Toys arrive at pediatric unit on schedule

WEST CHESTER — The toys are gifts for all the children who end up in the pediatric unit or in the emergency room at Chester County Hospital.

But two little patients got a special treat on Sunday – they were there when bags and bags of them arrived.

Grace, 3, picked out a doll she named Snow White. “Why, it looks just like you, Gracie,” said a nurse.

A few minutes later Benny, 2, came out with his mom to the hallway outside the nurses’ station. “Another customer,” chuckled Jerry Corrado, leaning against the counter.

Benny inspected rather carefully a Mickey Mouse toy. But then a Hess truck was offered for inspection. The mouse went into the one hand of Joan Corrado while the truck was snagged from the other hand by the child.

Adults cheered.

For several years, Joan and husband Jerry Corrado have been collecting toys for the kids from visitors to their Christmas light display in East Bradford. The suggestion is simple: Drive by to see the dazzling holiday lights in the yard, leave a present in the box next to Santa Claus to take to the hospital.

The dolls and toys end up as special gifts for children or in the play room of the pediatric unit. Some end up as comfort toys for children who end up in the Emergency Room for treatment.

Grace, her new doll, and her mother wandered off into the playroom to sing Christmas songs while the adults loomed over the large plastic bags containing the 620 toys collected through Saturday from the display.

Jerry Corrado has been through a rough patch. He came down with a cancerous tumor on his kidney and had over half of the organ removed just after Thanksgiving. After making it back home from the surgery in Philadelphia, he ended up in Chester County Hospital for two weeks due to complications.

Joan Corrado said friends and neighbors pitched in to help her make it through the holiday season to manage the lights and gifts. “People were wanting to help,” she said.

Sunday was delivery day, one day after Jerry got out of the hospital as a patient. “I hope to stay out of here for a while,” he said with a smile. At that, when finished at pediatrics, he was off with his daughter Amanda to visit his new pals he made on the nursing staff while a patient.

The display at 1102 Nobb Hill Drive in East Bradford is up until New Year’s.

How to Spot Dangerous Toys

For anyone planning to give a child a gift, the last thing they want to do is give those special little ones something that could severely injure them or even lead to their death.

Even though the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued only 31 toy recalls in fiscal year 2013, toys that are deemed safe can end up on store shelves, only later to be found dangerous.

In November, the CPSC and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 200,000 unsafe toy dolls from China at U.S. ports. The dolls contained phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more flexible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while the human health effects of exposure to low levels of phthalates are unknown, research has shown some affect the reproductive system of lab animals.


When toys aren't intercepted before becoming available to consumers, the results can be tragic. Only five days before last Christmas, a baby toy with an animal head and arms designed to be tugged back and forth was recalled because the rattling beads inside its clear plastic sphere can be released. The CPSC concluded this flaw posed a choking hazard – a common reason for recalls. In January, another recall was issued for small magnetic balls that could kill a child if swallowed.

The good news for shoppers is there are common traits dangerous toys have that you can lookout for, and parents can also take certain steps to reduce the risk that their child is injured by a toy. Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding which toys to purchase this year.

Riding toys. The majority of the 11 toy-related deaths reported so far in fiscal year 2013 for children under 15 were from riding toys. Most incidents involved tricycles and nonmotorized scooters, with four victims riding tricycles into swimming pools and drowning, and one child receiving a fatal head injury after his tricycle toppled. Two children rode nonmotorized scooters into traffic and were killed by cars.

While no injuries were sustained in the April recall of the popular Urban Shredder ride-on toy, there were 17 reports of the battery-operated toys accelerating unexpectedly, causing the rider to lose control and possibly fall off.

Choking hazards. Asphyxiation and aspiration were the next leading causes of toy-related fatalities, according to the CPSC. Two deaths involved balloons and one involved a stuffed animal, which a 7-month-old girl had pushed against the side of her face in her crib, causing her to die of suffocation. To avoid similar incidents, the CPSC recommends keeping deflated or broken balloons away from children younger than 8.

[Read: The Holiday Gift for Kids That Keeps Giving.]

Toys with small parts that can detach, such as a stuffed animal's eyes, can be a choking hazard for children under age 3, though some older children may still put dangerous objects in their mouths, says Nikki Fleming, a spokeswoman for the CPSC. A warning label that states a toy isn't meant for children under 3 may not be enough, Fleming says.

"No one knows your child as well as you as far as still mouthing objects," she says, adding that parents should keep toys with small parts away from their children, no matter how young, if they know that they put a lot of things in their mouths.

