Hellobee

I am always impressed by fellow parents who only buy their kids a few, thoughtful gifts for their birthdays and Christmas. I want to be that parent, but alas I am not. I love reviewing toy guides and finding great deals on toys I know my kids will love, even if they don’t “need” them.

I almost exclusively shop online these days, so I thought I’d share which toys I picked up this past holiday weekend for Big P (almost 3 1/2) and Little P (1 1/2). Many of these are still on sale if you’re an avid toy shopper like me.

1. Magnatiles – I’ve read so many great things about Magnatiles and finally pulled the trigger on Cyber Monday when many specialty toy retailers had 15% off coupons and free shipping. We debated whether to get 1 or 2 sets but ultimately decided to start with 1 set for both of them to share. I am also thinking about picking up this 2 piece car set and giving 1 car to each boy in his stocking.

2. Portable sound machine – We have white noise machines in both boys’ bedrooms, but we could have really used a portable one this past weekend when we traveled to North Carolina for Thanksgiving with Mr. Peas’ family. This is not a very fun gift and will probably be opened before Christmas, but I was very happy to see it on sale on Black Friday!

3. Richard Scarry’s Busytown game – At almost 3 1/2, Big P is finally able to listen and follow instructions well enough (he is not ahem advanced at that skill set!) to start playing games with us. I have heard great things about this game with its 6-foot long board, and it has been deeply discounted on Amazon most of this holiday season.

4. Pie Face game – Yup, we did it. We bought the pie face game, and I am pretty sure my rambunctious, whipped cream-loving boys are going to LOVE it. We’ll see what Mr. Peas says when he opens that package.

5. Design & Drill BrightWorks – Big P LOVES tools and will use anything and everything he can find to “help” out around the house. This toy has received many awards, gets great reviews, and will hopefully scratch Big P’s itch to use power tools.

6. Dirt Devil Toy Vacuum Cleaner – Both of my boys love toys that are miniature versions of things Mr. Peas and I use around the house (broom, mop, play food, push mower, snow shovels, etc.). I have a feeling Little P (and his big brother) are going to go absolutely crazy over this toy vacuum.

7. Hot Wheels Track Builder Ultimate Jumbo Stunt Kit. This Hot Wheels set was deeply marked down on Black Friday, so I impulsively snagged it for Big P. I am not sure he quite has the fine motor skills yet to put together the tracks, but I know he will be excited to try (and Dad will gladly forego reading Little Blue Truck for the 1,003rd time to help him out).

8. Lego Classic Creative Bricks. We have amassed a decent collection of toddler-friendly Mega Blocks and Lego Duplo sets, but this will be our first set of “real” Legos. I’m not prepared for the foot carnage to come, but I know Big P will be thrilled to get his very own brick of Legos.

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What did you pick up for your little ones on the biggest shopping weekend of the year? Where do you go for great toy ideas? My favorite toy guides are the Modern Parents Messy Kids Toy Gift Guides, which have great gift ideas for all ages and also keep you updated on daily sales.