Toy Fair 2011 – What Do You Look for in a Toy?

Toy Fair 2011 has come and gone. I’d be lying if I told you I was completely recovered from Toy Fair. It was a busy couple of days followed by a very long flight on no sleep but we saw some great new toys, and some revamped old favorites. After spending years as a special education teacher then as a home daycare provider and nearly 8 years as a mom, I had to admit that I’m not nearly as easy to please when it comes to toys as I used to be. I walked straight past booths that clearly had used low-quality materials in their toys and I saw several toys who had clear safety issues.

I am getting better at picking out the toys that I know my kids are going to love though, even if they may not be my personal top pick. When I shop for a toy, I look for something that has multiple play patterns and requires my kids to actually, you know, play with it. There are so many toys on the market right now that do all the playing for the child, which really isn’t any better than parking the kid in front of the TV. I love new twists on an classic toys. They are classics for a reason and ironically, despite their inherently low-tech nature, they are usually a huge hit with today’s kids because it’s something they’ve never seen before.

While at Toy Fair, we asked a handful of mom bloggers what they look for in a toy.

Keri Wilmot – Toy Queen.com
Maria Bailey – Momtalkradio.com
Lori Cunningham – WellConnectedMom.com
Kim – craftymamaof4.com
Mel – MamaBzz.com

So, what do you look for in a toy?

Related posts:

1. Toy Fair 2011 – What Do Toys Mean to You?
2. Toy Fair 2011 – Hasbro Showroom
3. Toy Fair 2011 – Razor is Keeping Kids Active
4. Toy Fair and a Kid-Free Trip
5. Bandai’s Toy Fair Kid Reporter