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I keep seeing award stickers on toy packages. If I buy a toy that has an award sticker on the box does that mean other similar toys are not as good? What guidelines can I follow for choosing a good toy?

Lauren, Miami, FL
Mom of Rachel (7), Sofi (6) and Naomi (2)

Use them as a guide and follow 3 easy steps before making a decision on what to buy?

1.Analyze: What does the child have already? (Stacks of board games, tubs of building blocks, shelves of books) Take a quick INVENTORY of your child’s collection and see if there is a type of toy missing from the playroom. A new kind of toy will trigger interest and intrigue once opened!
2.Simplify- Parents “think” kids need a lot of toys, then regret having so many around the house! It is best to have a variety of TOY TYPES, so a child uses a range of developmental skills.
3.Magnify: It is imperative that toys are chosen which are age-appropriate and are of interest to a child. Choose toys that "MAGNIFY’ a child’s current skills and challenges those they need to work on.

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Kid Tips Magazine – Summer

Features in this issue include:

Toy Tips tested Stroller Accessories
also... see our article in the August issue of Parenting Magazine

Expectant and new Mom Gift Guide

Father-Child Gift Guide in honor of Father's Day on June 15.

Tech Toy Reviews as seen on TECH TV.
Click here to view.

Patriotic Products in honor of July 4th!

Join the new Toy Tips Parenting Book Club!

The next issue of Toy Tips & Parenting Hints will be emailed to you on August 15, 2003 and include parenting book reviews from our new Toy Tips parenting book club (If you would like to join, email me at marianne@toytips.com for details), our NEW back-to-school nutritious and delicious health guide and a sneak preview on 2003 holiday toy reviews.

NOTE: Our annual juvenile gear guide has been moved to the August issue in order to cover testing of new products introduced at the Juvenile Manufacturer Products Association Trade Show we attended in May, 2003.

I welcome all suggestions and comments at marianne@toytips.com.

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Toy Tips to Parents: Time to Unplug

Don't over stuff the toy box with tech toys. When is technology too much technology?

While tech toys are popular and some can be educational, the latest round of newcomers at Toy Fair makes it clear we're going too far into technology assisted play. It seems technology now permeates almost every kind of toy category on the toy shelves. Parents run the risk of stocking the playroom with items that undermine the important developmental aspects of childhood play.

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