The Land of Nod is the type of online shop that I can loose myself in. The kind of shop that makes searching for gifts for my children a breeze and the hardest part simply narrowing down the selection. The Land of Nod started out online with inventory in a basement and has since grown to be a partner of Crate and Barrel with currently four brick and mortar stores. You will find everything from nursery furniture to holiday decor to toys to meal time solutions. The selection is vast and the entire site plays out like eye candy for me! I just can’t get enough.

We got the opportunity to try out the wooden Walk & Roller meant for ages 19 months and up and retailing for $29.00. Doesn’t is just look like fun?

My 22 month old son has had a blast with this toys since the first day we opened it. He loves pushing it around really fast and even his 3 year old brother enjoys getting in on the action. The popping noise created by the wooden balls inside the roller is fairly pleasant, if a bit loud. We don’t own one of the well known plastic poppers so this was a welcome addition to our ever growing toy collection. It has become a fast favorite and the quality tells me it is one I’ll be able to pass down for multiple children to enjoy for years to come.

Be sure to check out all the other wonderful holiday gift ideas available at The Land of Nod for all you last minute shoppers! Here is just a sampling of some of the toys that caught my eye while browsing!

Use the Land of Nod Gift Finder to help narrow down your choices, find free shipping on select toys and check out their 30% off Holiday Sale items!

Since 1976, VTech has been developing high-quality, innovative, educational products and learning toys that enrich children’s development and is a leader in age-appropriate learning toys. This holiday season they have some great gift giving options that are sure to be a hit!

For ages 18-36 months, the Jungle Gym: Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike would look fabulous sitting out beside the Christmas tree and give your child a jump start on pedaling a bicycle while learning! ERP $49.99

Get toddlers moving with the Jungle Gym Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike because the more your kid pedals, the more they learn! As your toddler pedals, they’ll learn letters, objects and more! This cute giraffe inspired bike includes an adjustable, kid-safe, bouncy seat with three positions that grows with your child and a wide, stable base.

For ages 3 to 7, the Bugsby Reading System would be a fun way to introduce reading or hone those early reading skills! ERP $29.99

Join Bugsby the Book Worm on a magical reading adventure! Your children will love reading along and interacting with their favorite characters as they build early reading skills. Kids will fall in love with reading as they have fun listening to stories read aloud by their new reading pal, Bugsby. Children build reading skills through play as Bugbsy takes them through reading comprehension, phonics, sentence structure, word recognition and more. Kid friendly in design, the Bugsby Reading System includes software cartridge with every story book title – no additional downloads required!

For Ages 3-7, the  V.Smile Motion Active Learning System allows your child to learn valuable lessons with their favorite characters. ERP $59.99

Put your child in motion while driving home lessons in math, reading, science, spelling and more with V.Smile Motion™ TV Learning System! V.Smile Motion™ is a breakthrough gaming console that combines wireless, motion-activated play, web connectivity and educational gaming into a system that plugs directly into your TV! V.Smile Motion™ has all of your child’s favorite characters including Scooby-Doo, Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh and Spider-Man, as well as new ones like Disney Fairies, Pixar’s Up!, Handy Manny, and Ni Hao Kai Lan Your child will love these wireless action packed toys that guide them through age-appropriate skill levels and developmental activities.

For ages 5 and up the V.Smile Cyber Pocket will give your child a portable learning gaming system that will grow with your child. ERP $49.99.

Kid-smart video gaming goes anywhere with V.Smile Cyber Pocket – featuring a flip top high resolution screen and easy touch writing pad, V.Smile Cyber Pocket even adjust to both right and left-handed players. V.Smile Cyber Pocket users can also access a secure website using V.Link to show kids how their game scores stack up as well as provide them with bonus games to reward their progress. It’s easy to use and encourages them to keep up the good work! Best of all, V.Smile Cyber Pocket toys play all of the Smartridges in the V.Smile Library. So as kids’ skills grow, you can keep supplying them with new challenges.

