BabyThoughts.ca's Weekly Toy Box

This week in honor of Valentine's Day, all our toys in the Toy Box are RED!

Vilac Mini Red Race Car
reg $14.95 now$10.47

Bajo Red Airplane
reg $23.95 now $17.96

Melissa & Doug Monkey Face Grasp & Shake
reg $12.95 now $6.48

Toy Spotlight - Bajo Large Wooden Cars

This week in the Toy Spotlight, I wanted to talk about the large wooden cars from Bajo. I have talked about the Bajo cars here before, but today I wanted to focus on the large wooden vehicles in the collection.

The Bajo line of toys was started in 1993 by Wojciech Bajor, an architect and set designer who believes that playing with a good wooden toy enables the real world to sink into a child's consciousness. What I love about all the Bajo cars is that they have such clean and organic lines that they can become whatever car or vehicle the child wants it to be. They are not limited in what they can be and this allows the child to make believe that it is anything. It can be a race car one day and a tractor another.

It is also not limited to where and how the child plays with it, due to the fact that it is wood and has almost no metal parts, they can be played in the bath, outside in the mud or the sand, they can be decorated with stickers or painted.

All the large Bajo cars are recommended for 2 years and up, perfect for little hands and for toddlers that are starting to develop their imaginative and creative play.

One of my favourite of the large vehicles is the Large Tow Truck, I find it so much fun to play with because you can really tow things. Not just other Bajo cars (which you can) but anything that you can wrap the little rope around works too. As I said all the Large Bajo Cars can be towed by the Large Tow Truck, and if you have the little cars, they can also be towed, you just have to wrap the rope around the hole.

I am very excited to be carrying the Bajo Wooden Car collection and I invite you to stop by and check them out!

Toy Spotlight - Bajo Vehicles

I knew when I got the Bajo wooden vehicle collection that little ones would love it. After all, they are specially designed to be held in little hands and the imaginative way that they can play with them is just endless.

When I gave my second child at 3 months one of the small Bajo vehicles, I discovered what a great grasping toy and teething toy it is. The little vehicles are small enough that babies can hold them comfortably in their little hands, and big enough for them to put in their mouths with no worries of chocking, they are also very safe as they are painted with non-toxic paints and are easy to clean and disinfect.

When she was able to sit up, she would love to play with her little cars. By this time she had three of them and she would pass them from hand to hand to mouth.

Now at a year, she pushes them away from her and crawls to them. They are still a fun teething toy for her and after all the 'love' they have gotten from her, they still look like new.

The Bajo wooden vehicles are great for sensory development for babies, fine-motor skill development for toddlers and imaginative play for preschoolers.

Stop by BabyThoughts.ca to see our entire Bajo Vehicle collection. Take advantage of our toy sale of up to 50% off on until October 16, 2011.

Toy Spotlight - Vilac Vehicles

This week in the spotlight are the beautiful and timeless vehicles from Vilac. Vilac has been making high quality wooden toys for a 100 years. Vilac toys are known for their classic look and feel, specially for their smoothly rounded and high gloss lacquered wooden vehicles. All their lacquered toys are still manufactured in the Jura region of France.

At BabyThoughts we carry a large selection of Vilac vehicles that are sure to be part of your child's toy box for years and are meant to be passed down from child to child as they are incredibly durable and timeless in design. Choose from the vibrant Fire Truck to the mini red and yellow ralley cars.

I absolutely fell in love with these vehicles when I saw them, they are just so elegant, modern and chic . They are not cheap plastic cars that you know you can't wait for your child to outgrow so that you can put them away. You will never want to hide these cars and I have no doubt that your little one will always go back to playing with them.

If you know a child that just loves cars, than I highly recommend the Vilac vehicles, you really can't go wrong. After all, Vilac has been in the toy making industry for a 100 years, you can be sure that not only are you getting top craftsmanship but that they will be loved by children.

Visit BabyThoughts.ca to see our Vilac Vehicle collection!

Vroom Vroom !! Vilac Car Sale

This week only buy 2 Vilac cars and get the 3rd car FREE!!

Choose any two cars and receive the third car of equal or lesser value for free. Sale available on email orders only while quantities last.

You can place your order by emailing me at kzamora@babythoughts.ca.

Sale ends August 28, 2009.

Play Essentials

With all the choices parents face as they stroll down the toy aisle, choosing a toy that will not only entertain your child but also stimulate them, and encourage them to explore and learn can be challenging.

This is why I have put together a list of types of toys that will not only be fun to play with, but will also give them the opportunity to develop important life skills. These play essentials include puzzles, stackers, sorters and pretend play toys.

To help start or add to your toy collection, we are having a SALE* on many of our essential toys.

SAVE UP TO 25% OFF ON SELECTED TOYS!

Puzzles

When it comes to toys, puzzles are certainly one of the best for children of all ages. For babies and toddles, puzzles aid in the development of hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills. As a child grows and puzzles become more complex, they help children recognize patterns which are very important for critical thinking. When played with others they are great at teaching all about teamwork, cooperation and communication. No matter the size and difficulty of a puzzle, once completed it will give a child confidence and encourage them to investigate and participate in trial and error activities.

Stackers & Sorters

Stackers and Sorters are great toys to teach children about size, shape and colour. They will also help with their fine motor and cognitive development. You can introduce both sorters and stackers as soon as a child is able to sit by themselves, at this time it is best to introduce them to the different pieces and showing them how it works, and as they get older you can start encouraging them to stack the rings in the right order or to fit the shapes in the right slot. You can also create different games that will teach them about pattern recognition, counting, and promote logical thinking.

Pretend Play

Kitchen play, dolls, doll houses, trains and cars are all great toys for role playing and make believe. Pretend play encourages children to inquire and discover about the world they live in. It supports the development of social & language skills, creativity, and imagination. It is a wonderful way for them to develop emotional skills and learn how to react to a variety of situations that they may encounter in their early childhood years. When played in a group, pretend play will encourage teamwork and communication.


* Sale ends March 1, 2009, while quantities last.

Introducing Vilac Wooden Cars