21 Must Have Toys 2018 | Guide To Holiday List Bliss
The Christmas holidays is my favorite time of year and I have loved this holiday since I was a child. There is a warm feeling that I get with the holidays as the spirit of giving fills the air.
Since becoming a mom the Christmas season has been even more exciting and as my daughter gets older her understanding of the season is much better. Seeing my daughter’s eyes light up on Christmas morning to see what is under the tree is priceless each time.
This is why we have done some research and investigating to provide a guide of toy options that your children will love to see under the tree. We are taking the popular #MelAndNikkiReview to a whole new level with this exclusive piece in The Baby Spot.
Melissa and Doug Flip Fish Soft Baby Toy
This cuddly fish friend will swim right into kids’ hearts!
With the bright colors, bold facial features, and washable fabrics that include a variety of patterns and hidden pictures, this crinkling, squeaking, multi-textured soft toy is perfect to encourage tummy time and fueling storytelling.
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We love this toy as it nurtures early childhood development in three key skill areas: physical, cognitive, and social. There is so much to do with the Flip Fish as you can find hidden pictures under the scales, squeak the tail, a shatterproof mirror and lots of options for baby to explore and expand their mind.
Stroll and Discover Activity Walker (Ages 9 months to 36 months)
This interactive walker grows with your child, featuring a removable electronic play panel for 2-in-1 fun! The easy-to-remove activity panel is great for floor play and is packed with features and the legs fold for easy storage.
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If you are looking for the toy to make a little one excited then this is the one that you are looking for. We love the learning aspects of this toy and how it grows with the child. We made sure to include this gift on our giving list for our goddaughter as we know she will adore it!
Learning Friends 100 Words Book (Ages 18 to 48 months)
Photo credit: Momma Braga
Discover new vocabulary with fun learning friends! Touch the words on each page to hear the animals introduce every word in both English and French.
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It is a great toy to help a child learn in a fun and colorful way. We love the ability to press each image on the page and have the child hear the word to associate it with the image. This toy has also been featured on the #MelAndNikkiReview too!
Sesame Street Let’s Dance Elmo (Ages 18 months and up)
La La La La! Get ready to move and groove with an adorable favorite, Let’s Dance Elmo!
Little ones can get the dance party started by pressing the Elmo toy’s heart button to hear fun phrases. The three buttons on Elmo’s headphones activate three musical modes.
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There is loads of fun to have with this learning and interactive toy for little ones. We love Elmo and we know this will be a holiday favorite for many children. We know that our goddaughter will light up when she unwraps this gift this Christmas!
Starshine The Bright Lights Unicorn (Ages 1 to 4)
Go on an enchanted adventure with Starshine the Bright Lights Unicorn. Place the seven charms on any of the three magic hearts to see her horn light up and hear colors, objects and phrases in English or French. Use the charms to answer quiz questions or add sound effects to create your own special song. Squeeze the unicorn’s tail to see her beautiful wings flap and hear whimsical phrases and sound effects that encourage imaginative play.
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Starshine’s majestic hooves feature wheels so you can push her as you head off on your next adventure!
We love how it uses shapes and colors to help the child learn. As parents we have the option of adjusting the volume which is always a great bonus. We also love the feature of the automatic shut off. You can hear Nikki’s four-year-old opinion in her latest review, click here.
Go! Go! Smart Wheels Launch & Chase Police Tower (Ages 1 to 5 years old)
Serve and protect with Po the Police Car and the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Launch & Chase Police Tower. Chase the Getaway Car around the three track levels, launch down one of the two ramps to try and gain speed or slide the switch to raise the road blocks to slow the Getaway Car down.
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We love the fun sounds, phrases, 3 sing-along songs and 6 melodies. Not to mention the learning involved in this fun toy with the introduction to the letter “P”. Can’t go wrong with fun and learning.
LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System (Ages 2 to 7 Years)
The LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System gets children excited about learning with 3D-like animations that bring stories and activities to life. Visual and auditory learners will love engaging with the touch and talk activities!
