Baby and Toddler 2013 Gift Guide
The holiday season is here! As moms, we ask friends, search online and in stores in an effort to find the best and safest toys for our children. How do you determine the best choice? This year, add these gift selections to your list. They all have the PTPA Seal. The Parent Test, Parent Approved Seal identifies products tested and recommended by parents. Parents share this valuable feedback about the products we bring into our homes and to our families. When you buy a product approved by North America’s largest parent testing community, it’s like shopping with your best friend. Here are this year’s winners in the Baby and Toddler category:
Formula Pro
The Formula Pro uses worldwide patent-pending technology to measure, dispense and mix water and powdered formula to the perfect temperature and consistency. With the push of a button, you can prepare a bottle within seconds that has no air bubbles. The water and formula powder are stored right in the machine, so it’s always ready for you when your baby gets hungry. The machine works with the bottle sizes and all formula brands and types. You can also choose the amount of formula you want to make: 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 ounces.
What parents are saying…
“Overall I am thrilled with the Formula Pro! This product does do what it says it does and it is a lifesaver for those late night feedings! No more trying to warm a bottle while half asleep! Push the button and you are done! If you want to know what to get a formula feeding mom for her babyshower- Get this! She will love you forever!”
“Formula Pro is the fastest and easiest way I have seen so far to prepare a formula bottle for your baby. It was crazy easy to assemble and was practically ready to use out of the box. I love that you can use any kind of formula with it cause as parents we know that you may go through two or three formulas before you find what works for your baby. The instruction manual is so easy to use and gives you detailed instructions for whatever brand of formula you choose. It may be slightly higher in price than some may expect but the time, brain power, and stress it saves to new and new again parents is priceless!”
“This is a great product and really neat. I think it is great for those parents that want a little extra help. Perfect shower gift!”
Despicable Me 2 DVD
Get your family something you can all enjoy this holiday season- Despicable Me 2 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Now that Gru (Steve Carell) has forsaken a life of crime to raise Margo, Agnes and Edith, he’s trying to figure out how to provide for his new family. As he struggles with his responsibilities as a father, the Anti-Villain League — an organization dedicated to fighting evil — comes calling. The AVL sends Gru on a mission to capture the perpetrator of a spectacular heist, for who would be better than the world’s greatest ex-villain to capture the individual who seeks to usurp his power.
What parents are saying…
“Despicable Me 2 is a hilarious movie to be seen by all! This movie kept the whole family laughing and wanting more!”
“Despicable Me 2 was a lot of fun, engaging for both kids and parents and provided a lot of laughs and plenty of discussion for the days following the movie. A must see.”
“As a family, we were all able to enjoy this movie! I love movies that keep both the adults and the kids entertained. This movie will definitely be added to our DVD library for many fun family movie nights to come!”
Playskool Showcam 2-in-1
Digital Camera and Projector
Introducing Playskool’s brand new toy… Show Cam! Not only is this product a PTPA winner, but it is also one of the hottest toys of the season!
What parents are saying…
I’m not sure who loved this camera more, the kids or me. They have had so much fun with this camera. They love putting on “shows” with the projection feature. They think it is the funniest thing to add funny pictures into their regular pictures. Every night after a day of “adventures” we sit down and have a slide show. The kids love it and are so proud of all of their pictures.”
“Love that the children can actually project their pictures on a wall for all to see right away! Talk about immediate gratification!”
BIG HUGS ELMO
For the first time ever, an Elmo toy that can really hug back. Sing, imagine and play with Big Hugs Elmo!
What parents are saying…
“From the moment I turned Elmo on, my children (ages 4 & 2( were star-struck. They couldn’t believe celebrity monster they see on TV was in our home and giving them hugs!”
“Truly life-like, I love that encourages role-play & pretend play and the hugging feature teaches such a positive act of affection. During the day they would play and try to feed Elmo, and my older son would ask Elmo if he wanted to play with their toys. It also has this great “sleep” feature & even asked me to be quiet when they put Elmo down for a nap!!! At night it was a great tool in our bedtime routine when put it the “sleep” mode. Safe, durable & what a positive way of encouraging play & affection. I would totally recommend BIG HUGS ELMO to friends and family!!!”
“The perfect bedtime buddy, Big Hugs Elmo is just so huggable even adults will want to get in all the hugging action!”
Play-Doh Perfect Twist Ice Cream Parlour Playset
Swirl up some fun and create PLAY-DOH PLUS soft serve ice cream treats with the PERFECT TWIST ICE CREAM PARLOUR playset! With a twist of two new vibrant PLAY-DOH PLUS colours, the magical SWIRLER enhances sweet shoppe play and creates the most realistic looking soft serve ice cream cones yet! Kids can then sprinkle on some colourful PLAY-DOH toppings to decorate their very own cone with the Rainbow Sprinkle Crank & Cone dispenser. Set includes five cones, two dishes, two spoons, three standard cans of PLAY-DOH compound and two standard cans of new PLAY-DOH PLUS compound!
What parents are saying…
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice cream! Combining two things your child surely loves – Play-Doh and Ice Cream, the PLAY-DOH PERFECT TWIST ICE CREAM PARLOUR Playset makes the perfect toy for sparking creativity and imaginative play. Safe and easy to use with lots of fun features!”
