Tender memories of Christmas joys are only enhanced when the gifts mean a little more. As each of us roam through the golden toned corridors of our Christmases past we can select a few cherished moments and gifts that shine a little brighter than others. In homage to these meaningful Christmases of our youth new parents embark on a frenzied journey each year to buy those toys that will in turn shine brightly in the adulthood memories of their new babies.

Nostalgia is priceless

There is no way to put a price value on these holiday gifts. The gift itself may have cost a small amount, but the love felt with its giving and the memories that span a life time are without price. It will be the same for your children. It may not always be possible to gage what gift will be the one to engender such fond memories.

Parents are surprised to find their babies and toddlers paying much more attention to the trinkets in their stockings than the elaborate gifts beneath the tree. For a child there is no mystery – it is not the price tag they count, but the imagination, time and love that is put into the gift itself.

Make it personal

Not all nostalgia toys come from a store. Kids love to hear stories that are true. My children’s interest is never piqued more nor held longer than when I relate stories to them from my or their father’s own childhood. They love to hear about what toys and candies we ate, the movies we loved, the songs we sang and the traditions our families had for different celebrations. Hardly a week fails to pass that they request a ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy’ story at bedtime instead of the usual book. Our children are not alone in this interest. My nieces and nephews and friend’s children share a similar obsession with their parent’s past. Each child latches onto a different memory and takes it to heart.

Keep these stories in mind when shopping for your toddler’s Christmas gifts. Purchasing a doll that resembles your beloved Emma-Lou, will delight your own baby girl when she knows the full story connected with her new baby doll. The same is true of boys. My son’s favorite gifts for Christmas to date were a collection of well-loved and abused Star Wars action figures that his dad had played with as a boy.

Old is New

Don’t panic if all your childhood toys went to Goodwill years ago. You can still get your child a gift with a story. A growing trend among toy manufacturers is to recommission toys from yesteryear. If you are new to the Christmas shopping scene for youngsters it might surprise you to see how many familiar toys you will find greeting you like old friends from store shelves. Nostalgia toys are fun not only for the children to get, but for parents to give. This year as you shop for your baby and toddler and bask in the magical memories of your childhood Christmases you may discover that it is truly better to give then to receive.

If you are not inclined to share your much loved toys or they are no longer in your possession, why not start a new tradition? Pedal cars, trains, tractors and even pedal airplanes are making a big comeback for the new generation, in classic and new colors sure to please the little ones in your life.

Puzzles from Santa – Getting the perfect gift for your toddler shouldn’t be a riddle and can be the best investment you ever made for many reasons.

Toddlers are a busy, imaginative group of individuals. Their minds and needs have progressed past the impulsive desire to chew every thing their fingers grasp into slimy shreds. They love colors and will not forget about an object simply because mommy has hidden it out of sight.

Toddlers are also natural problem solvers. Don’t believe me? Then why the need for a million dollar baby proofing industry, constant parental supervision and a great deal of improvising when the fancy toddler proof containers fail to keep your toddler out?

Work with it

This Christmas as you select holiday gifts for your toddler use these natural impulses to select gifts that stimulate these natural tendencies and capture the imagination. To that end puzzles are the perfect gift.

What kind?

The latest trend in holiday gifts or newborn baby gifts is the childrens personalized step stool. Choosing a childrens personalized step stool can be one of the more unique ways to add the enjoyment of having a puzzle along with their own name engraved in the stool. The stepstool not only promotes independence, it encourages learning to read with dexterity.

Of course your toddler will not enjoy a 1000 piece puzzle of Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpieces, but you are not too far off the mark. The best kind of puzzles for a toddler will take into account their fine motor skills and love of colors, learning and imagination. If you do choose a landscape type puzzle, choose one with a large pattern or picture. Too many intricate details will mean that this puzzle is dumped and abandoned for mom or dad to piece together again.

When selecting a puzzle for toddlers keep the following things in mind:

-Toddlers might not chew on everything, but will be tempted to take a nip or two every once in a while. Choose puzzles that can handle that kind of wear and tear without falling apart and creating a choking hazard. To this end wooden or foam puzzles work best.

-Nimble toddler fingers adept at defying the childproof cap still have trouble with fine motor skills. Puzzles with tiny pieces which lock together might confuse and frustrate them. Choose puzzles that have larger pieces and whose pieces fit into their own slot on the puzzle board.

-Some puzzles come with little knobs or handles attached to each piece. These are especially easy for even the youngest puzzle enthusiast to master.

-Bright colors and themes to match and stimulate your child’s interest are best.

Making it fun

One of the elements that make puzzles fun for your little one are the wide variety of character, themes and age appropriate educational pictures that appeal to children of that age. Puzzles featuring the alphabet or numbers help your child to learn as they play. Fun characters or puzzles with cars, princesses or bugs stimulate imagination and foster your child’s interests in and awareness of the world around them.

