3 Tips for Smart Holiday Toy Shopping
October 30, 2017The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
The holiday season is a magical time of the year. From the festive music to the sweet scents of baked goods in the oven, I love everything about the Christmas season. For me, one of my favorite parts of the season is shopping for toys for my kids. I recently received Best Buy’s toy catalog and I’m so impressed by the variety of toys available in the catalog. From classic toys to learning toys to tech toys, there is something for each kid on my shopping list – and I have a lot of kids to shop for!
Whether you’re shopping for toys for your own kid or another child, finding the right toy for each kid can be a bit overwhelming for the uninitiated. Today I’ll be sharing some tips I have picked up over the years to streamline the process of finding the most appropriate toy every single time.
Tips for Holiday Toy Shopping
1. Follow the age limit guidelines!
You may think that age limit guidelines are just a suggestion, but there are good reasons to abide by the limits. For younger kids, the age limits may be in place for safety reasons (to prevent choking hazards, for example). For older kids, the age limits may be in place for cognitive development reasons (to ensure that the child is mature enough to follow along). So whether I’m buying gifts for my own kids or a friend’s kid, I always follow the manufacturer’s age limit guidelines.
In browsing Best Buy’s Toy Catalog, I’m excited about buying Parker the Augmented Reality Bear for my older daughter. She loves to engage in pretend play and this toy will encourage her to take care of the bear. Using the Parker app on a smartphone, it’s possible to engage in interactive doctor play (I know that’s something my daughter would love). This bear even comes with toy tools for realistic doctor play.
For my younger daughter, I am excited about getting the Mattel Barbie Dreamhouse. With this toy, my child can house her fashion dolls in a high-tech, stylish abode. There are 7 rooms, a working elevator and a functional garage for one of Barbie’s cars! It even comes with adorable furnishings and features interactive elements. I know this dollhouse will be a hit with both of my kids.
2. Consider the child’s interests!
Does the child love coding? Does the child have a passion for high-tech, interactive toys? Pick a toy that will encourage the child to pursue his/her interests. My friend’s son is a huge fan of robotic toys, so I’m excited to purchase the Sphero BB-8™ App-Enabled Droid™ for him. This toy, available at Best Buy, features an adaptive personality that actually responds to the child’s voice. How cool is that! Connect the droid to a smartphone to guide it throughout your home. I know that this toy will be a winner this holiday season!
3. Choose toys that make learning fun!
For kids, play time can – and should – be blended with learning time. That’s why I always try to stick with toys that are both fun and educational. After all, that’s exactly how kids master new material… by being introduced to new concepts while playing. For my cousin’s child, I will be purchasing the Osmo Genius Kit from Best Buy.
I really appreciate that the Osmo Kit encourages the child to think creatively and solve problems. By connecting it to an iPad, Osmo becomes an interactive way to learn numbers, letters, puzzles and more.
I’d love to hear from you now! How many kids are you shopping for this holiday season? Did you check out the Best Buy toy catalog yet? Do you follow age limit guidelines?
My youngest is 10, so we are kind of out of the toy buying days in our house, but I do love your tips. I think they apply to gift buying in general
I’ll be shopping for all my grown-up kids and all the grandkids, so I’ve been busy window-shopping to get some great ideas. You’ve provided plenty of tips to help me get started shopping.
Thanks, Alli! It’s great that you’ve already started planning what you will buy!
What cool toys! My daughter really likes those LOL dolls, so I got her this giant one for Christmas. My son is all about video games. Best Buy has a lot of those!
Yes! My kids are really into those LOL toys too!!
My kids are so into tech toys and Best Buy never disappoints. Although I am still waiting to see what items on their list this year, I’m thinking the Star Wars toys will rule in our house this year like they did a couple of years ago.
I always check the age limit on toys for children. Usually let my daughter tell me what toys the kids want figure she knows best.
Yes! So important to follow the age limits. And it’s true that kids know exactly what they want!
Oh these are such great tips! It’s so important to grab popular things ASAP, there’s nothing worse than not being able to find a specific toy! I saw that the Toys r Us catalogue came out today, so exciting!
I do like getting one or two toys every year that are good for learning and developing skills. I think a lot of the robotic toys are going to be good choices.
I love buying Christmas gifts for kids. I will have to check out the Best Buy’s Toy Catalog to gt a few ideas for the Holidays.
Now those are some neat gifts. Great ideas for shopping smart especially when you are on a budget.
These are some pretty cool toys! I love how high tech these are. I haven’t heard of any of these before and I will have to check them out. Great holiday gift ideas!
These are all great tips on holiday shopping for toys! As an Aunt I am so far behind on toy trends so I truly value posts like these each year!!
So glad I am passed browsing toy catalogs but the the things that older kids want are a lot expensive lol. Thank you for these great tips.
I we don’t have best buy here in Canberra aust but I shop all year at sales for small items than place in a book under each name closer to xmas buy one main item which they want
I have 5 kids (adults) with 9 grandkids all ages small item can be from hairbands to books and toys if some left over than say hi to birthdays for the year little money outlay all year plus banks have xmas accounts for food so everything is set hope all you have a great xmas with family
I don’t dare buy toys unless they are specific on what to buy. But I don’t have to buy for that many except for the kids we adopt at Christmas time.
I love getting presents that help them learn at the same time. Kills two birds with one stone!
These are nice tips for purchasing toys for my kids. I have checked Best Buy, it has a good collection.
My kids are older now so the toy shopping would be for my nephews and nieces. I prefer to give them learning toys every time. Thank you for your holiday shopping tips. I think I better start doing that now to avoid the rush.
Shopping is always fun, especially so during the festival season. Buying gifts and toys is fun but needs some thought. When we buy toys many a time we end up buying something that seems interesting to us, but we need to think from the kid’s perspective.
Our youngest kids are definitely transitioning in their Christmas wishes. So many great options, I need to start shopping soon!
These are some great tips! It’s always been hard for me to buy toys for boys for some reason. I need to check out the Best Buy catalog this year!
I always consider someone’s interests before buying. I don’t always go by suggested age range because it doesn’t always apply.
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