Swallowing a battery or magnet can also cause poisoning, says Dr. Young-Jin Sue, a pediatrician at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in Bronx, N.Y. Battery compartments should be made difficult for a child to open, since ingested button batteries may leak toxic compounds, and ingesting small, super-strong magnets may cause intestinal punctures, Sue says.

"In general, toys small enough to hide inside a cardboard toilet paper roll may present the most risk" for choking, she says. "Try to avoid these items, and stick to larger toys with few detachable parts."

Toys that break easily. Toys made of plastic or glass that can break or shatter during use can be dangerous, though not deadly. An estimated 192,000 toy-related injuries to children under 15 in calendar year 2012 required treatment at a hospital emergency department, according to the CPSC. The CPSC reported that a 3-year-old girl cut her foot while playing with a plastic and glass toy that broke, and a 9-year-old girl cut her wrist on a broken porcelain doll.

Seeking Top Toys, Good Housekeeping Puts Them to Test

The challenge to find the most popular toys for this holiday season started on a steamy July morning at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute in Hearst’s headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. Dozens of children gathered in testing rooms usually reserved for reviewing washing machines and vacuum cleaners. In a surprisingly quiet space, except for the buzz of toy planes and the occasional chirps of children’s voices, the testers bent over tea sets and sprawled out on their bellies to play with cars as Good Housekeeping employees in white lab coats scribbled notes on manila folders.
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“The question is not ‘Will a toy break?’ ” said Rachel Rothman, technical manager and engineering director for the Good Housekeeping institute, as she studied the children around her. “It’s how it will break.”

For 113 years, Good Housekeeping has been testing and awarding its seal of approval to all kinds of consumer products, from skin creams to dishwashers. For the last six years, that testing has expanded to include toys. The magazine spends all year finding and reviewing toys for children. Then in the December issue, it bestows awards on about two dozen toys and board games that shoppers can buy just in time for the holidays.

The process is integral to Good Housekeeping’s overall business strategy. Like most magazines, Good Housekeeping, part of Hearst Magazines, has been under more pressure than ever to find new sources of revenue. According to data tracked by the magazine analyst John Harrington, Good Housekeeping’s combined revenue from magazine sales and advertising was $531 million in 2012, compared with $573 million in 2011 and $607 million in 2008. Over the last year, the magazine has undergone a redesign and recently replaced its editor in chief.

Now it is returning to its core testing business and focusing heavily on toys to help attract readers and drive revenue.

Simply put, toys equal traffic — on the web. Mimi Crume Sterling, a spokeswoman for Good Housekeeping, said that last November and December, after the awards were featured on NBC’s “Today” show, on Yahoo’s shopping section and across social media, the toy section received the most visits to the website, surpassing categories like household items and cookware.

David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, said the digital desirability of toy reviews far outweighed the costs of conducting the tests.

“It was among the most consumed in terms of page views when it ran last year,” he said. “These things lead very long lives in our digital product.”

(Roughly half the testers are children of people affiliated with Hearst, proving that in the magazine business, even if you are a preschooler, it helps to know someone).

Good Housekeeping is also trying to derive more revenue from toy testing by licensing its brand to manufacturers. Starting with this year’s awards, companies can pay a one-year licensing fee of $2,500 to $17,500 to feature the magazine’s emblem on their products. Ms. Sterling said that one company signed up for the license the day a segment about its toy aired on the “Today” show. Lisa Guili, general manager of Educational Insights, a toy company based in Los Angeles, said it might place the emblem on the game Shelby’s Snack Shack, which made this year’s list.

“Some seals don’t add value,” Ms. Guili said. “But their seal definitely adds value.”

Toy manufacturers, especially smaller brands with limited advertising budgets, also say the reviews help make sales. Andrea Barthello, co-founder of ThinkFun, a small toy company, said that when its Yackety Smack toy appeared on the list in 2012, sales doubled. After the company learned it had made the list again this year, for its Laser Maze toy, it arranged to have more items in stock because of what Ms. Barthello called the magazine’s “halo effect.”

Utahns send shoeboxes full of toys, supplies for children around the world

Almost 10 million children in need will receive items like these — things they’ve never had before — at Christmastime and throughout 2014, thanks to a charity operation.

Utah volunteers and donors are joining together on a Samaritan’s Purse project called Operation Christmas Child, which organizes efforts in 11 countries to collect and deliver gift-filled shoeboxes to children around the world.

Since the project began 20 years ago, more than 103 million boxes have been delivered. About 9.8 million shoeboxes are expected to be collected this year and sent to children in more than 120 different countries.