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The LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System can truly stimulate the growing minds of children. Most of the activities have two levels with more than 50 key skills per grade level covering a variety of preschool through first grade subjects. We love that! Having fun while learning is always a bones in our books!
EMIDO 40 Pieces Jumbo Nuts Bolts Toy -STEM TOY (Ages 3 and Up)
This toy is a great tool for preschoolers to learn how to match shapes and colors and start to develop those fine motor skills as they twist and screw each matching shape of the nut and bolt together. This construction toy set also encourages stacking and building which is also part of the learning process.
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We just love it and your little one will too! It is a fun toy that will build those fine motor skills such as hand eye coordination, motor control, visual perception, cognitive thinking, problem solving and more! It is a definite win in our books!
Fisher Price Think & Learn Rocktopus (Ages 3 to 6 years old)
This rockin’ toy octopus helps preschoolers learn about music and math through ineractive games and creative free-play that lets kids compose their own songs!
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We love how this toy inspires little learners to be big thinkers. There is so much to learn in such a fun and rockin’ way! This will be a hit on Christmas Day if your little one unwraps this awesome toy.
Kidizoom Twist (Ages 3 to 9 years old)
Say CHEESE!
The Kidizoom Twist is a camera that promises hours of non-stop fun! Users can play five pre-installed games, dabble with the device’s 50 photo effects, record videos or create their own stop motion animations.
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This sounds like a great opportunity to smile and take your best shot! 😉
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar (Ages 3 to 6 years old)
It’s a coding magical caterpillar! This unique toy encourages kids to experiment as they play, helping them to develop coding, sequencing and critical thinking skills.
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It features nine easy-to-connect segments that preschoolers can arrange and rearrange to “tell” the toy how to move: forward, left, right, wiggle, dance or even wait for a couple seconds before moving again. There is just so much fun and learning!
Little ones will love this gift! Ready…set…code!
KidiBuzz Smart Device (Ages 4 to 9 years old)
Parents can finally reclaim their phones, thanks to KidiBuzz! It’s the perfect device for kids to take photos, play games, and also send their favorite selfies over Wi-Fi to a parent-approved contact list using the KidiConnect app. Best of all, parents can trust the kid-safe web browser and apps installed.
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It is available in Pink and Blue. We love the KidiBuzz Smart Device and we use it often. As a parent I know that is safe for my chid to use and the KidiConnect can help her send messages to family and friends that we have connected her to. It also makes our daughter feel like a big girl with her very own phone.
Kids will be buzzing if they find it under the tree for them! 😊
Pop the Pig “Pop N’ Race” (Ages 4 and up)
Pop the Pig is an international preschool classic and is adored by millions of children and now he is back in a whole new game by Goliath Games.
This unique board game features a specially designed pig die popper. Pop his belly and race around the board as you try to be the first player to get your four movers home.
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Pop the Pig “Pop N’ Race” will provide some family game night popping fun! What child wouldn’t want to press the popper to win the race?! That is just half the fun. The game is colorful and helps children learn to wait their turn, count and follow instructions. A definite win in our books!
VTech Kidi Star Karaoke Machine (Ages 5+ Years)
Bring out your inner superstar! Grab the microphone and use the Music Magic mode to reduce or remove the main vocal track of your favourite songs so you can be the star. The machine promises hours of non-stop fun and laughs – best of all you can sing along to your favorite songs and easily connects with your MP3 player/mobile devices.
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The VTech Kidi Star Karaoke can make your superstar’s singing dreams come true in the comfort of your own home. We love it as it provides hours of entertainment and fun!
Osmo Genius Kit (Ages 5 to 12 years old)
This is the perfect toy that combines technology and learning. Best of all it is an amazing STEM toy!
