In this year of numerous toy recalls, it’s good to find some reasonably priced, widely available toys that are made with high quality ingredients.  Parents toys are made from either wood or high quality plastic which is phthalate free.  While I’ve seen Parents Magazine toys at Target, we only recently tried a few out and were pleased with both the quality and just how fun they are!

First, we tried the Under Lock and Key Garage.  I thought that this toy would be just perfect for my toddler aged son, and I was right!  However, my preschool aged daughter also loves it and the two of them are often fighting over it.  The Under Lock and Key Garage contains three different cars, each which can be stored in their own garage.  With a turn of the large plastic keys, they are released for playtime!  As a parent, I like that this toy is self-contained - so when the kids are done playing we can lock up the garage doors and the toy can be put away!  While the cars are lots of fun, the real novelty here are the keys - my kids are used to seeing us use keys so they are thrilled to have a “working” set of their own.

Next, we tried the Kitty Keyboard.  The Kitty Keyboard, recommended for ages 2 and up, has a whole bunch of features that definitely kept my kids busy.  The smiling cat features more than 2 octaves of black and white keys, and with a touch of a button you can change the sound from piano to bells, organ, banjo, and even “meows”.  There are also pre-recorded beats, a microphone, a record and play back feature, and much more! 

Finally, my daughter’s favorite is the wooden Letter Tiles Puzzle.  I am currently trying to teach my daughter to recognize all letters, and this puzzle has definitely helped.  Featuring 30 wooden magnetized tiles (26 letters and 4 patterned), this puzzle is both an educational product and a toy.  My daughter loves picking up the different tiles, telling me what letter it is, and then placing it on the puzzle in the correct location.  The magnets hold everything in place while we are playing, and unlike other puzzles that we’ve lost pieces of, this puzzle contains a bag to place all of the tiles for safe keeping when you are done playing.

For more information on Parents Magazine Toys, visit http://www.parents.com/.