“I just love everything it represents. It’s just this little shoebox with so much love and hope inside of it. What’s so amazing about it is it’s not only for the child who receives the box, it’s for the family and community as well,” said Kerri Payne, a full-time volunteer who works on church relations for the project.

Individuals and groups can donate shoeboxes filled with about $15 worth of supplies, toys, photos and notes of encouragement for boys and girls ages 2 to 14. Donors are also encouraged to cover the $7 shipping fee for each shoebox.

Donations from families, schools, Eagle Scout projects and community service projects are being collected through Nov. 25 at sites across the United States, including 18 in Utah. Monetary contributions can be made online as well.

“Each year the project grows, but even if we took all 9.8 million shoeboxes just to India, we wouldn’t be able to reach all the kids that are just there. It’s an ongoing thing that every year there are children that these boxes could bless,” said Alison Long, a year-round volunteer for the project for 19 years.
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In this courtesy photo provided by Kim Giebler children in Haiti open up shoeboxes they received this year as part of last years Operation Christmas Child. (Submission date: 11/19/2013)

Long is the area coordinator for northern Utah, and she is collecting boxes this year to send to Panama, Ukraine, Nepal, Mongolia, Philippines, Indonesia and Madagascar. They’ve already collected 5,600 shoeboxes of their 17,500 goal for northern Utah.

The boxes are sent to seven processing centers where the boxes are inspected and then shipped off. National groups in the countries distribute the humanitarian relief to schools, orphanages and places torn apart by war or natural disasters.

“To know that there are people on the other side of the world that care and that are sending them help, assistance and encouragement, it makes them feel like they’re not so alone,” said Kim Giebler, who just returned Sunday from a two-week distribution trip to Haiti.

Giebler said the children were jumping up and down and dancing when she and other volunteers distributed shoeboxes full of gifts to 200 children in a small village on the outskirts of Léogâne. She said they live in plywood, tin homes put together with tarps or canvases, usually only 8 feet by 8 feet with dirt floors.

“We heard from the Samaritan’s Purse people that are there long-term that they’ll see a shoebox in that community six months later, and kids are still carrying them around with all their contents in them because it’s so special,” Giebler said.

Drop-off sites can be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ. There are three in Salt Lake Valley including the Calvary Chapel at 460 W. Century Drive, Salt Lake City; the Calvary Chapel Thrift Store at 3245 W. 7800 South, West Jordan; and Hidden Valley Presbyterian Church at 12883 S. 1300 East, Draper.

Birmingham's The Entertainer crowns new Battroborg champion

Shoppers went head to head with local boxing stars to win limited edition golden Battroborg

Visitors to Birmingham's The Entertainer went toe-to-toe with young boxers from Pat Benson Boxing Academy in the fourth of Tomy's in-store Battroborg events last weekend.




England Junior team boxer Connor Benson and up-and-coming pugilist Connor Goodchild kicked off the latest event, demonstrating their boxing prowess in a head-to-head match of Battroborg on Saturday, November 16th.

In a tournament to win a limited edition golden Battroborg, shoppers then took turns to face the two fifteen year olds.

A new Battroborg champion was crowned when 11 year old Mason Kirkbright stepped into the ring with Goodchild. Kirkbright beat the young boxer to take home the Birmingham title.

James Cokell, Tomy brand manager, said: "Battroborg is promising to be the ‘must have’ boys toy this Christmas - it’s a great mix of family fun and technology.

"We’re really excited to be working with The Entertainer to reach out to consumers by demonstrating the product in full battling action.

"The chance to battle against top boxers to win a limited edition golden Battroborg is proving to be a big hit with kids of all ages.”

Best Developing Toys and games for Mature Children - Legos, K'nex and More

If you are looking for a fun and interesting toy for a mature kid, here is a look at some developing toys and games that will keep the attention of most kid’s age groups 8 to 12.

Lego Places - Lego Places are the most apparent decision for a kid this age. Very few kids don't appreciate developing with Legos and there are a lot of excellent sets out there. If purchasing a designed set, look for one that has 500 items or more. This will provide a kid in this age team a excellent task. The 3 in 1 Designer Places are also a really wise decision. They come with three different programs for developing with the set so the kid will get a lot more usage from them.

One that will do the job is the Lego Designer The apple company Shrub House Set. This set allows you to develop three different houses with the 539 item set: a property, a townhouse residence, and a summer time home. This set sells for $45.

K'nex Places - K'nex Set are also well-known with kids in this age team. There are a lot of really excellent K'nex Places out there but the ones that kids will likely get the most fun are one of the journey designed sets that K'nex provides.