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Osmo is a magical award-winning game system, it fosters creativity and problem-solving skills through hands-on play. The kit includes five fun games that touch on core subjects such as math (numbers) and spelling (words). It also helps kids hone essential skills like visual thinking (Tangram), creative problem-solving (Newton), and self-expression (masterpiece).
It is compatible with iPad pro 9.7-Inch, all iPad mini, all iPad air, all iPad 2 and up. This will be a great holiday list hit!
Pikmi Pops “Lollipop Chase” (Ages 5 and up)
Pikmi Pops are sweet scented and full of surprises! The special lollipop container opens to reveal a scented plush with surprises. It’s a great addition to any collection!
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In this adorable new game, help the Pikmi Pops fill their Pikmi trees with lots of lollipops! To earn lollipop, you may need to dance, sing, or even tell a story. Some special places on the board will unlock surprises! Be the first player to collect four different lollipops to fill your Pikmi tree and win!
Pikmi Pops “Lollipop Chase” is an adorable game includes one exclusive scented Pikmi Pops plush and it is great fun for your little ones. Pikmi Pops are very popular with children ages 5 and up and they will definitely love to see this gift under their tree.
Kidi Secrets Selfie Journal (Ages 6 to 12 years old)
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Vtech presents the ULTIMATE diary! Your secrets are safe with its unique facial recognition software to lock and unlock the diary. Kids can get creative and express their ideas and stories with a photo journal, take fun selfies, write diary entries or record voice messages!
Diaries are a lot of fun and this one combines the high-tech that kids love. We sure love this gift idea!
Hydro Strike (Ages 7 and up)
Pressman Toy brings a great new game and perfect for the pinball game lovers!
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Get ready to make a splash with Hydro Strike! In this head-to-head pinball game, you’ll need fast flipping fingers to shoot the ball into your opponent’s goal. Score and your opponent will get sprayed in the face with water! Since a sprayer is aimed at both players, strike when you play, or you’ll get the spray! The first player to score 5 times wins
Hydro Strike is an exciting game will compliment any family game night. We know this will be a hot item for the holiday gift list!
GoldieBlox & the Builder’s Survival Kit (Ages 7 and up)
GoldieBlox and the Builder’s Survival Kit features the world’s first girl engineer character, Goldie Blox! This is Goldie’s ultimate kit for the most adventurous innovator!
Her Diary of Inventions offers kids a wide-eyed perspective of Goldie’s world, including 11 build ideas. Introduces the real-life skill concepts of mechanical engineering.
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From budding engineers to master architects, GoldieBlox and the Builder’s Survival Kit gives inventors the freedom to choose their own difficulty level. With included prompts, kids can build simple and small or big and bold.
We love this toy as it inspires kids to develop spatial skills through basic engineering principles while building their reading skills and confidence in problem solving. Talk about a toy that is building a bright future for children.
i-Top (Ages 7 and up)
Do you have a child who loves high-tech? Well, we have the game for them! It is where technology, this high-tech top keeps track of the number of spins while LEDs light up the display. Spin your way to the top score by competing in multiple challenges.
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Unlock hidden features by spinning the top an exact number of spins to show special animations, or challenge your friend to a high score. With over ten different ways to play and tons of animations, the fun with i-Tops is non-stop! It is available in Mega Gear Blue, Infinite Purple and vortex Red.
i-Top will provide hours of spinning good times! We know children will love to try this new game from Goliath Games.
Scientific Explorer Crime Catchers Spy Science Kit (Ages 8 and Up)
Calling all crime solvers! Match DNA, analyze fingerprints, decode messages and investigate clues to catch crime with this Scientific Explorer spy science kit.
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We love this gift idea as it’s unique and has a teaching component to fun! It teaches biology, chemistry and science behind the crime scene labs.
Your Children Will Be Inspired For The Holidays
There you have it! Our top 21 toys that will make holiday dreams come true. At the end of the day that one special gift will always be special if it’s coming with love.
We hope everyone enjoys this special time of year with loved ones. Happy Holidays!
