What to Do With All the Toys Accumulated Over Winter?

It’s inevitable, if you have small children, you have toys. These toys can clutter up your home before you know it. Throughout the long winter months, it’s easy to set these toys aside or put them in a corner, which quickly becomes a corner full of clutter. Now that spring is here and the inclination to clean and organize are at their greatest, take advantage of some wonderful storage solutions which will provide a clean and organized room for you and continued access to the toys for your little ones.

If your little one sees you dragging his/her favorite toy to hiding, be prepared for that to be the next thing that he/she can’t live without. Kids can become very attached to their toys, some even become objects of comfort for them. When those toys become too cumbersome for your home, it’s time to reach out for a solution that will satisfy everyone. As children wake up to a new day, they are refreshed and ready for another fun-filled routine spent exploring and playing. Throughout the day, kids test their capacity to learn as they carefully sound out unfamiliar vowels, or attempt to identify the lively shapes that decorate the pages of their pop-up books. The floor becomes a whirlwind of games and toys made from plastic, felt, softness, color, and stuffing. When they are done and ready to take a nap, where do all of these treasured items go?

While the floor may seem like a suitable place to leave their play-world behind until they are ready to return, it does nothing for parents trying to instill good habits in cleaning. There has to be something for both parents and children to accept as they try to come up with a suitable toy storage solution. Decorated with bright shades of red, blue, green, yellow and beyond, or fashioned into shapes that are pleasing to the eye, an assortment of toy boxes, toy chests, and toy storage bins are available on the market.

Not only do toy boxes offer a place for kids to store their prized possessions, but the colorful objects also allow them to cultivate their imagination. Some wooden toy box selections are transformed into theme-related objects that provide further entertainment for the curious child.

On a more functional level, a toy chest may serve as a right of passage for young girls looking to emulate their mothers. Just as their mommy places pearls, pendants, bracelets, and rings into a jewelry box, daughters may store their treasured gems in a box of their own. As for young growing boys, plastic hammers and toy screwdrivers now have a special place for storage as they follow in their father's footsteps "fixing" things around the house.

Toy boxes, toy chests, and other toy organizers have been created with parents in mind so that they will not be eyesores to a room, but will hold all toys in an organized fashion in one particular place in your home. When it’s playtime your children should feel comfortable bringing out their toys and playing with them. Yet when playtime is over, with all toys having a particular home, toys will no longer be a cumbersome mess. Many children are more than willing to accommodate the wishes of their parents (who long for an uncluttered child's room) when they have a toy chest of their own. This is because until they are tall enough to reach bookcases and shelves, a toy storage box serves as a daily reminder to take care of their possessions.

Outside of the home, toy storage boxes, chests and benches provide a wealth of possibilities for establishments, such as daycares and preschools. Not only does the top of a toy box serve as a bench that provides extra seating, but also allows little ones to keep their play areas neat and tidy. Additionally, toy chests are equipped and secure enough to handle the delicate fingers of children with features, such as safety hinges. Overall, the construction, variety of shapes and colors of toy chests fit right into the setting of a learning environment geared towards kids. Obtaining just the right toy chest for a child is quite easy. There are a variety of themes available to match the personality and interests of any youngster, including animals, princesses, flowers, rainbows, dollhouses, school buses, and sports.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/what-to-do-with-all-the-toys-accumulated-over-winter-141069.html

About the Author:

Author about:

Marina Neiman, author and mother of two, writes for 1888Toys.com – Children Educational Toys Store, featuring classic toys with truly developmental value, along with great selection of kids furniture, toy boxes, toy chests and more. Visit: http://www.1888Toys.com

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Are your Children’s Toys Safe?

It's a sad fact that many of the most dangerous toys are favourites. Thousands of cheap, unsafe toys are finding their way onto the market place with little being done to stop them. How many unsafe toys are there on the shelves that we just don't know about? Potentially dangerous toys are a serious issue, but the scale of the problem is not yet big enough to spark an exodus of U. Despite industry standards and ongoing improvements, dangerous toys are still widely available and sold. Dangerous toys can be classed as toys with parts that young children can choke on, stick up their nose, or otherwise hurt themselves with: sharp corners, fast-moving, massive projectiles, etc. Children's toys can become dangerous if they are misused or if they fall into the hands of children who are not old enough to play with them. Just looking around car boot and garage sales will show you where most of the older and dangerous toys are bought and sold. People think they are getting a bargain but what is the real cost?

Millions of dangerous toys which are for sale on shelves are being recalled every day because of various reasons. There are several different factors that can make a toy dangerous. Toys with magnets are high on the list due to the lead content, and the fact that young children can swallow, or push the small detachable parts in the toys where they shouldn't go. Many toys that are recalled have high levels of lead in the surface paint; lead being dangerous because it is poisonous. Any kinds of magnets in your toys should put the toy high on the dangerous toys list. The majority of dangerous toys have little parts which can be removed and swallowed by a young child. Toy parts that can easily become lodged in a child's throat have led to many incidents of death and brain damage yet can still be found in newly designed toys. You should check all toys for loose or small parts which you feel may be dangerous to your kids. It is also dangerous for your kids to play with toys which are meant for older children. From time to time, inspect your kids' toys for any wear and tear which can make them dangerous. .

Toys and games represent a thirty (30) billion-dollar-a-year industry. Toys caused an estimated 150,000 visits to the emergency room last year. Toys should be solid, strong and well made. Toys should have lasting interest and not just be the latest on the market. You can visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC website. They publish a list of toy recalls. Parents and children alike have a right to expect that the toys they select and play with are designed with the child's safety in mind. The first line of defence for toy safety must be safe design and manufacture. The current state is that many parents will never know when a product has been recalled.

Protecting our children from unsafe toys will always remain the majority of parent's number one concern, but when will it become the number one priority within toy industry and the government regulatory bodies. The toy companies, retailers and the Government must listen and act when dangerous toys are brought to their attention so that we don t see the same hazards and the same injuries reappearing year after year. Dangerous toys are not as common as they used to be, but they are still out there. Parents, guardians and carers still must continue to check that the toys they are buying are correctly labelled with the CE mark confirming the toy is safe. Where, for example, dangerous toys are being sold that could cause serious injury to unsuspecting children, the Office of Fair Trading must be able to remove those toys from outlets.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/are-your-childrens-toys-safe-223380.html

About the Author:

Rachel Harding is a registered nurse and mum of 3. She has a great deal of expertise with children and offers valuable support for you as parents and care givers and free resources including children's stories, forums, recipes, article's, gifts and books at => http://www.yourkidsshop.com

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First Gas, Then Toys - High Prices on the Way

It probably comes as little surprise that an increase in gas prices generally causes increases in other prices; food, clothing, gardening tools and yes, even toys. According to an article on The Associated Press, some experts are anticipating an increase in toy prices of up to 15 percent this holiday season. This increase is not only reflective of gas prices. This also takes into account the growing costs of labor in China as well as the dollar being weak.

The best advice? Shop early and wisely. In fact, even though many parents are focused on buying backpacks and notebooks for back to school, smart parents are also keeping their eyes open for discounted toys either online or at retailers.

As a side note, the article points out that there may also be up to a 12 percent jump in the price of holiday decor so cutting down on the cheesy decorations may also help to offset the increase in toy prices.

Read the full article at The Associated Press.

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