With just my 20 month old little boy Warren in tow, we hit Target a couple of nights ago and had a blast looking at toys. He is a huge fan of Elmo so when he saw all that is currently available in stores he got super excited. I like taking my kids shopping before Christmas to help me get some good ideas!

I almost bought the Elmo Live last year for my 3 year old but hesitated because of the price. Now Elmo Live Encore is available and I wanted to see what Warren would think of it. He is hard to buy for and I needed some good ideas.  Let me tell you, he loved it! I can’t wait until Christmas when he opens his present from Grandma and finds the Elmo Live Encore. (sshh…it’s a surprise so don’t tell Warren!) I look forward to seeing all it can do when it is out of the demo mode.

Since my mom stole my Christmas idea (In all fairness, I did give it to her) I thought I might try another toy like the Elmo Tickle Hands. Has anyone else had any experience with these? I showed Warren the hands in the store but I think it is hard to get a feel (literally) for what they do while they are still in the box.  Please let me know if you’ve gotten the chance to try them out as I’m still on the fence.

If you have your own Elmo fan, I highly recommend this book, Guess Who, Elmo! It has bright pictures and fun flaps that are easy for very little ones to open. It is a favorite in our house!

Check out Shop.com for great price comparisons on any Elmo toys or other holiday gifts!