We received the V.Smile Motion Active Learning System and I can’t wait until my three year old has the chance to try it out Christmas morning. He has been fascinated by seeing his daddy play video games so I know he’ll be thrilled to have the chance to play with his very own system.  Of course I love knowing that he will be learning as he plays!

You can buy all of these toys and so much more directly from Vtech or other fine retailers like Amazon or Toys ‘R Us. Be sure to check out the huge winter sale currently on the Vtech website!

{ Giveaway }

Vtech would like to give one of my readers their choice of one of the four featured products above!

MAIN ENTRY: Tell me which of these item you would choose if you won and who it would be for!

Want more entries? (Isn’t that a silly question?!) After answering my question do any of the following and leave a comment telling me what you did. Each is worth one entry unless otherwise noted. Your comment is your entry so please leave the appropriate number of comments for each extra entry.

-Visit Vtech and tell me another item not mentioned in this post that caught your eye
-Become a fan of  Vtech on Facebook
-Follow Vtech on twitter and tweet this giveaway
-Follow my blog publicly
-Subscribe to my feed in a reader or by email
-Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway

Win a fun & educational Vtech toy of your choice from @vtechtoys @babylovingmama http://tinyurl.com/y8mwhnb #giveaway PLS RT!

-Add my button to your blog
-Blog about this contest and link back here and to Vtech (3 entries)

This contest will end on 12/19/09 at 11:59 pm CST. U.S. residents only. The winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before I draw another winner or do a live giveaway.

Disclosure: I received a Vtech Active learning system to try out . This has no bearing on my post above and was not influenced by any type of monetary compensation.

Kobold Toys has a wonderful selection of toys to encourage imaginative and creative play. They search around the world for the best toymakers with the highest quality standards.You will find brands like  Haba, Plan Toys, Automoblox and Chicago company Shure, a  leading designer and manufacturer of fun, creative children products.

We had the opportunity to experience the quality of Shure products with this Chunky World Construction Puzzle which retails for $19.99. Besides being a fun construction theme (sure to win my 3 year old’s Bob the Builder & Might Machines loving heart), the puzzle is also colorful and bright.

A favorite feature of mine is the double sided, chunky wooden pieces. The solid wood pieces are 1/2″ inch thick, laminated and oh so smooth. The fact that the image is on both sides adds an entirely new diminsion to my 3 year old’s play. He is already very good at puzzles and I wondered how much of a challenge this puzzle would be, even though the suggested age was 3+. Because it is double sided if the piece is facing the wrong way he must flip it around which increases the difficulty. My son also likes that he can play with the pieces themselves as they do stand alone.

Of course when my older son gets a puzzle, his 21 month old brother immediately wants to get in on the action as well. With the matching artwork underneath each puzzle piece and the sheer size of the pieces, he can easily put this one together, assuming that all the pieces are facing the correct way. If they are wrong, he does get frustrated. His older brother helps him out when this happens and since the puzzle is so large, they can easily work together. I couldn’t ask for a better puzzle and I’m thrilled that this is something they can enjoy at the same time.

Kobold Toys also has some other great Shure products including this My Pets Puzzle & Book for $14.99

and these Daisy Girls Wooden Blocks which are currently on sale!

While browsing Kobold Toys, be sure to check out their Favorite Holiday Gift List to get some fantastic ideas including these two wonderful products, a Bloco Dragon & Reptiles Set and a Children’s Globe with Booklet.

Kobold Toys offers free shipping on all orders over $40 and pay flat rate shipping of only $3.99 if is is less $40.

{ Giveaway }

Kobold Toys would like to give one of my readers a $25 gift certificate!

MAIN ENTRY: Visit Kobold Toys and tell me what you’d love to buy if you won!

Want more entries? (How can you resist?) After answering my question do any of the following and leave a comment telling me what you did. Each is worth one entry unless otherwise noted. Your comment is your entry so please leave the appropriate number of comments for each extra entry.

