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Dear Marianne:

How can you tell if these holiday "hot toy" lists are credible or just advertising?

Shelley, New York, NY, Mom of Luke (4) and Max (18 months)

The best way to approach a "hot" toy list is to read it for information and not as a shopping list. Most of these lists have little or no research behind them. To determine if a list is credible or not, look for these red flags.

1. The list is based purely on opinion. Anyone can have an opinion.
There are more scientific ways to evaluate toys.

2. Kids are billed as toy experts. Children are toy consumers, not toy
experts.

3. The list contains nothing but descriptions of the toys. That's a
hint there was never really any testing or evaluation.
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The Kid Tips Parent's Report As Seen On Fox

Radica
Play TV Jr. Construction

$49.99

Designed for preschool boys, this interactive playset plugs into a television or VCR. Once connected, the child role plays through a variety of construction "jobs." The toy lights up stimulating visual hand-eye coordination and "vibrates" stimulating sensory development as different tools are needed. As the child controls what is on the screen, self esteem is developedRequires four "C" batteries.

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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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