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...five toys that make great gifts

by Cynthia -- Being Savvy Pasadena

Five toy reviews for holiday gift-giving:

• My First Quatro Set, Lego: Colorful, chunky, rounded-corner blocks just right for little hands to mash together and pry apart. Great for 1-2 year olds! Note, the Quatros and Duplos (for slightly older toddlers, 2-4) dont really stick together well, so they aren't really reuseable when your child grows into the other sets.
• Little Tikes Ride 'n' Rescue Cozy Coupe, Little Tikes: Kids LOVE to climb in and creep their feet to make the cars go. Endless park or driveway/backyard fun. Comes in police, princess, Dora and other models to suit your child's ride.
  
• Child's Apron in Chicks pattern, Mimi the Sardine: Bright, bold unisex apron perfect to keep your boy or girl sous-chef reasonably clean in the kitchen. The cotton cloth has a slight coating to make it easy to clean by wiping or machine washing.
• Fisher Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship, Fisher Price: Lots of interlocking parts to snap on and off, swashbuckling pirates (best for older kids, 3 and up due to small parts), and cannons that fire! The only downside...keeping track of the pieces. Do yourself a favor and have cleanup incorporate a zipping sandwich bag to store the little bits.
• Wooden Shape Sorting Clock, Melissa and Doug: Introduces colors, shapes, numbers, concept of a clock to children as young as 18 months. Because of its versatility, the toy has a relatively long play life in those early, fast-growing 1-3 years. And it's blessedly quiet.