-Subscribe to the Kobold Toys newsletter
-Become a fan of Kobold Toys on Facebook
-Subscribe to the Kobold Toys blog
-Follow my blog publicly
-Subscribe to my feed in a reader or by email
-Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway

Win a $25 GC to Kobold Toys & find the perfect high quality toy for your child! @babylovingmama http://tinyurl.com/yce88cr #giveaway PLS RT!

-Add my button to your blog
-Blog about this contest and link back here and to Kobold Toys (3 entries)

This contest will end on 12/17/09 at 11:59 pm CST. U.S. residents only. The winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before I draw another winner or do a live giveaway.

Disclosure: I received a sample for the purpose of this review . This has no bearing on my completely honest review above and was not influenced by any type of monetary compensation. The opinions and experiences I’ve shared with these products are my own and yours may differ.

Babalu, the company behind Felt Tales, recently acquired WJ Fantasy and the two companies will be officially joined in 2010. WJ Fantasy has been around for 25 years and specializes in nesting blocks, advent calendars, children’s books and toys.

WJ Fantasy has fabulous gift options for the little ones in your life! Just a few include this adorable My Tool Box set for $20 which includes four board books,  tool box, tool belt and of course plastic tools!

You will also find many nesting block options, perfect for the tiny builder in your life! Just a couple available include these ABC Blocks  for $18 and

this My Busy Day block set for $20!

We had the opportunity to try out one of their Shadow Books, Camping Out which retails for $15. Other titles include Time for Bed and Forest Fairies.  These books add a new dimension to story telling. With the small flashlight (included), cutout scenes and back drop you can create shadow scenes seamlessly with your story telling.  Everyday images are used to show that while shadows can look scary, they aren’t to be feared.I had a lot of fun turning off our hallway lights and sitting down with both of my boys to read the story. With 26 pages, these stories are longer and perfect for the attention span of my three year old Lucian, although not so much for my 21 month old, Warren. He got distracted easily and wanted to play with the images versus sitting back and listening to the story unfold. I love this overall concept of not only teaching that shadows are nothing to be afraid of, but also having a new and exciting way to tell a story. Lucian loved holding the flashlight so this a unique way to get your children involved as well.

My only complaint is that sometimes the die cut pages move/fall down. It is critical that you are on a flat surface or else the pages and sides of the backdrop aren’t very stable. I would recommend using the floor or a table in which to tell your story.

Here is just a short reading of Camping Out to give you a feel for how the shadows look.

You can purchase any of these items directly from the WJ Fantasy website or on Amazon.

{ Giveaway }

Babalu and WJ Fantasy would like to give one of my readers their choice of any of the items featured above! (This includes any of the three shadow books available.)

MAIN ENTRY: Tell me which item you would choose if you won!

Want more entries? (I know you must!) After answering my question do any of the following and leave a comment telling me what you did. Each is worth one entry unless otherwise noted. Your comment is your entry so please leave the appropriate number of comments for each extra entry.

-Visit WJ Fantasy and tell me another item not mentioned in my post that caught your eye!
-Follow my blog publicly
-Subscribe to my feed in a reader or by email
-Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway

Win your choice of nesting blocks, shadow book or tool box set from WJ Fantasy @babylovingmama http://tinyurl.com/yfa96d6 #giveaway PLS RT!

-Add my button to your blog
-Add my Holiday Splurge event button to your blog
-Blog about this contest and link back here and to Babalu (3 entries)

This contest will end on 12/10/09 at 11:59 pm CST. U.S. residents only. The winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before I draw another winner or do a live giveaway.

Disclosure: I received a sample for the purpose of this review . This has no bearing on my completely honest review above and was not influenced by any type of monetary compensation. The opinions and experiences I’ve shared with these products are my own and yours may differ.

Gift Hero was created by two mothers, Lisa and Stephanie, who were frequently overwhelmed and unsatisfied by gift choices for children when shopping for birthday parties.  They knew there had to be an easier and more convenient way to find the type of toys they could feel good about giving. Thus, Gift Hero was born to change the way you pick out a gift.

