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MILWAUKEE, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Now that all the new holiday toys have
been unwrapped, its best to organize them so they can be played with on a
regular basis. To avoid having them get lost in the closet or dusty under
beds, Marianne Szymanski, author of Toy Tips: A Parents Essential Guide to
Smart Toy Choices (Wiley) offers these tips:
1. Board Games: Stack boxes by age groups on a shelf in a room that will
encourage social play. Consider the kitchen and family room. Keep them in
the box and neatly tape all 4 corners on both the top and bottom of the box.
This will help to reinforce the box after multiple uses.
2. Dolls and plush: Keeping these in their own dedicated bin that is
easily accessible will allow a child find them more easily. Be sure to wash
these often but check the labels first. Do not keep in a childs crib for
safety reasons.
3. Small Parts: Construction sets, board games, action figures and
playsets may come with small parts that can get lost, misplaced, stepped on or
swallowed. It is best to group these and keep them in see-thru ziploc-type
bags in one labeled bin.
4. Sports Toys: Outdoor sports toys should be kept in a garage, shed,
basement, duffle or toybox. These get dirty and should not be kept with clean
indoor playthings. For ride-on toys and other battery-operated toys, keep
battery packs inside during cold weather or they will not work.
5. Educational-type toys: Make these the most accessible toys for
after-school time. These can be homework helpers, encourage self-discovery or
encourage a child to show off what they know.
6. Tech gadgets: MP3 players require uploads of music, video game systems
and computers require software. Be sure to monitor what your child chooses
and make sure it agrees with your parenting style. Keep them in one area of
the house so that you may access the content anytime.
Marianne is a nationally recognized consumer advocate and the founder of
Toy Tips, Inc., which is celebrating its 15-year anniversary in 2006. She is
also editor of Kid Tips Magazine, and host of FOX-TVs Kid Tips Report
segments. Her wildly popular website, toytips.com, features over 3000
independent toy reviews. She is not paid by toy companies to review products.
Kathlene Carney
Carney & Associates
707-765-1234
kathlene@carneypr.com
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