Ensure your child's Christmas isn't a turkey with our gift guide

Published on Friday 24 October 2008 09:10

IT'S not about the tree, the decorations or even the snow. When it comes to Christmas Day and children – it's all about the toys.

As they excitedly rip open their presents from Santa Claus which spill out from their stocking and under the tree, get it right and there will be screams of joy. Get it wrong and . . . well, tut tut tut. For while there may still be 63 days to go until the biggest day in your little one's calendar, the Christmas rush has begun. And there are no excuses not to get it spot on.

The annual "dream toys" list, produced by the Toy Retailers Association, was launched last week, revealing what retailers think will grab the attention of kids and become this year's biggest sellers. But are they right? We put them to the test using a panel of experts – the children themselves – to give us their verdicts.

To test which toys are best, we gathered some young volunteers from Seabeach nursery in Portobello to try them out.

Here, Tomas Cueto, four, Esme Keegan, four, Jude Venneste, five, Rudy Ferguson, four, Mia Hall, three, Alyssa Arkotxa-Lakha, three, Aidan Barry, three, Sean Janssens, three, Elizabeth Tully, three, all from Portobello; Emilia Mitchell, three, Lilliana Mitchell, four, Johnny Andrew, four, all from Joppa; and Niamh Elliot, four, and Hannah Carr, six, from Cockenzie, separate the Christmas crackers from the boring old turkeys.

BABY BORN WITH MAGIC POTTY

(ages 3+), 33.95

The makers claim little ones will love to take care of their Baby Born. And that they do. With her life-like actions, including closing her eyes as soon as a dummy is put in her mouth, drinking from a bottle, crying real tears, using a potty and even needing her nappy changed, the kids are mesmerised.

"I love her," coos Emilia, before feeding her and rocking her to sleep. "Can I change her nappy?"

Elizabeth and Esme are similarly taken – as are the boys.

"Let's put her on the potty," enthuses Tomas. "I want her to do a poo."

"Can I feed her please?" asks Johnny. "And I want to change her nappy," says Rudy, excitedly.

Nursery nurse Carol says: "This type of toy is really popular with the younger ones and it's nice to see them all playing happily. It's educational too."

Kids' verdict: 4/5 Baby Born impresses

BAKUGAN STARTER PACK

(ages 5+), 12.95

Inspired by the popular cartoon, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, the starter pack promises to be an addictive card game. Played with magnetic, spring-loaded marbles, kids will practice their precision shooting skills by rolling the Bakugans on to the special gate card and transforming them into a powerful Bakugan warrior.

It looks complicated. And slightly boring. But after an hour the boys are drawn to the toy and start playing – even working out how to operate the pack.

"It's magnetic," explains Sean, proudly. "Look, this is what you do."

Within minutes all the boys are playing . . . but get bored and move on.

"It's just a bit complicated for younger kids – even five-year-olds," says Carol. "What do all the parts do, anyway? You'd need a lot of patience."

Kids' verdict: 2/5 Fun, but forgettable

CATCHA BEAST

(ages 5+), 19.95

Using advanced spacial technology to detect and catch invisible beasts that live in the virtual world, this kids-friendly gadget locates the monsters and then reels them in to appear on the screen.

The boys love the toy but it is more the gadget than the actual game that grabs their attention. Definitely one for older boys.

Kids' verdict: 1/5 Looks great, but what does it do?

FUR REAL BISCUIT, MY LOVIN' PUP

(ages 5+), 129.95

The life-size Golden Retriever pup with big pleading eyes grabs the attention of all the kids – even before he's out of the box.

"It's a doggy," squeals Mia.

"It's real," gasps Niamh.

Surrounded by excited kids, Fur Real is stroked, petted and hugged, responding to them with affectionate nuzzles. Emilia gets the dog to lie down and sit up, and throughout the morning the interactive dog is lavished with attention. Even Alyssa, who is scared of dogs, hugs and pets him.

"You can't beat that as a gift on Christmas day," admits Carol. "They all absolutely love it."

Kids' verdict: 5/5 Better than the real thing

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THREE MUSICAL DANCE MAT

(ages 5+), 17

Within minutes the mat is filled with the youngsters jumping up and down to the show's most popular songs, courtesy of the two pre-programmed routines.

Left to her own devices, Lilliana is cutting some shapes on the Star level, while the younger kids happily follow the lights on the console on the beginner level.

"High School Musical is my favourite, you know," beams Lilliana, who runs off to show the others how to play the game.

Kids' verdict: 5/5 Has everyone on their feet

GOURMET CUPCAKE MAKER

(ages 8+), 29.95

Even though this is aimed at slightly older children, it still gets a favourable reaction. With its very own working mixing machine, pre-packaged cake mixtures, decorations and even a microwave-safe container, it looks a perfect gift for any Jamie Oliver wannabes.

"My mummy makes cakes like this," beams Lilliana, who starts to make her very own ones. Before long there's a crowd around the cupcake maker, with Mia stirring, Rudy blending and Johnny eating the hundreds and thousands.

"This is a great gift for older children and those who want to cook alongside a parent," says Carol. "They seem to be loving it, even pretending they're cooking."

Kids' verdict: 3.5/5 Fun at playing mum

IN THE NIGHT GARDEN UPSY DAISY AND HER CHASE AND PLAY BED

(18 months+), 26.20

With her bright stripes and flowers, the girls are instantly smitten with Upsy Daisy. They gently rock her to sleep, put her in her bed and chase the moving bed around the room.

"Look at what the bed does," giggles Lilliana. "It's rocking her to sleep." Alyssa and Mia play with Upsy Daisy all morning, making her bed and putting her to sleep. "I love her," beams Alyssa. "Can I keep her?"

Carol is impressed. "The girls seem to love the toy and they've been with it all morning. It's an interactive toy, too, and it's really popular with the younger ones."

Kids' verdict: 5/5 Dream toy for a little girl's girl

RESCUE PALS SWIM TO ME PUPPY

(ages 4+), 29.95

He's cute, with big blue eyes and floppy ears. He even comes with his very own pair of swimming goggles, a towel and adoption certificate. And the kids love him.

"Look!" squeals Sean. "He walks around and he can swim in water, too."

The kids wait patiently in turn to pet, stroke and even dry the toy. But it is Sean who is smitten. "I love him," he smiles.

Kids' verdict: 5/5 Held their attention all morning

STAR WARS CLONE TROOPER VOICE CHANGER MASK

(ages 4+), 29.95

A trooper helmet featuring nifty clone trooper phrases and a radio static button – as well as a voice changer – grabs the attention of all the boys. But only Aidan and Johnny rush to put it on and turn Star Wars on the rest of the group.

"It doesn't do very much, does it?" says Aidan, after a few minutes standing on his own with the mask on. "I don't really like it any more," adds Johnny.

Then Carol has a go. "It's too heavy for kids and a bit claustrophobic. They'd get bored of this easily ."

Kids' verdict: 1/5 Boring and not interactive

Thank you to John Lewis Edinburgh who supplied all toys for testing and gifted to the Seabeach Nursery. All toys available in John Lewis, 0131-556 9121 or www.johnlewis.com