Lisa and Stephanie have included the best toys at affordable prices in an easy to search format to take the guesswork and frustration out of shopping for gifts.You can search by gender or unisex and by age ranging from two to ten. Within those categories you can choose from toys with prices under $20, $20 to $29, $30 and up or all toys available for that age group. A reusable drawstring gift bag is even available  for just one more convenience.

As a mom who is frequently short on time I certainly appreciate the service that Gift Hero provides. This helpful site allows me to quickly search for a toy that is exactly what I’m looking for without being overwhelmed by so many choices. When I got the chance to review something for my boys, I was easily and quickly able to locate many items I was certain would be perfect for my three year old son Lucian.

We got the Melissa and Doug Stacking Emergency Vehicles which combine two of Lucian’s favorite things: emergency vehicles and puzzles!

Lucian was so excited when this arrived and immediately started to play with them in a traditional way. I heard lots of self made siren sounds and saw a lot of pushing the vehicles around.  Once he realized he could take them apart, mix and match the bases and and stack them back together it added a whole new dimension to his play. There are three to four wooden pieces per vehicle so while it is a puzzle, it isn’t one so difficult that he can’t put together. And of course it is wood so that is always a hit with me!

What I love is that some of the gifts on Gift Hero are familiar products with well known names like Green Toys, including this adorable Green Toys Tea Set.

From two other trusted brands, this LEGO Crazy Action Contraption book from Klutz is sure to give your child tons of project ideas and keep your Lego fan entertained for hours!

There are also a ton of Melissa and Doug toys, which is definitely one of my favorite brands. Besides the Stacking Vehicles we reviewed, you will also find other fun ones like this Melissa & Doug Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set

and this Melissa and Doug Vehicles and Traffic Signs set which I know my son would go nuts for as well!

Some of the items were completely new to me and I appreciate getting ideas for unique gifts for my youngest like this Miss Brittany’s Organic Fun Dough Gift Set. This is meant for ages two and up and would make a great activity to keep him occupied for a while!

These Edushape Soft Wooden Blocks are sure to give hours of enjoyment without safety concerns! They even come in a carrying case to keep them organized.

If you have these same struggles with picking out gifts whether they be for your own child or another child on your Holiday gift list or for a birthday party, Gift Hero can provide a valuable service to help you find that perfect gift at just the right price! Try it out and see for yourself how easy it is to search! All orders of $75 qualify for free shipping!

{ Giveaway }

Gift Hero would like to give one of my readers a $50 gift certificate to help them take the guesswork out of their holiday shopping!

MAIN ENTRY: Visit Gift Hero and tell me something you’d buy if you won, not including something mentioned above.

Want more entries? (Of course!) After answering my question do any of the following and leave a comment telling me what you did. Each is worth one entry unless otherwise noted. Your comment is your entry so please leave the appropriate number of comments for each extra entry.

-Search for a toy using their gift finder and tell me what you thought of this service.
-Become a fan of Gift Hero on Facebook
-Follow Gift Hero on twitter and tweet this giveaway
-Follow my blog publicly
-Subscribe to my feed in a reader or by email
-Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway

Win a $50 to Gift Hero & find the perfect toy any child! @babylovingmama from @gifthero http://tinyurl.com/yh947br #giveaway PLS RT!

-Add my button to your blog
-Add my Holly Jolly Holiday SPLURGE event button to your blog
-Blog about this contest and link back here and to Gift Hero (3 entries)

This contest will end on 12/1/09 at 11:59 pm CST. U.S. in the continuous 48 states and Canada residents only. The winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to winning notification email before I draw another winner or do a live giveaway.

Disclosure: I received a sample for the purpose of this review . This has no bearing on my completely honest review above and was not influenced by any type of monetary compensation. The opinions and experiences I’ve shared with these products are my own and yours may differ.