Christmas Toys Dilemma

What does a mom give to a little boy who shares every single one of his dad’s big boy toys? At the age of two, AJ was able to complete a stage in Mario Kart all by himself (well, ok … with a little help from the daddy). At three, he has moved on to other games, though he keeps playing Mario Kart when he’s in the mood for some racing fun. A wii seems to be the logical solution, but judging from the way he handled the Wii at his dad’s relatives’ place, I don’t think a wii at home will be stress free.

News reached us that the cheapest toys in the bazaars and tiangges could be dangerous to kids. It’s the lead content, the report said. Some cheap toys are cheap because they weren’t created well. The parts are substandard and the paint is toxic. So what can we do to avoid buying toys that are substandard? It’s the Christmas season, and godparents like me need to buy in bulk.

The holiday sale at buy.com gave me an idea. Though I am tickled at the thought of elmo being a part of our family, I can’t help but worry that my son will not like elmo at all. He only watched sesame street twice and he got freaked by big bird. Elmo, though, is quirky and snappy; and much more relatable than the other characters there. How popular is elmo among kids? I don’t know, but I do know it’s popular among parents. A friend of mine described to me how parents in the US fought tooth and nail to grab the latest tickle-me elmo as soon as it was released.