Perhaps the best part of a puzzle for Christmas is that this gift often creates moments of one on one play with you and your child. What parent or toddler doesn’t love more quality time spent in simple play?

Take it to the web for an entirely different holiday shopping experience Now that we have explored the material world of traffic, long check out lines and swelling crowds it is time to enter an entirely different kind of shopping jungle. This is Holiday Shopping Diva here with a whole new shopping subject and a bag of tricks to guide even the least computer savvy shopper to cyber success this holiday season.

Christmas on the Block

Ok, first things first – just because you are facing a computer screen instead of an intimidating mob of shoppers does not mean the competition is any less fierce. In some ways it is more so, but don’t let that frighten you.

Heading to the online auctions to shop is a great way to stretch your dollar, avoid post office messes, and find a wider variety of toys in one spot. That being said you still need to prepare. The list, the research and the stakeout are all still important. This initial work will allow you to get down to the nitty-gritty of defending your bid when the time comes.

Gone Shopping

With your list and exact toy needs in mind it is time to head to the auction sites to find little Billy’s first toddler bike. Having done the research means you know exactly what you want and this increases your odds of finding it among the thousands of cyber offerings listed as toddler bike. Once you have zeroed in on the target, place your bid. Timing is often very important. You can put the toys you wish to observe in a special ‘watch’ list. This allows you to keep a close eye on the toy without placing a bid. It is a good idea to watch an item before officially placing your bid. This is especially true for auctions that still have several days before they close or for toy items that are likely to be popular.

As you watch your list, keep track of similar toys and their selling prices. This will help you know what you can expect a winning bid to be.

Going once, going twice and sold! To nannygoo124

As you compile your watch list one of the most important things you need to decide is what your maximum bid will be. Remember as you calculate how much you are willing to spend on Suzie’s custom step stool, remember to account for shipping. It is easy to get carried away in the excitement of last minute bids and end up spending way more than you had intended.

Near the end of the auction place your bid. If the auction site has an automatic re-bid system it is a good idea to use it. This allows you to set your top price and then if you are out bid the site will automatically re-bid on your behalf until your top price is reached.

As the auction time is close to finishing, now is the time to be hyper vigilant. Don’t turn your back on your item for even a minute in the final 15 minutes of the auction or you may lose it. Shopping the auction adds an element of fun to Christmas shopping you won’t find elsewhere and you don’t have to fix your hair to get it!

It takes a bit of time to find the good deals, using auctions and if you have the extra time, it could be worth it.

Classic toys from a bygone era bespeak the tradition of the season and a connection with antiquity that is renewed with each holiday season. There are some things which seem impervious to the dimming factor time has on most. Christmas and traditions which are woven into its very fabric stand the test of time year after year. Most folks have great memories of the Radio Flyer wagon they got and if they are lucky, have kept.

Babies and the renewal of life, the freshness and love each tiny little bundle brings is also a timeless experience. Each new parent or grandparent will attest to this fact. Babies and the memory of babies stand forever young.

The marriage of babies and Christmas is almost unavoidable. Parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles the world over wait for Christmas to spoil and love the newest additions to their family circles, just as the childless wait for a baby to complete their Christmas celebrations.

Heirloom Gifts

Babies don’t usually need a lot, nor are they very aware of the gifts bestowed upon them for their first Christmases. To this end it is fun, and befitting to select gifts of heirloom quality. This kind of gift has a value which goes beyond the item itself and springs up from tradition, love and the memories of antiquity as well as dreams for the baby’s future.

Big bucks

An heirloom gift does not need to be expensive, but is usually of a higher quality than the more disposable counterpart. For example, a silver or pewter cup engraved with the babies name and birth date is not an extravagantly expensive gift. Yet the gift itself will last into future generations honoring the special feelings felt for this child. The grandbabies of this baby will share in that birthright of love as the cup passes hands.

Specifics

Heirloom gifts do not need to be fancy; some of the most beautiful heirloom gifts are the simplest. Toys made from wood like wooden cars and trucks or boats and animals are of heirloom quality. Raggedy Ann dolls are also cherished heirloom toys. This kind of heirloom gift can be played with and enjoyed in ways other than just observing it on a shelf.

Other heirloom gifts are less sturdy in play, but no less valued. Gifting a silver picture frame along with a certificate for a photography session is a gift that will certainly be appreciated long after it is given.

To select the perfect heirloom gift for the babies on your list think about traditional gifts such as: silver cups, bronzed baby booties, a pewter rattle. More modern gifts that still qualify as heirloom gifts include: classic books like those by Beatrix Potter or A.A. Milne, well made toys fashioned after eras past, porcelain dolls, bonnets, layettes and christening gowns.

