Affordable Christmas Gifts for Toddlers - With Pros and Cons of Each

Retail outlets are already decking their shelves with glistening toys and presents for good little girls and boys everywhere. With so many interesting possibilities, Santa and his elves often find the process of selecting just the right item a rather daunting task. This is particularly true for toddlers.

Since toddlers have a short attention span, love to stay busy, and are constantly on the go, it can be more difficult to find something that will hold their interest and be something they will enjoy playing with beyond a few minutes. In need of some help, Santa asked a Mommy Elf to find out what items really held her toddler's attention.

Straight from the North Pole, the following is their Naughty and Nice List About 6 Great Gift Ideas for Toddlers this holiday season. Santa's Mommy Elf discusses what is Naughty and Nice about each Gift idea and scores each product in terms of Jingle Bells, 5 being the highest and 0 being the lowest.

Rainbow Peg Play

This activity set comes with 30 stackable pegs (five in each of six different colors), a reversible pegboard playmat, two strands for lacing, and a booklet full of suggested activities. Ages 2 and up. Under $15.00

NICE: Toddlers will like the large chunky pegs. The pegs are easier for little hands to manipulate in comparison to other similar products, and toddlers can stack, sort, and string the pegs together. Mothers will like that the suggestion booklet is readable and easy to follow. The pegs are also packaged in a locking plastic bag that can easily be opened and resealed to help prevent lost pieces. Moms whose children like to put everything in their mouths, will also like that the larger pegs present less of a choking hazard.

NAUGHTY: Mommy Elf's toddler discovered a new joy and liked to hide brightly colored pegs in all the elves' shoes. The elves had to be careful where they stepped in Santa's workshop, as despite the handy plastic bag, pieces always seemed to be missing. Also, the lacing strands could only be easily threaded through the pegs in one direction. This was frustrating for the toddler at times, but Mommy Elf just put the laces up and the issue resolved itself.

JINGLE BELLS: 3 (with the laces) or 4 (without the laces)

Twinklers Flashing Toothbrush

This flashing soft bristle toothbrush is available in assorted colors. Under $3.00

NICE: Helps promote good dental hygiene as it flashes for a full minute before automatically turning off.

NAUGHTY: Mommy Elf's toddler took a bath with his flashing toothbrush. It stopped twinkling. Mommy Elf had to replace it within 3 weeks and not the suggested 3 months.

JINGLE BELLS: 5 - A great inexpensive and practical stocking stuffer! Be sure to pick up extras!

JINGLE ALL THE WAY: While your child brushes his teeth adapt "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" except sing about shiny healthy teeth. All the other reindeer can have cavities for not brushing. Remind your child that Santa and Rudolph are watching!

My First Colors Book by Melissa and Doug

This chunky wooden book is magnetic and comes with 32 removable magnetic pieces. There are 8 magnets in each of four colors: green, red, yellow, and blue.

NICE: Mommy Elf's toddler just can't get enough of this little book! The magnets are fascinating and keep her toddler occupied for hours! Play can be expanded to include the refrigerator door and anything else in the house that's magnetic!

NAUGHTY: Be prepared for your toddler to choose a few favorite magnets. In the workshop, the red fire truck and the yellow bus traveled around the most. A small price to pay, though since this keeps the toddler busy for incredible lengths of time.

JINGLE BELLS: Definitely a 5. These fantastic magnetic books are getting a little harder to find and they are available in assorted titles.

Thomas the Tank Engine Lantern

A child sized, battery powered, night light lantern.

Available through Avon for $9.99.

NICE: The light has a soft glow that illuminates cute little Thomas and friends. It is also easy for little hands to turn on and off without adult assistance. Mommy Elf's toddler loved this little lantern because it was so much like the big Coleman lantern that the elf family takes camping.

NAUGHTY: The lantern requires 4 AA batteries and it seems to burn through those batteries quickly. The lantern is cute, but rechargeable batteries will be cheaper in the long run. Also, the battery cover can be unscrewed entirely too easily. Mommy Elf having a battery fanatic in the workshop, had to place the lantern safely on top of a dresser. The toddler now refuses to go to sleep unless Thomas is happily glowing.

JINGLE BELLS: 3, but with caution and adult supervision. The little lantern is also available in Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, and Tinkerbell designs.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? and Stuffed Animal Dinosaurs

Kohl's Cares for Kids is offering a hardcover How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague for $5.00. A matching stuffed animal dinosaur is also available for $5.00. 100% of the net profits from the sales of these items is donated to support health and education for children. Visit www.kohls.com/Community for additional information about Kohl's Cares for Kids and to see additional book titles and stuffed animals that are also for sale.

NICE: An adorable book that your dinosaur lover will quickly want to read nightly! The stuffed animal companion is adorable as well. This is $10 you won't mind spending and it makes a great gift idea as your child will benefit as will many others. Look for other dinosaurs coming to Kohl's Cares for Kids program in the future as well!

NAUGHTY: The only naughty Mommy Elf could find with this is that it was nearly impossible to go to Kohl's and shop only for these two items.

JINGLE BELLS: 5

Books with Jazz Music CD's

Duck Ellington Swings Through the Zoo

Miles the Crocodile Plays the Colors of Jazz

Square-shaped board books that come with a Jazz Music CD. Retail $7.99 each and an assortment of titles are available.

NICE: Board books have a cut-out handle that make it easy for toddlers to carry around. The pages are bright and colorful and the Jazz music CDs are a great opportunity to introduce little ears to a variety of musical instruments and sounds. The CDs are actually images of the character faces which are cute and friendly.

NAUGHTY: The CD is a bit difficult to slide out of the plastic cover, which is attached behind the front cover. Mommy Elf had to put the CD up. Her toddler wouldn't leave the CD alone once he realized it came in and out of the book. The music CD is a little long. It follows the storyline of the book, but not at the same reading pace. Mommy Elf found it easier to read the book aloud with her toddler before nap or bedtime, then just put in the CD and let it play by itself. Toddlers love music, but trying to use the book and the CD simultaneously was more sensory overload than it was feasible as the toddler just couldn't sit still that long. Yet, the toddler loved hearing the different music and the exposure to varying sounds and styles of music is creative and entertaining.

JINGLE BELLS: 3 ½ - Adult supervision and assistance required with CDs.

These adorable 6 gift ideas have already been Mommy Elf and Toddler tested in our own household. Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle bells rock! These gifts are sure to make your child's Christmas rock too!