EVERY year it gets earlier doesn't it? People moaning about Christmas getting earlier I mean...
Still, as I appear to be the last mum standing at the school gates who hasn't yet bought ALL the presents, cards, decorations, stocking fillers and booze, I am starting to think about it at least.
Imagining Christmas after motherhood, I'd pictured eager little hands exploring bright plastic toys, stacking bricks and banging holes in pegs, surrounded by discarded piles of wrapping paper.
I thought early Christmas Days at home for my girls would be spent contentedly playing with "educational" toys while Mummy and Daddy tucked into the chocolates and aforementioned booze.
Of course I couldn’t've been more wrong. It seems everyone except me always knew babies preferred the cheap wrapping to the lovingly chosen, expensive toy inside.
Last year in Britain, we spent more than £850 million on toys at Christmas. But all too often, they still end up forgotten in a corner, don't they?
So, if you are buying for babies and toddlers, how do you find the present with the best staying power?
Diana Harvey, of Harrow, mum of 19-month-old Kara says: "Don't spend too much - they haven't got a long attention span at this age. Don't buy too many presents, put some aside to give out during the year.
"You must also ensure that the pieces cannot be swallowed. Don't always go
by the recommended age - Kara was walking at seven months and she loved chasing balls or balloons - She found the Christmas balloons far more interesting than any of her presents.
"Her best present was a wooden toy with five pegs which hold coloured wooden pieces. She has hours of fun with it. The worst was a book with soft detachable pieces - which she has lost.
"For a six-month-old, I would choose something that encourages movement like a ball. A tricycle would be ideal at 12 months and at 18 months, they are really into play dough."
Alison Wilde, of Walsall, stresses that the cost of the toy is unimportant. Alison, mum of Jake, two and Grace, seven months, says: "It does not matter if you pay £5 or £200, they get the same enjoyment. Jake has a set of plastic cups costing 99p which he adores.
"This year we will be buying Grace a finger labyrinth - one of those wire frames with beads on that you move around. She loves colours."
Childminder Clair Jones is a mum of two and also looks after three children, aged 12 to 18 months. She says: "I have learnt very quickly which toys hold attention and which don’t. At six months, babies love small things like rattles as they can pick them up and control them themselves. They also love the noise. From 12 months shape sorters are excellent.
"When my boys got to 18 months they really enjoyed a simple "three top rocker" in the garden - which is a plastic see-saw. They are four and six now, and they still enjoy playing on it, " says Clair, of Shrewsbury.
"I would warn against buying too many themed toys from TV or film as they soon lose interest - as I have found out to my cost."
For Heather Fellows, of Bromley, mum to five-year-old twins Kira and Mia, experience has shown that youngsters’ Christmas presents do not have to be over complicated.
She says: "Tempting though it is for new parents, don't go mad, babies are happy with simple things. And don't be tempted to 'push them on' with things that are too advanced. There’s plenty of time - although it’s never too early for books!"
Heather also has some good advice for parents of twins. She says: "They should not be expected to share their toys. Try to encourage friends and relatives not to buy them joint cards and presents as they should be thought of as individuals from the start."
Christmas gets easier, but less fun, when the kids are older because they only want computer games or football shirts (that's the boys!)
And I agree with Heather about not making twins share toys.
Posted by: Ellee | November 30, 2007 at 06:06 PM