“My son had a great time playing with the Play-Doh ice cream parlour. There are a ton of great features which really really gets their imagination going. My 3 year-old and 9 year-old daughter both very much enjoyed this Play-Doh Play Set. They were able to use the softer Play-Doh Plus to make sundaes and cones and then they topped it off with sprinkles and many more little Play-Doh mold treats. They played and continue to play with the set, sometimes multiple times a day and are always asking for it. It is affordable and by how much they will want to play with it, the play value–it pays for itself! I would highly recommend this to any of my friends and readers for their children.”
Vtech Go! Go! SmartWheels Train Station Playset
Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets are miles of learning fun! Each playset comes with different track shapes that let you reconfigure the playset or connect to other Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets (each sold separately) to encourage your child’s creativity. Plus, playsets are equipped with SmartPoint™ technology. SmartPoint locations recognize and respond to SmartPoint vehicles with sound effects that keep little ones engaged by boosting imaginative play, teaching cause and effect and other important learning skills.
What parents are saying…
“My son absolutely loves this toy. For the first few times around the track he was totally amazed. I like this train set because you have the option of different configurations simple for the younger ones and more complex for the older kids. I would recommend this product to anyone with kids. It is very easy to install, and cost effective. The enjoyment my child gets from this product is worth the price tag alone! It comes with a cool motorized train that can even be used on or off of the tracks.”
“We love this train set!! My son and all his friends have been playing with this toy since we opened the box. The price is great for what you get! I am very impressed!”
“This is a great product for any parent looking to buy their children an easy to use and very interactive train play set. We have other brands of train sets that didn’t receive as much attention from our child as this product did! We highly recommend purchasing this product!”
KidzGear KidzControl Volume Limit Headphones
Both Introducing the first adult-featured stereo headphones made specifically for kids. Manufactured with the same high quality components as those used in standard adult headphones, the Kidz Gear stereo headphones deliver extremely rich sound quality for a variety of audio content – DVDs, MP3s, Game Players, Radio and more. A KidzControl Volume Limit Cable is included FREE, making the Kidz Gear Wired Headphones the safest headphones for the little ones. They are a must for children in the car, on the plane or hanging out at home. Now available in five NEW COLORS – Pink, Orange, Blue, Green and Purple!
What parents are saying…
“The Kidz Gear stereo headphones bring great quality sounds and protect delicate kids hearing. Children can listen all the audio content without high volume sounds, because KidzControl Volume Limit Headphones make sure your kids ears are protected.”
“Stylish and functional head gear that fits a wide range of sizes!”
Teddy Needs A Bath
Teddy Needs A Bath brings stuffed animals through the washer and dryer clean and fresh – and safe from dust mite allergen build up. The 100% cotton bag keeps well-loved animals and other delicate washables from snagging or becoming misshapen during washing.
What parents are saying..
“I have to admit that I was skeptical when I started this load of laundry – but the stuffies came out clean and smelling wonderful since I also added the cotton candy dryer sheet in the bag. No more harsh detergents on babies or kids stuffed animals.”
“My son just got over a serious bout of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease and we were just about to throw in the towel and discard all of his stuffed toys that had be contaminated by this virus. Then this testing opportunity came along for Gund’s Teddy needs a Bath product. The tester came with three boxes. The larger box contained a bag and the other two boxes contained fabric sheets. All of the boxes were very well presented and would definitely be something that caught my attention on store shelves. We were very hesitant on using this product on one particular teddy bear that my wife has kept for the last 10 years that belonged to her deceased brother. It is the only piece of him that she still has. After washing all of my son’s toys using this product, my wife felt fairly confident that nothing was going to happen to her bear. We put it through the wash and then the dryer. It came out perfect. Smelled nice and clean and NO DAMAGE!!!! My wife actually cried when we pulled it out of the wash because she now knows that this bear can be in our family for years to come. I would highly recommend this product to all parents. You never know when you will need something like this and it saves a fortune on toys that you don’t have to replace because of contamination after a sickness. I am so glad I have been introduced to this product.”
ABC Adventure Elefun Toy
Little ones can learn to build vital connections between first words, sounds and the alphabet with the new ABC ADVENTURE ELEFUN toy! The adorable ELEFUN character can teach infants 100 first words through 75 sounds effects, tunes and activities! With one easy press of the trunk, scroll through the images to start the play! When the image stops it will light up and the ELEFUN character will say a related word and phrase followed by a sound associated with the image. Kids can also spin the barrel for additional related words and sounds and lift the elephant’s ear to see the letter associated with the image. For even more learning fun, pull down on the mouse to reveal a shape and or colour and hear its name and colour or slide the butterfly to hear numbers one through ten! Available in English or French. Requires three AA alkaline batteries. Batteries included (Powered by Duracell).
What parents are saying..
“My 18 month old loves the ABC Adventure Elefun Toy. Her favourite thing to do is check out the different shapes and colours by pushing down on the mouse. She also loves to use the toggle button to change images and hear the sounds. Due to the variety of words/images/sounds she continues to play with it because every play is fresh and things she didn’t see/hear the last time the toy was used. This toy is durable and well made, and considering all of its features is compact and easy to store when not in use.”
“The PlaySkool Learnimals ABC Adventure Elefun toys name says it all. It’s learning fun all in one toy. It has over 75 sound effects and over 100 words and phrases to help your baby aged 6-36 months learn and thrive. Pull down the elephants trunk to hear a word, roll the drum and another word is said! Little ones can spend their play time learning and having fun with Elefun! My little one thought it was great, she really took to the ABC, 123 songs Elefun has to offer too. Overall it is a great buy, a great gift and tons of fun for little ones!”
For more information or to join the community of parent testers: www.ptpa.com
