Happy Travels

'Tis the season for family vacations, whether you are able to escape somewhere sunny and warm or just heading a couple of hours out of town to visit family and friends, good travel toys are essential to keep the little ones entertained and in their seats.

We just got some great toys that are perfect for playing in both the seat of a car or an airplane.

The first ones are our newest addition from Melissa & Doug, their new magnetic bead mazes. Both the Magnetic Number Maze and Magnetic Colour Maze will keep your little one occupied for quite some time as they work to slide the beads in the correct hole. Both toys are great for the development of number and colour recognition, as well as matching and fine motor skills.

Another great travel toy is the Mini Bingo from HABA, the classic bingo game for up to four players that comes in a charming tin container. A great assigning game that all will enjoy playing.

A great travel toy for younger children are both books from HABA. Both Alex at the Zoo and Dino and the Dinos are a 3-in-1 toy: they are a book, a puzzle and a game. Younger children will enjoy reading about their favourite dinosaur or zoo animal, while older children will have fun putting together the five jigsaw puzzles and playing the game.

No matter how far you travel this season, these toys are sure to keep everyone happy.

Made In Canada!

We are so excited to offer our first Canadian made toy...Ukoonto!

We discovered the beautiful building blocks at the Healthy Kids Expo this fall and could not wait to show them off. In fact, we introduced them at both the Children's Trunk Show and the BabyTime Show. We had one complete set out for kids to play with and they enjoyed creating different building structures out of the pieces.

The Ukoonto blocks are made from hard maple wood, they are not treated with any kind of lacquer, paint or finish, which makes the very safe for little ones to put in their mouths.

The set comes with 50 pieces in classic shapes such as rectangles, triangles, and arches. The blocks have been tested to be safe for children 9 months+. At this age, children will love stacking them up, and as they get older they will get more creative in what they create with them. This is certainly a toy that will grow with your child and will be enjoyed in many different ways.

Building blocks are a wonderful toy to stimulate a child's creativity, spatial thinking, and fine motor skills. They offer children infinite possibilities in what they can build and create. They are truly a must have toy!

Media Watch

BabyThoughts.ca has two products featured in the What's New section of the November/December 2008 issue of Calgary's Child Magazine.

The two products featured are the Tiny Love Andy Apple and the new Manhattan Toy Winkel-Citrus Burst.

Both toys are so fun and vibrant and are great grasping and teething toys for young children.