Gifted¦ Choosing a present for a child can be difficult, especially if you don’t have any personal experience of a child of that particular age or gender. Of course, if you don’t have children, it can be even tougher! Then there’s the issue of forgetting birthdays… This is where Wicked Uncle comes to the rescue.
Choosing your gift
Age
On the homepage, you can select the age of the recipient. This ranges from babies to 12 years old for children, but there is also the option for big kids! You can also choose a gender here if you so wish, otherwise just select ‘all’.
Interests
If you’d rather not choose by age, but by interests, you can do that too! So whether you’re buying for a brainiac, or a creative or outdoorsy type, you’ll be able to locate some great ideas.
Opt for age-appropriate options that align with the child’s developmental stage, offering educational benefits like cognitive stimulation and skill development. Prioritize quality and safety, ensuring the toys are made from safe materials and meet relevant standards. Personalize gifts when possible and keep up with current trends to select toys that resonate with the child’s current interests.
Additionally, check reviews for insights into durability and entertainment value. Strike a balance between electronic and traditional toys, aiming for items with long-term value that can be enjoyed at different stages of development. Check and buy kids toys online for more options.
Popularity
Still not floating your boat? Interested in what everyone else is buying? You can also look at what the most popular things are for inspiration.
Popular toys often indicate quality, appeal, and positive social influence, as children may desire toys their peers have. Additionally, popular toys are usually more accessible, making them convenient choices for gift buyers. Reviews and recommendations from others further validate the popularity and provide valuable insights.
While considering popular trends is beneficial, it’s crucial to balance this with individual considerations such as the child’s age, interests, and developmental needs to ensure a thoughtful and well-suited toy selection.
I read online reviews and check social media for the most popular toys. While most children play online games, many still love physical toys like board games, balls, and experiments.
Putting it to the test
Perusing the selection
I’m not personally that fond of gendering children’s toys, so I selected ‘All’ and ‘Age 2’ for Autumn. I was presented with a lovely selection of toys. Enough to choose from, but not so many that it was overwhelming. I think this is very important when shopping for gifts online as it’s so easy to get stressed out.
I really like that Wicked Uncle go out of their way to choose products for their site that are fun and unusual. It’s always a concern that you might buy a child something that someone else has already bought them. However, I think due to the quirkiness of the gifts Wicked Uncle have, you’re less likely to commit that faux pas. Even if you do (or if the child really doesn’t like it for some reason), you can just return it and they’ll credit you so that you can replace it.
Another thing I like about them is that they actually put all their products to the test themselves. Therefore, everything on the site has met their approval. This probably explains why I feel like I want to play with everything, as it all just looks so much fun! There is a good range of price points too.
Ordering and shipping
After much deliberation, I chose Autumn a Monster Bowling Set, What Should I Wear? soft activity book and an Animal Torch and Projector. The website was easy to navigate and use and the checkout process was very smooth.
Shipping was great too, as my order arrived within only a couple of days.
Reminders
If you’re someone who is likely to forget birthdays, you can get reminders from Wicked Uncle for the next time it comes around! Not only that, but they’ll even gift wrap your presents and can send them with a handwritten birthday or Christmas card too. Phew, great for last minute shopping!
Play time!
It was really hard to choose what to play with first, but Autumn chose the monster bowling. She loved their bright colourds and funny faces!
We had a great time playing with them, taking it in turns to knock them all over. I was an even happier Mummy as they came with a blue mesh bag to be tidied away in. I can’t stand it when toys with various bits end up rattling around in a box untidily, so the fact this had been thought of was great.
Next, we played with the dress up book.
Autumn loved looking at the different outfits for a variety of occasions as she went through the book. She looked absolutely delighted as she popped the doll in each outfit.
Last but not least, when it was dark, we could finally test out the projector torch! Autumn was a bit scared of the dark at first, but as soon as she noticed the animals being projected she loved it. She insisted that we go through them all several times before she went to bed.
So, the harshest critic of all gave Wicked Uncle the seal of approval. I call that a win for everyone!
Disclosure: I received a voucher to put towards the above items in return for this blog post. As always, all views and opinions are honest and my own.