Toddlers | Age 4 - 8 | Age 8 and up

Toddlers

Bebe Cheri Emilie  - (Corolle) Age 3 +, $70.00    
If you want to splurge on a beautiful baby doll for your granddaughter then this is the way to go.  This 20" soft body doll has blue eyes, comes in a gorgeous 3-piece outfit with scarf, socks, and a hat.  She is cuddly soft vanilla scented and her eyes open and shut.  Our 5-year-old tester who loves baby dolls just thought she was great.  She particularly liked the larger size.

Charlie the Caterpillar (Mamas & Papas) Ages 1+, $109.99
Our tester a 14-month-old boy just loved this caterpillar as did his parents.  The both love the soft colorful body, old fashioned design with wooden handgrips, runners and footrests.  They especially liked the crinkly fabric and the music that plays when his ear is tugged  "It's a beautiful gift for any baby," commented his mother.  

Radio Flyer Twist Trike (Radio Flyer) Ages 2 -7, $59.99
It's a tricycle and then it's a chopper with a quick flip of the quick release and a flip of the rear end of the bike.  The set adjusts to different kids sizes so it grows as the child grows.  "It's a very clever design," commented the mother of our 5-year-old tester.  "It goes fast, but safely.  It's sturdy so it won't tip and the quick release is designed well so a child can't fiddle with it!"  It really takes the use of a tricycle to a whole new level - when they've outgrown that mode it can be switched so you get years of use! 

60th Anniversary – Thomas and Gordon Set (Learning Curve) Ages 3 and up, $99.99  
Thomas the Tank Engine is always a holiday favorite and this year you can celebrate 60 years of Thomas & Friends in print with this special set.  This set features a Thomas engine with an "exclusive sneezing facial expression."  It also includes Gordon, destinations, a stop and go station, a piece of "golden track", and a Thomas and Gordon story card.  Our tester (and his parents) were thrilled to receive to review this as his "first train" set!  Both he and his parents love it.

Peg Perego Silver and Pink Polaris Dragonfly (Peg Perego) Ages 2-4, $119.99 
According to the mother of our 2-year-old tester, "my daughter loves it!  She and her and brother race around the yard. The pedal is relatively easy to push and the steering is straightforward. Only thing is you have to make sure they don’t crash head on into a fence/tree! I would definitely recommend because it is easy to use and moves relatively slowly, although fast enough for them to enjoy the ride. She also likes the case on the back – it’s a fun place to store leaves/rocks/branches that she’s found along the way."  The Polaris travels at just 2.5mph on a hard surface and stops easily with automatic brakes.   Note:  Do not exceed 65 lb. 

Razor Electric Jr. Scooter (Razor) Ages 2 and up, $59.99
Our four year old tester loved this toy, and so did all of his friends! If it hadn't eventually run out of juice, I think they would have kept riding it all day. A dad of one of our testers said it was "so cool" and a mom wanted to get one for her five year old. It is durable, fun and easy to maneuver. Plus it never goes faster than one mile per hour so you don't have to worry as much as you would with a regular scooter, and it automatically turns off if it hits too hard of a bump. Good safety mechanism. At $59.99 this is a great gift for the 3-5 year old group, especially if you want a fun alternative to other outdoor electronic toys.

Age 4 - 8

Rock Crawler (Funrise) Ages 5 years+ , $149.99
Our 8-year-old tester had a blast tooling around with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.  He drove it down his road, off road and all over things in his yard.  It comes with a 4 band band radio control that lets you compete with your friends if they have Rock Crawlers.  The tires offer great traction to grip the rocky terrain, the jeep has flexible suspension  ability to "shift on the fly!" Comes with 12V rechargeable battery.  It's a fun gift for the RC lover in your family. 

L-Max by Leap Frog (Leap Frog) Ages 4-7, $99.99 
We have loved the Leapster for a couple of years, and now Leap Frog has taken educational gaming one step further to your TV.  Our tester loved the large screen, with good color graphics.  She commented that the sound is excellent and the games are great.  The one thing that L-Max offers that the Leapster didn't is the interactivity with the TV.  In dual-screen mode your grandchild can interact with the handheld screen and watch the learning unfold on the TV.  For example you can write the letter on your handheld and watch it appear on the TV.  If you have a Leapster, don't despair many of the games are backwards compatible including: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Batman, Bratz World, I-Spy, and more.  

V.Smile Pocket  (VTech) Ages 5-8, $89.99 
Our 7-year-old tester has been having a blast with the V.Smile Pocket ever since she received it to review. She loves that she can play the same games (sold separately) that she was playing on her V.Smile TV Learning System before, but now she can take it with her. She commented, "It's good because there are things in the game that are too hard for me now, which means that I'll be able to play with it for a long time. My younger sister can also play some of the easier games, so we can share it." The screen is large, the resolution is great, and the buttons are comfortable to press. We love the fact that it can be switched for right-handed or left-handed play. If your grandchildren already have a V.Smile system, they will love this. It can be played as a handheld or on a TV, and, if you have a TV in your car, you can plug it in and play educational games for hours on the road! It's educational and it's fun -- a great combination! Requires 4 AA batteries.

