In the run up to the biggest toy shopping period, Walmart released it's 2013 holiday top toy list Chosen By Kids, and from that list I have taken the five best toddler toys that were chosen by their panel of children.Getting the opinions of 1,000 children between the ages of 18 months and 10 years, Walmart really have drawn on a wide cross section of the population, and these are toys that are going to be popular as birthday gifts right through 2014 and beyond.
With Big Hugs Elmo winning the Infant/Toddler Toy of The Year 2014 and the VTech Go! Go! range runner up in the same category, Baby Alive, Fisher Prices Farm and Crawl Around Car they really are quality toys.
Who knows better what children would love to receive as gifts than the children themselves. No more worrying if you are choosing the right toys, espescially for younger children who are not yet capable of verbalising their wishes.
What I especially like is the fact that the top twenty toys has been divided into 4 age groups, so it makes it easier to see what age the toys are appropriate for, unlike most top toy lists that do not specify age.
However, do not feel restricted by the age groups as it will depend on individual children if they would like and enjoy a toy from a different age group.
If you are shopping for older children, or a just interested to see what the children recommended, then please check out my other reviews of the choices for: 3 to 5 year olds, 6 to 7 year olds and 8 to 10 year olds.
All the toys reviewed below can be ordered direct from Amazon.com, saving you the hassle of trailing around the stores looking for toys.
This collection of toys really has included many tried and tested brands, and Sesame Street is another, celebrating its 44th anniversary this year.Big Hugs Elmo featured in many of the 2013 top toy lists that were compiled by the best toy stores, including Walmart and Toys r US and was voted Infant/Toddler Toy of The Year 2014.
Originally an educational US TV series, Sesame Street lends itself perfectly to being marketed as a range of toys.
It is popular at the moment for toys to be interactive, able to react to the child who is playing with them, and Elmo is just such a toy.
When you cuddle Elmo expect to be hugged right back. He will dance and sing and when he's tired he will fall asleep if you lie him down.
This toy is almost guaranteed to be loved by any young child that is lucky enough to get the opportunity to play with it.
Currently the number 1 best seller in the Toddler Train & Train Sets category at Amazon.com you can read this review on the Smart Wheels sets, or if you would prefer you can buy this VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Train playset now.
Now owned by Hasbro, Baby Alive has been through many reincarnations since then, with the Real Suprises doll being the latest.
So what does Baby Alive Real Surprises do?
This is a truly interactive 21st century doll. We expect Baby Alive to be fed and to be able to pee and poop, and need diaper changes, but Real Surprises does much more.
Reacting to what your child does to her, she will shake her head to show that its not what she wants and she will talk to your child, just like a real baby would.As an added bonus Real Surprises is bilingual, and can talk in either English or Spanish.
This toy was voted as a top toy for children aged 18/24 months in 2013, but the manufacturers do not recommend it for children under 3 years.
I see no reason why you could not buy this doll for a younger child, provided that you maybe kept all the small parts to one side until they were old enough not to be at risk of choking.
The Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car is not a car in the sense that it moves, but rather a car shaped activity center that will give your toddler hour upon hour of educational fun.This car has a huge amount of activities, with more than 75 phrases, tunes and songs, an interactive dash interface and 3 different categories of activities.
The fact that this car is not able to move, and is built to be very stable, means that it will encourage your pre-walking babies to use it to develop their standing skills, newly mobile children will be able to safely cruise around it whilst older mobile toddlers will love to sit in it and pretend to be driving.
Fisher Price's Little People are another range of toys that have stood the test of time, with them first being made in the 1960's under the "Play Family People" brand.I have written countless reviews about Little People toys, and I cannot speak highly enough of them.
My own toddler has a huge collection of Little People buildings, vehicles, people and animals, including a farm that is identical to this.
The Fisher Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm is small enough to not take up to much storage space, yet it opens out to provide lots of pretend play opportunities. Your toddler will be introduced to animal sounds when the sheep, horse, pig, cow and chicken are placed where they live.
My toddler does not often play with this farm in a way that you would expect (unless you are a parent to a toddler, then you surely expect the unexpected!), but that is part of the fun of Little People. You are more likely to find a parrot or a vulture nesting in the chicken coop, a dinosaur drinking from the trough or a collection of trains parked inside the farm building.
Cicak Junior also has the tractor and trailer, complete with a delightful peek a boo pig hiding in the haystack, and I have showcased that below, along with a couple of other add on sets.
You really can't go wrong with Little People for children aged between 1 and 4 years of age.
