Unique Toys for Baby Through Elementary and Teen

Finding and choosing toys can sometimes be a headache, not to mention the fact that most kids already have many of the basic toys out there. But, don't fret. Here are ten tips for finding and choosing unique toys for all ages.

Tip #1: Classic With A Twist
Classic toys can be fun, but those with a new twist will not only be fun, but unique. Check the websites of your favorite toy manufacturers for new ideas they may have. For instance the Lego company has recently come out with an interesting and unique line of toys. You can now find Lego Dominoes and Lego Checkers. For the younger set, try finding block sets with a twist, such as Fisher Price Pop-Onz. I got the table set of these that spins them around as they build onto them. They got this as babies, but still play with them now at 2 ½ and 3 ½ years of age.

Tip#2: Draw On Child's Interests With A Twist
Every child has some type of theme, character, or subject that is a favorite. Try finding things your child can get good use of, but involve that favorite. Maybe your child's favorite subject is Egypt. Try finding an outdoor game named Egypt or one that involves Egypt in some way. This is where it gets tricky, but with the help of the internet, almost anything is possible. If the child is younger, try finding an Egypt-themed board game or block set.

Tip #3: Search the web at gag, novelty, and trinket shops
There are a multitude of these types of stores on the net. They usually have a few interesting things you won't find anywhere else. For a teenager, you may be able to find a telephone made out of a flip flop or a mirror decorated with something unique. For younger kids, you may be able to find a football that is actually a holder full of football decorated notebooks or a magic coin bank. Whatever your imagination can think up, there may well be something similar in a novelty, gadget, or trinket shop. Not only that, but these types of shops are very low priced, offering items that are from a few pennies on up to the dollars.

Tip #4: Go for homemade
When you can't find what you're looking for, try making something. When one of my kids was sick several years back, I needed to find a way to cool her off without her complaining. She didn't like washcloths because she didn't want to feel the wetness and she was just too tired to get into the bathtub to cool down, so I wracked my brain until I got an idea. She loved bears and I knew how to make them quickly and easily. So, what if I made a bear with something inside that could cool her off? Thus, I invented what I called the "Ice Baby". It was a teddy bear with an ice pack inside. There was a child-safe zipper in the back to remove the ice pack when it needed to go back into the freezer. Little did I know that I could have made money from this invention, as someone else marketed that very idea a few years later with a different name and now something similar to (but smaller than) my "Ice Baby" can be found at Wal-Mart. Oh well, it made my daughter happy at the time and she could also play with it when the ice pack wasn't in it. She would put small toys in the ice pouch and carry it around.

Tip #5: Check thrift stores, garage sales, and yard sales
Don't discount the value of a thrift store toy. Thrift store and garage sale trips can often yield a great antique toy that may not be found anyplace else, such as an old-fashioned doll house, old pinball table, or homemade play kitchen. There is really no telling what you will find at a thrift store or yard sale. Remember the old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure". What someone else may be tired of taking up space could be just the thing your child is looking for.

Tip #6: Get The Scoop
Find out which things your child's friends have. Then, don't get any of them. Even better, find something that allows the child to have more than one benefit of their friends' toys, but all in one toy. For instance, if their friends all have volleyball nets and volleyballs, get your child a set that comes with the net, volleyball, badminton, and tennis. That way your child can be in with the trend, but can still have their own twist to it.