Because They’ve Been Nice
Table of Contents
Atlanta Parent tested many new toys this fall to make sure Santa finds just the right ones to put under the tree. Here are our kid-pleasing favorites.
Our Top Pick for Baby
Franky the Hanky Whale from Lamaze is a plush toy with an activity young children never tire of – putting tissues in the whale’s mouth and pulling them out the top spout. It’s much better than our baby tester pulling wipes out of the diaper wipes container. Four bright cloth tissues teach colors, and fins are crinkly for texture and sound. Ages 6 months and older. At Babies ‘R’ Us. $24.99
Our Top Pick for Toddler
Toddlers feel all grown up with Vtech’s 2-in-1 Shop & Cook Playset. They load up the shopping cart while listening to music, phrases and sound-effects, and learn about food, colors and numbers. The shopping car transforms into a kitchen, with sink, oven, stove burner and cutting board. Our testers liked hearing the pot on the stove heat up as it glowed and switching between cooking and shopping. Ages 2-5. At most major retailers. $49.99
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Our Top Pick for Preschool
Children’s digital cameras have come a long way, as proven with the Playskool Show Cam. This user-friendly 2-in-1 digital camera and projector provides plenty of giggles as young photographers take snapshots before adding fun animations to the images. It’s easy to switch to projection mode to present a slideshow. No software is required to upload photos to a computer. Ages 3-7. At major retailers. $59.99
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Our Top Pick for Ages 5-8
With the Crayola Photo Mix & Mash, kids can make silly faces with the stamper, distort photos with the morphing tool, or create different borders and add backdrops to original photos. It requires a tablet and a free downloadable app. Kids will be captivated by the designs, the sound effects and the ability to print their masterpieces. Parents will want to put a screen protector on the tablet since the tools sometimes require the user to press hard on the screen. Ages 3-15. At Toys ‘R’ Us. $19.99
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Our Top Pick for Tweens
Spot it! Party by Blue Orange takes the I Spy-style card game to a new level with a series of six mini-games in one box. Illustrated cards show a mix of objects, like pumpkins, shoes or paper clips. There is one, and only one, matching symbol between any two cards, and you’ve got to be the fastest group to find it (up to 8 players). Ages 10 and older. At blueorangegames.com. $19.99