Polaris 700 (Peg Perego) Ages 4-8, $299.99  Without a doubt this is the ULTIMATE big gift.  It's the "bomb" as the kids say.  Tested by a tough group of kids aged 4 - 12 the kids were quoted as saying "this is awesome", "this totally rocks," "this is too cool!"  Our testers have been riding this off-road, on-road, up hills, down hills and they have been loving every minute of it.  There have been some minor problems, getting it into reverse, getting the horn stuck, but overall it rocks!  The battery seems to last forever.  It easily holds two kids each weighing about 40-50lbs.  Even I've ridden on it (but I'm not going to disclose my weight. I'll just say I'm an athletic girl whose 5'9" so I don't weigh 100lbs!)  If you're looking for a big gift, have a place to store this, your kids or grandkids will LOVE it!

Snow Bunker Jr. (Aviva) $89.99 
We had to wait to test this since the weather wasn't exactly cooperative and over the holidays we got a little snow so we were able to set this up - well, what a treat!  Our testers, aged 4 through 9 had so much fun with this outdoor snow bunker!  The kids played for hours with their thermos filled with hot chocolate, snow gear and buckets.  They pretended to be arctic explorers, adventurers and more.  Now that the snow is gone it's still up and the kids keep wondering when the weather will permit to continue their arctic adventures!  

Age 8 and up

Nintendo DS (Nintendo) $149.99 
The Nintendo Game Boy line of products have been extremely popular with young and not-so-young gamers for years.  The mother of our 8-year-old reviewer reported, "The Nintendo DS, when first announced, was big news...being the first dedicated handheld gaming device to feature two displays with one being a touch screen. Being a kid at heart, I was as eager to get my hands on it as my daughter was."  The DS has integrated WiFi wireless communications and a microphone that can be used in game play. It can play new DS games as well as Game Boy Advance games, but not the older Game Boy Color and earlier games. Our mother/daughter reviewer continues, "If you're a Game Boy fan or are shopping for someone who is, seriously consider upgrading to the DS. It has a rechargeable battery and backlighting that's actually really good, unlike the Game Boy Advance SP. Parents will no longer worry about their children's eyes, and older folks will be able to see the screen. The improved screen and backlighting have brought out higher levels of color and detail.  The touch screen is great and will lead to more innovative games, as might the integrated microphone. The only drawback is the unit's size and the design, which will be hard for very young players (6 and below) and those with small hands. Overall I highly recommend this product -- only now I have to figure out how to get it away from my daughter so I can play sometime!"

Disney Personal DVD Player (Disney)  $139.99 This 3.5" personal DVD is a lifesaver.  We took this on our trip to Puerto Rico and boy was it amazing.  The kids were able to watch their own movie during the flight and they actually stayed in their seats.  We've taken it on car rides, to grandma's house and even used it when the kids couldn't get to sleep.  The resolution is amazing, and the picture size is fine for kids or adults.  It has built-in speakers but we liked using the  headphones for private listening! The built-in rechargeable battery makes it easy to watch all your favorite movies or listen to CDs.  Note: Headphones not included, but any pair around the house should work.

Liptunes (MGAE) Ages 8+, $79.99
If you're looking for a cool gadget for a tween girl and want to get something trendy, useful and fun consider this Bratz lipstick-shaped MP3 player.  It has 256 MB of built-in memory, headphones, a USB cable and everything you need to get started.  There is a belt clip on the tube for attaching while wearing, if you remove the cap it has a USB connector so you can just plug it in the back of your computer and start uploading music.  There's also a CD-ROM included, but we didn't need it.  I loaded it up for my daughter with stories to listen to when we went on our trip abroad and she loved it.  I listed to it to see how it compares to my Dell MP3 and the sound was amazing.  It was very easy to upload music and stories, it's easy to shuffle through and select, the volume control is easy as are the rest of the buttons and the display is very clear.  It's ultra compact and just a great little MP3 player.  It's also compatible with the Luscious Lip Phone and other Bratz lifestyle items if your granddaughter has them.

Elizabeth Doll, Book & Accessories  (American Girl) Age 8 +, $100.00  
"Wow!  This doll is beautiful," commented our 8 1/2-year-old tester.  She has read several of the American Girl books and is familiar with many of the dolls, but was thrilled to receive this one with the book.  Elizabeth comes dressed in a coral pink taffeta gown and she has a white shift, stockings and shoes.  She has long blond hair that can be styled.  She's 18" tall and has a soft body with poseable arms and legs.  She even has earrings and a fan.  To really make your granddaughter's eyes light up, pick up Elizabeth's Holiday Gown ($28) which has a dress of flowers and ribbons, a headband and slippers.  This is a great doll that is a great start to an American Girl Collection.