The Top Ten Gifts for Toddlers

Year after year, children and adults alike are baffled by the mystery of how Santa really knows who's been naughty or nice. After much urging by the elves and Mrs. Claus, Santa has allowed his biggest secret to be revealed in The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition . Touted as "The best thing since The Night Before Christmas" this gift set includes a light skin, blue eyed North Pole pixie-elf with a couture skirt, hardbound children's book and keepsake box. Children can register their elf online and receive a special response from Santa. Store Exclusive Bonus: Includes two Make Your Own Elf Ornaments

Five endangered sea animal images on turtle shell that illuminate one at a time
Shell glows in three soothing colors options ocean blue, emerald green and aquamarine; Dimensions: 14" long, 4" tall
Night sky projection on ceiling
Star Guide to help identify constellations
3 AAA batteries included; 45 minute sleep timer; Ideal for ages 2 to adult

Elmo is a big hit with little ones everywhere. The LET'S ROCK! Elmo toy is a rockin' singing' delight. Dressed in his own concert-style t-shirt, you choose which instrument Elmo plays, and he magically recognizes which one you give him. He even interacts with the other LET'S ROCK! Instruments (each sold separately). Elmo can tell when you are playing the LET'S ROCK! Guitar, Keyboard or Microphone--and he plays along with you! This toy set is ideal for kids from 18-months to 4-years old.

SESAME STREET LET'S ROCK!
Elmo
At a Glance:
Age Requirements:
18 months and up
Assembly Requirements: Six AA batteries (included)

LET'S ROCK! Elmo comes with a microphone, tambourine, and drums. View larger. Rock-Out with Sesame Street's Elmo
Choose which instrument you want LET'S ROCK Elmo to play and he "magically" recognizes which one you give him. Kids can also play along on Elmo's instruments--they're perfectly sized for little hands to beat on the drums, shake the tambourine or pretend to sing into the microphone. Play along while Elmo sings his songs! He sings "Elmo's gonna rock. YEAH!" in his Elmo Likes to Rock and Roll song! He also sings five other songs: What Elmo Likes About You, It Takes Two, Elmo's World, Rock 'n Roll Alphabet Song, and Sing Out!

With a barnyard of friends to cheer baby on, your little one will love learning to walk using the Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker. Start her out with the easy-to-remove play panel for floor play or fun on-the-run. Then step it up with the fun-to-maneuver walker. The Learning Walker has a medley of fun three spinning flowers, five piano keys, colorful rollers, three light-up shape sorters and a telephone handset. And, the Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker keeps baby on track teaching shapes, colors, animals, music and more. 5 piano keys play music notes. Removable play panel for tummy time. 3 colorful spinning rollers. 3 shape sorters and light-up shape buttons. Telephone handset, spinning gears and open/close barn door enhance role play fun.

From the Manufacturer
Ten colorful blocks for baby to sort, stack & drop! Filling the bucket with blocks, dumping them out, and starting over is great for eye-hand coordination and other early skills. Then baby can move on to stacking and matching, and sorting the five different block shapes through the shape-sorting lid. All 10 blocks fit inside the bucket, with a carry handle for easy take-along! Developmental Benefits for Baby - Helps baby learn through everyday experiences: 1) Helps baby learn to identify & sort shapes & colors. 2) Enhances problem-solving skills with put & take play, stacking & sorting. Motivating Imagination: 1) Encourages creative thinking as baby discovers new ways to play with blocks. 2) Bright colors & interesting shapes intrigue baby. Encourages Developing Motor Skills: 1) Placing blocks in bucket strengthens eye-hand coordination. 2) Grasping & sorting blocks develops finger & hand dexterity.

From the Manufacturer
Set a space for fun, learning and sharing. The Shapes and Sharing Picnic Basket helps little learners explore shapes, colors/colours, manners and more. Over 30 audio responses encourage pretend play, and the 14-piece set helps children build motor skills as they sort, match, stack, empty and fill. Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning. Appropriate for children ages 6 to 36 months.

Learn how to recognize animals through sight and sound with the Little People Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo from Fisher-Price. This interactive set recognizes model animals, like the included lion, gorilla, and polar bear, names them out loud for children, and demonstrates the noises they make in the wild.

Animal Sounds
Zoo
Ages: One and a half to five years
Requires: Three AA batteries, Phillips-head screwdriver
At a Glance:
Press each animal to the red paw pad to hear its name and the sound it makes
Learn how to recognize animals through sight and sound
Play with animals on a mobile terrain filled with surprises, like peek-a-boo doors
Setup is easy with included instructions
Handle makes the set easy to transport

Learn how to recognize animals through sight and sound. View larger.
Built-in handle makes the set easy to transport. View larger. A Zoo Where Animals Talk to You
The Animal Sounds Zoo includes a polar bear, a lion, and a gorilla to begin zoo play. Press each animal to the red paw pad at the set's base to hear its name, and press it again to hear the sound it makes. This process will teach your child to recognize an animal through its name, the way the animal looks, and the sound it makes. Then, children can match each animal to its habitat. This set includes polar regions, grasslands, jungle, and water environments that are suitable for the included animals and can also accommodate other animals (sold separately).

