The 2013 Holiday Gift Guide from BSCkids is here, well at least the one that caters to 4-year-old girls. Now, while our daughter is now 4 years old, this guide seems like it is a good starting point for a year up and/or down. There are also going to be some questions about age of toys considering some of the recommended ages may be a bit older but the toys that might have a bit of an older age have already been tested out by the family and we feel comfortable giving them the approval on our list.
This is also the first year we have Glinda Goodkids, our female spokesperson, to introduce the list as well as a video version of it which you can show the kids to see if they would like any of the products (see right below). Make sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel for more cool videos coming soon and look back at all our toy videos. As always feel free to comment on the list with your thoughts of things we should have omitted or maybe something we may have missed.
Click through the list and see our top toys in the 2013 Holiday Gift Guide at BSCKids the 4 Year Old Girls edition. They are in no particular order and we have received samples of some of the products and some were purchased on our own. We also used our knowledge or products that we were able to view while at Toy Fair as we do every year. So without further ado click next and get to our first product.
The Vita Vibe Ballet Barre is a top-notch product and when you figure that “toy” versions of this product are around the same price it makes sense to go with something you will be able to use for a while with your dancer child. This is a particularly good product if you need to move it around the house and can be taken with you should you need your barre to travel and it is sturdy enough that something is going to easily break it so you money will be well spent.
The Barbie Digital Makeover Mirror by Mattel may seem a bit old for her, but let me tell you what else I find old…Lipstick on our bed sheets, nail polish on her stuffed animals, and eyeliner on our curtains. Plus, when we saw the demo at Toy Fair, it was just a very impressive piece of technology. I think it is a super cool toy for a girl who is just starting to want to wear makeup like Mommy, but without all the hassle. It is also far less permanent and much safer for her.
My wife does NOT like bath toys, not a single one and yet the kids just LOVE them. So, getting to the root of the problem with my wife’s aversion is she does not like that fact that they can get water stuck in them and get that nasty black mold stuff. Finally, it seems there is a solution with Water Bugs Floating Bath Toys with Net by Boon where the “bugs” are fully sealed so that no water can get into them, and honestly how hard is it to dry out a net! And once again my kids can call for bath time knowing there will be fun in the form of a water toy and doesn’t cloud the water after a few weeks.
Doc McStuffins Get Better Check-Up Table by Just Play is one of those gifts that my daughter has seen on television commercials and would be just distraught if she did not receive for the holidays. Doc is her favorite show on television, just barely beating out Sofia. If she has her one choice of a show, it will be Doc McStuffins. This toy will give her a nice platform for all of her playtime and stimulate her imagination with her favorite friends for hours on end. That also helps us parents get to do some of our own stuff during that time as well, so a present for all of us! I am sure I am not alone in saying that I find the message of Doc and mother being doctors refreshing as well.
Once you have the Doc McStuffins Get Better Check-Up Table you are going to need some friends to play with it, I mean who is going to help you with The Big Book of Boo Boos if you don’t have Hallie and friends. Doc McStuffins Beans Stuffy Plush by Just Play come to the rescue to bring their favorite characters to their hands. They are not too big so they will not overwhelm the play set and also will not crowd up an already packed bed. They are also a nice size to fit in Mom’s purse if you are going to the store, or pack up without taking too much room when you go on vacation.
There is just something super cool about being able to control an airplane on the ground by the way you move your arms (with attached wings!) and Mattel has got it with the Disney Planes Wing Control Dusty Crophopper Radio Control Plane. Just be careful as they will be whirling around the room, running themselves dizzy while they are giggling the whole time as you do not want to get run over by a child pretending to be a plane! Plus after seeing the movie the kids are always into Pixar characters. The other added benefit to this toy is that once they are done playing with it, they are usually ready to sit down and relax for a bit, which means that parents might get a chance to sit and relax for a bit too. Another toy that they will have fun playing with while you might be in the same room doing something parenting, like cleaning, cooking, or helping the older kids do homework.
The Flutterbye Flying Fairy by Spin Master was one of the most exciting products of Toy Fair and had that real “WOW” factor so we knew that it was going to be on the list for our daughter come December. It is a fairy that actually flies in the air and you control by putting your hand underneath the air flow. It is one of those products that you can’t really do a good job describing you just have to see it for yourself, but I know we are going to get a big smile out of her when she plays with it.
The FurReal Friends Cuddles My Giggly Monkey Pet by Hasbro was the most realistic animatronic doll that I had ever seen and a great follow up to Buttercup. She interacts by knowing when she is playing, and also you can rock her to sleep. A friend that your child will have a great time playing with and will interact with them to make it seem like they have a real baby monkey friend.
We already mentioned that our daughter likes to build, and Hello Kitty. Now, thanks to Mega Bloks, those two loves are combined with the Hello Kitty Treehouse. The cute play sets include one of her favorite characters. While there are definitely lots of building products out there, when you attach the Hello Kitty name to it, you have a winner.
HEXBUG Nano V2 Infinity Loop by Innovation First – HEXBUG at first does not seem like it would fit with a 4-year-old girl. However, let me tell you a story of how last year when our boys got the Hexbug racing set that our daughter had as much fun with it as they did. After Christmas we had to go out and find her some of her own Hexbug Nano in purple and pink so that she could race with her brothers. We would often find her playing with them by herself, the only problem that she had was remembering to turn them off. A few extra batteries solves that and this year we have the Nano V2 that can climb up the tubes. She is going to be mesmerized by her new bugs.