Or think about any of the Radio Flyer toys, Airflow collectibles for pedal planes or tricycles. As a child, there is nothing like being able to have your own set of wheels to cruise around the neighborhood and many of those children will keep that toy forever and ever and even pass it on to their own children.

Add a bit of light and a few sound effects and watch the fun grow. Your baby can roll, sit and even step a bit when holding your fingers or clinging to the couch. It might be time this year to get a Christmas gift that will really get the party started. Babies love lights. Toys that blink or flash stimulate brain function and really hold your little one’s attention. You probably already have a variety of toys that come equipped with a light show. The addition of a few sounds and strains of music take the fun to another level.

Yet all the lights and sounds in the world are often no match for the simple pleasure of standing and moving. Babies who have reached the cruising stage are not content to sit in one place and rattle the same toy no matter how many lights it has or different sounds it makes. A cruising baby wants action!

This is where toys that come in the form of a table come in. There is a type of musical lights and sound table to suit any parent or baby’s wildest Christmas dreams. A few of the more common varieties are simply activity tables that stand about a foot or so off of the floor. These elevated toys have knobs and buttons for your child to press, open, roll or slide. In addition to the gadgets for baby’s play your child can now stand and shimmy all the way around their little table. Babies love to press the buttons that play music then perform their own dance routines while using the table to steady themselves.

Has your baby already shown an interest in a certain cartoon character or song? There are tables that incorporate most of the major baby friendly cartoon shows and songs. The familiar colors and sounds enhance baby’s interest and play.

One of the perennial favorite light, sound or musical play tables for little ones are tables that include a miniature key board. It is never too soon to create a love of music in your child. Who knows where this early piano tinkering will take your child?

Parents often think about fun and learning. Babies just want to have a bit of fun. There is a table for that! In fact there are many, many tables that not only stimulate play, but also help your child learn a variety of basic facts. Some tables come with buttons shaped like each letter of the alphabet, as your baby presses these buttons the letter’s name is said. The same holds true of shapes, numbers or animal sounds.

To get the most for your money look for tables that grow with your child both in terms of height and interest. Some tables have different program settings that will change the function of buttons and sound effects. This means your baby will move through the cruiser and toddler stages and not become bored because even for youngsters variety is the spice of life.

For mommy and daddy’s sanity, look for tables that are equipped with volume controls as well as an off button. If your child loves this toy as much as most babies do you may soon wish it wasn’t quite so loud. You will also want to consider how the table is powered. How long do the batteries last? How many, what type and what is the cost of the batteries it uses? Many toys requiring batteries are left lifeless and useless once the batteries wear out if the cost and ease of replacement is too high.

You have selected your toddler’s first bike. It is a sweet sassy little number complete with racing stripes and a bell. It is only 18 inches off of the ground. After the frenzied research and purchase is complete don’t be tempted to think your job is done. Dreams of Christmas morning watching your child run to the toddler bike are incomplete unless your toddler is properly equipped with a helmet and other safety gear.

Why does a toddler need a helmet?

Many parents when shopping for a toddler bike forget about the helmet. The bike is only knee-high and the likelihood of serious injury may seem quite remote. Don’t be one of the parents whose Christmas efforts and dreams are rewarded by a broken baby. It is very easy to see the reasoning that a tiny bike might only cause a small bump or bruise, and let’s be honest, for many this is the case. The news headlines on Boxing Day are not topped with mangled and helmetless riders of toddler bikes. Yet there is an element of protection a helmet provides that will insure your child’s safety.

Does a Toddler need the padding?

Toddlers have plenty of natural padding in the form of chub, but they may need a few extra layers to prevent bumps and bruises as they hit the road on their new tricycle. It seems kids these days are buckled, padded and helmeted until they can hardly see or breathe. These safety items really make a difference.

Even the most vigilant parent cannot prevent every fall, nor do they want to. It is necessary to risk a good tumble to learn how to ride a bike, even if it is a tricycle. Toddlers want to learn how to do everything by themselves. Why not give them the padding to make any falls less scary for both parent and child.

Think of it this way: your timid, yet eager child perches atop his bike ready to ride when splat! He falls off skinning his elbows or scraping his knee. This is not a serious life threatening injury, but how long and how much talking will it take to convince your child that this fancy tricycle is fun and not a toddler torture device?

Teach them young

Perhaps the more compelling reason is that of precedent. This is a toddler bike, but it is your baby’s first bike. Setting the expectation of wearing a helmet and other padding protection for knees and elbows now will establish good habits. Then when your toddler somehow becomes a daredevil 8-year old rocketing up and down the street he is doing so while happily wearing the appropriate safety gear.

The first toddler bike is a big deal. Enjoy your child’s Christmas present along with them and have the shiny new helmet and elbow pads with red racing stripes to complete the holiday Kodak moment. Have a safe and merry Christmas!