From the Manufacturer
Light the way to early writing with Scribble & Write Children trace the lights to get practice drawing simple shapes and pictures, then graduate to learning upper- and lowercase letters with step-by-step guidance. Fun learning games help reinforce letter

Great Review on Amazon!

Amazon.com Product Description
Phonics have never been more fun with this LeapFrog Fridge PhonicsMagnetic Set. With this engaging tool, children can learn letter names and sounds from the convenience of your refrigerator. Simply place a letter into the reader and press to hear its name, sound, and a delightful phonics song. Great as a speech development tool for ages two and up, the LeapFrog magnetic set delivers hour of amusement, while teaching the alphabet.
Leap into Learning
Kids will dance to the music and their faces light up as they imitate the sounds. The vowels are all colored red and the consonants are yellow, blue, or green. This helps children identify letters and see the difference between vowels and consonants. And as the children learn to grasp and place the letters, the toy sharpens motor skills.

To start the learning process, this toy includes 26 magnetic letters and a magnetic letter reader. Little fingers can easily grasp the big, bright letters and place them on the fridge. Kids can also play the alphabet song by pressing the red musical note. In addition, a handy off-soft-loud control allows parents to change the volume and keeps the music at an enjoyable level. Vibrant colors and a sassy green frog captivates the kids and adds to the fun. This educational toy's durable plastic construction holds up to rough toddler play. Three AAA-size batteries are provided.

Award-Winning Features
This toy has received many accolades and awards from prominent toy organizations. In 2003, it won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal and Snap Award; it was also named Nick Jr.com's Toy of the Year. It attaches right to the refrigerator with secure magnets and is easily accessible when your child is hungry for learning. With lively musical songs and a fun cartoon frog, the magnetic letter set can be a great educational tool for children with a severe speech difficulty, or for those just needing a brush-up on their ABCs.

What's in the Box
Magnetic letter reader, 26 magnetic letters, and 3 AAA batteries.

Amazon.com Product Description
Engage your baby in put-and-take play with the lively Playskool Elefun Busy Ball Popper. Designed for children 9 months and older, this elephant will delight young children with its upbeat music and engaging ball-popping action. Easy push-button activation allows your child to choose between 10 songs. The toy's baby-friendly design also encourages young children to reach, grab, and crawl.

Poppin Park
Elefun Busy Ball Popper
Ages: 9 months and up
Requires: Adult assembly; 4 D batteries; Phillips screwdriver
At a Glance:
Air-powered elephant pops balls out of its trunk
Toy engages children in put-and-take play
Child can choose between 10 upbeat tunes
Includes five colorful, lightweight balls
Sturdy construction ideal for young children

Control the level of play with turning a trunk 360 degrees. View larger.
Helps develop hand/eye coordination. View larger. Toy Encourages Coordination and Motor Skills
This toy helps your child practice hand-eye coordination and develops fine motor skills through grabbing balls from the elephant's tummy and dropping them in the elephant's ears. It also provides a fun way for children to learn cause and effect. When a child drops balls into the toy, the balls pop out in a different place.

Even babies will enjoy grabbing the colorful, lightweight balls from the elephant's tummy and watching them pop up through its trunk.

Lively Music Engages Children
This toy plays a variety of upbeat music for your child to enjoy. A large button on the elephant's hand makes it easy for your little one to switch between songs. One young tester loved the noise, but was startled by the popping balls.

The noise made by the toy--akin to a vacuum cleaner in a video arcade--may become tiresome to adults with extended play. Fortunately, children can engage in put-and-take play even when the toy is in the "off" position, but an adult will need to tip the elephant over to dislodge balls placed in its trunk. Even when the toy was turned on, our tester found that balls occasionally did not pop as they were supposed to and required adult intervention.

Sturdy Construction Ideal for Young Children
The sturdy design of the plastic elephant makes this an ideal toy for babies eager to practice sitting, crawling, and pulling up. Your child can sit and watch the elephant as it shoots balls from its trunk or crawl after the colorful balls. The toy is also stable enough that your child can use it to assist in pulling up.

The toy's movable, air-powered trunk can be positioned to pop balls towards one of the ears or across the room. An adult will need to move the trunk into place as it is too difficult for a child to manipulate. During assembly, the stabilizer and ears also required a large amount of force to click into place. That said, the setup was straightforward and quick, taking less than 10 minutes, and required just four D batteries (not included).