Little People Disney Princess Klip Klop Stable by Fisher-Price was a winner for me the first time that I saw it and while some people might consider it young for a 4-year-old I can tell you that we are going to hear the Klip Klop of the princesses for quite some time. It is one of those relaxing products that your child can play with over and over and it just plain fun. Even as a parent I find this one of those toys that I will end up playing with as I let those princesses Klip Klop their way down the trail.
The Wooden Princess Wand – DYO by Melissa & Doug lets your child create their own wand to run around the house with creating magic. You get the fun of creating the wand in the design it yourself phase, but then get the added fact that they will be playing with it long after they have created it. We have had other flimsy wands and we always have some crying once they break, this wand seems like it is going to hold up to more of the abuse that a little good witch can put on their wand.
Reptangles by Discovery Channel have a little bit of an older age on them and I have been told that younger kids may not be able to connect them in certain ways, but who is a fan of a toy that can grow with your child? We are! I don’t believe that they will be frustrating and they will be perfect to give her a goal of putting them together in all different ways as she gets that dexterity and strength in her hands. Plus they are super cool looking turtles that snap together, another win here.
If Doc is her favorite show, Sofia is a very close second place and so you know that she is going to have some Sofia toys under the tree. Disney Sofia The First New Magical Talking Castle by Mattel is one of those toys that she is going to be excited to see that morning. A castle for all of her friends from Sofia is going to be a huge hit and the fact that it is a talking castle that is going to make for some exciting adventures for Sofia.
The Disney Sofia The First Royal Family Giftset by Mattel pairs well with the Disney Sofia The First New Magical Talking Castle, I mean if you are going to have a castle you need to have some people in said castle. This set allows you to have most of the main characters of the show to play with. Plus Cedric the Sorcerer is too scary to play with anyway!
Squigz by Fat Brain Toys sound like a great toy and we will get to try them out firsthand during the Holidays. That great popping sound you get when two Squigz are pulled apart is the same fun sound like popping bubble wrap. Our daughter is a HUGE builder so we are always looking for different ways for her to build things. Squigz also looks like a great toy that you can bring to a restaurant to amuse your younger child while you are waiting for food, or even bring them on vacation for them to play with in the car. This building toy opens up a lot of possibilities with its unique ability to suction to things.
Sofia The First Talking Sofia and Animal Friends by Mattel is that interactive Sofia Doll that the kids are just clamoring for. Sofia is the cute princess that is able to talk to animals so obviously your children want her to be able to talk to them. This is where this toy does it best, with Sofia chatting you up with her three animal friends, which include our house favorite, Clover the bunny.
Interlocking Tap Dance Floor by Incstores saves your nice wood floors from being tapped to death by that energetic dancer. If you thought having a dog run all over your living and dining room floors was bad, you haven’t ever seen what a tap shoe can do. These portable dance floor which can be moved around is the perfect solution to that problem. Set it up and let them tap away and I can just imagine that her brother is going to be doing head spins on it as well.
Craft Tu Tu Cute by ALEX Toys might not make a tu tu that you are going to be wearing every week, but I can tell you for the price she is going to have a blast making one and playing. A perfect project for a rainy day or just something to keep her interested before dance class in the morning.
Do you know how many times my daughter has wanted to take one of our tablets out of the house? Too many to mention. How many times has she dropped one of our tablets? Again too many to mention. XO Tablet by Vivitar is a great tablet to give to your child for several reasons. The first one being that it has a nice case on it with a rubber ring that your child can carry it around. It also makes the main screen very easy for your child to use by allowing them to select an area that they want to play with, think Doctor, Scientist, Artist etc… and then under those main icons there are all sorts of different preloaded apps for them to play with and learn from. We were surprised how many apps were preinstalled and how easy it was for our daughter to find the app she wanted to play with. The other nice thing is the price point and the fact that it now allows us to bring out a tablet for her to play with when one of her brothers has a sporting even to go to. This tablet can take a bit more abuse and we don’t have to worry about her getting into something that she shouldn’t. In a pinch you can also switch it over to parent mode and it functions like a regular android tablet (password necessary of course).
Zoomer by Spin Master is probably the families favorite toy on the list and our daughter is just in love with it. She loves teaching him his tricks and her brothers get in on the fun as well as they all play with Zoomer. The toy will not have problems with carpets, as Zoomer makes short work of them. This was one of our stand out toys from Toy Fair and he lives up to the expectations in person. Zoomer is a quality product that does a great job at acting the part of a real dog without the issue of having to clean up after him. The way that Zoomer moves is quick fluid and feels like it is a toy that come from the future in how well it works. Zoomer has a bunch of different commands and you can even load an app on our IOS device to help you with giving the commands so that when you work with Zoomer directly you have a better understanding on how to interact with him.
That is the end our our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide for 4 year old girls, you can check out some other toy videos at our Youtube channel as well as check out our other BSCkids Holiday Gift Guides. Sound off in the comments if you have any other gifts that you think would be good for 4 Year Old Girls this year.
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