make sure they remain hidden, other than to, well, hide them. Kids today have other options, apparently. The latest rage is electronic diaries, where you can record your own messages and then protect your secrets with voice passwords! The diary comes with built-in voice recognition and according to satisfied customers, it does actually work.

Well, a bit too advanced for my 5 yo niece. I don’t think it’s the right age for her to have secrets from Mom and Dad just yet, but I thought it was well worth a mention in my blog here!

Check out the electronice diaries for kids - some gorgeous designs for these nifty gadgets that would make most girls over the age of 7 happy!

Whenever we pull out the digital camera, which happens quite often, Ron comes running along shouting “I want to take some pictures too!”

He loves taking pictures, there’s no doubt about it. Some of them turn out quite nice even, and others are just funny pictures of what the world looks like from the viewpoint of a six years old. The only problem is that our camera is really Ron grandmother’s camera, on loan from her (she only needs it for her trips abroad). It’s an expensive one, that cost her over $500 last year. When she found out Rom was using it, she didn’t like it too much. She did admire her grandson’s photographs, but also asked us very specifically to keep this expensive piece of equipment out of his reach.

So, we’re looking into getting Ron his very own digital camera now. We’re looking for something simple and cheap, and were thinking of getting him a second-hand old camera from someone who doesn’t need it. I figured it’s well worth a post on the blog, as I know he’ll be absolutely thrilled with getting one of his own and figured digital cameras are a great gift idea for kids his age.

So… over to Amazon.com I went and ran a search for toy digital cameras. Oh my, they have some nice ones over there! a big collection of toy digital cameras for boys and girls. At $20-$50 a piece, they come in a wide range of designs, which will make the kids thrilled and the parents not too desperate should the camera be shattered. Their photographic capabilities aren’t too sophisticated, but they’re perfectly sufficient for displaying a child’s masterpiece on the computer screen at 640 by 480 pixels.

Take the Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera featured in the picture on this page. Click to get the full specs, but more importantly, watch the video there that shows you just how durable this little gadget is. If I had to order a camera right now for Ron, that would be it, for sure.

Check out some of the most popular models of digital cameras for kids right here

I think this gift idea is mainly for boys. Before I had kids of my own, I never thought I’d be saying that. I still argue that boys and girls should be given a selection of toys, not based on their gender, but I have come to realize, that at least in my family and among our friends, there is a definite gender issue when it comes to the toys that the kids themselves choose to play with.

My boys hardly ever play with dolls, for example. We did get them dolls, but they ended up being dismantled soon enough. With them it’s trucks, super heroes and now weapons too, sigh. Not guns yet, actually. I’m not sure if it’s a chivalrous streak in them, or just admiring the Power Rangers, but they’re all into swords. And as my 4 yo explained to me, with swords, they need to be long ones!

So, this post is dedicated to long toy swords, and boy is there a huge selection anymore! Many of these toys are proper gadgets with lights and sensors and special effects. Any of these is bound to be a hit with young boys -

Magical Jack Sparrow Sword with Sensors

Too cool this one! It’s a set of a long sword and a ring. As long as your kid wears the ring, the sword recognizes him (or her) as Jack Sparrow and issues a vocal welcome message. No ring on finger? The sword will be concerned and say as much!

Light Up Pirate Sword With Sound

Another cool sword that makes slashing sounds when you press the button. Jack Sparrow sure did make pirate swords popular!

Darth Vader FX Lightsaber
Enough of pirates, time for a classic saber sword! Admittedly, kids today may not even know who Darth Vader is, but this saber sword with it’s durable plastic blade and amazing sound effects is bound to become a favorite with just about any kid. It has a motion sensor, so the buzzing sounds are pretty realistic and go along with the sword movement. If you don’t want to be on the Dark Side, there’s also the Anakin Skywalker Lightsaber

Note - as a mom I can tell you that sword play should ALWAYS be supervised. These are toy swords, yes, but they can still cause quite a bit of pain. Kids must be guided about proper use, and about never hitting people with their toy swords.

In my post about unique stuffed animals toys I did mention one particular brand name - Webkinz. So, what’s so special about these stuffed animals toys? In a stroke of genius, the manufacturers, a company by the name of Ganz, came up with a way to bring them to life - online!

When you purchase a webkinz toy, it comes with its own unique 8 character code. That code lets you log into the Webkinz website and create a virtual “live” pet in the form of the toy that you bought. Once inside the virtual Webkinz world, you need to look after your virtual pet and buy stuff for it, using their own special KinzCash “money”. Getting that game money is a fun challenge in its own right, involving games and tasks presented to you on the site. Trust me, it can be very addictive! It gets even more complicated with various items available for you to purchase in real life, for which you are rewarded in the virtual world.

Did I say addictive already? That’s the main drawback of Webkinz. I highly suggest talking to the parents first, before gifting a child with a Webkinz toy. Granted, not everyone gets addicted, but most do, and parents need to be aware of that particular risk.

First and foremost, Webkinz are stuffed animals. It is possible to enjoy them just for that as well, without bringing their online character to life. These are high quality products, and come highly recommended by this fan of stuffed animals toys.

These are the most popular Webkinz at Amazon.com at the time of posting this. There is a huge selection though, and prices vary from one toy to another, so browse the main Webkinz page to see it all:

Webkinz by Amazon