One that is sure to be a hit is the K'nex DoubleShot Curler Rollercoaster. This 1100 item set creates a journey that is over three and 50 percent ft. high. And the double paths will offer extra fun for kids once the set is designed since they can competition the two involved coaster vehicles.

Marble Operates - A stone run set is another excellent developing toy that is excellent for teenagers. My nine season old likes enjoying with our stone run. We have a wood created stone run created by Tedco. It comes with 45 wood created prevent items and 14 glass beads. Its awesome how many different factors can be designed with it. The kids never develop fed up with creating new designs with it and then viewing the glass beads run through it.

This is a look at just a few of the developing toys and games that are excellent for teenagers. There are a lot of excellent choices out there. Building toys and games are so excellent for a kid's growth and can really help their creativeness. They are the toys and games my kids go returning to most and I know we will always get decades of perform out of any developing toy we buy.

Toys for Kids

Toys for youngsters are showcased all through the year yet what are the qualities of a youngster's toy that is prone to advertise especially well and, hence, get efficacious? That being said, kids must like playing with them and they should speak to an extensive variety of kids who have diverse tastes.

Christmas records are records that numerous folks urge their youngsters to compose when Christmas time is approaching. The record is then sent to Santa Claus (Father Christmas). The point when Christmas is approaching its an out of this world thought to urge your kid to get energized concerning the heavenly blessings that they will be accepting. They may as well get a few blessings that were on their Christmas record and they may as well likewise accept a few introduces that they didn't even realize that they may get. These sorts of blessings are reputed to be astonishes or shock presents and could be exceptionally electrifying for your tyke to appropriate on Christmas Day. Every living soul cherishes excellent shocks.

So when Christmas morning comes and the time it now, time for your kids to open their presents, you might as well urge them to clean up the wrapping paper. This pushes exceptional behavior in your youngsters and the effects are a clean play zone which is incredible for your youngsters. Innovative studying toys and recreations all in all are extraordinary for conferring informative data to your youngsters about distinctive parts of the planet. As kids improve, their abilities develop and they pick up more experience.

So wouldn't it be great if we could now check out a couple of the diverse sorts of toys and diversions that you can buy for your youngster or that Santa Claus might leave under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Assembling blocks are one especially exceptional decision for youngsters. They serve to fabricate cognitive thinking abilities as to fabricating a specific structure. They can additionally advance your youngsters' material abilities otherwise called pragmatic abilities. Co-appointment aptitudes are additionally reinforced by assembling squares. Assuming that the squares are diverse colors then you can additionally ask your youngster to distinguish the diverse colors as they pick them up to play with them. This is an incredible technique for studying diverse aptitudes and improving distinctive sorts of experience in the meantime. As you acquaint your youngsters with new toys they will study new aptitudes and advance considerably more experience. This is the way your kid will improve and develop. It is your occupation as a guardian to furnish your youngsters wills the chances to study. Some television is Ok and this may even give them arguments with their companions assuming that they are mature enough. The mystery here is balance. No single sort of studying ought to be overrepresented or your tyke may get dragged of it. Stir up the studying with diverse inventive studying toys and recreations.

Three Child Toy Places for Entertaining Play

Intuitive play with toys and a grown-up is exceptionally adequate in improving your youngster's cognitive abilities. An adventure of disclosure and fun, this sort of play additionally empowers imagination through investigation under the direction of a guardian. Toys utilized as a part of playing with the youngsters incorporate three child toy sets fit for toddlers from six months to one year. The aforementioned toys likewise require less than fifty dollars on normal.

Nine Activity Blocks from Plan Toys

This set embodies three sets of three hinders that animate a youngster's faculties together. The leading three animate the toddler's feeling of sight with their brilliant colors. The second set of three pieces transforms sounds and animates the tyke's feeling of hearing. The third set of pieces has been composed to make diverse tactile sensations as the kid touches and feels their surfaces. All the aforementioned squares are archived in a convenient cotton pack, which simple for your small one to clutch and drag plus them as they stroll around getting the pieces.

Tip Top Toys Made of Rubber Wood and Fabric

A set with a disclosure roller called Tip Top Triangle holds a turning wheel, a turning barrel, a sliding globule, a flipping disc, a delicate shake frog in a clear pocket, a delicate crease sun, a look a-boo window, and a sheltered reflect. This infant toy set is fit for children of any sex and it’s additionally the ideal blessing for a tyke figuring out how to recognize distinctive shades, textures, and shapes. Made of elastic wood and fabric, the triangular sheets give jokes house of fun exercises with a delicate board and a touch-and-tell ball.

Looking into Noah's Ark through Interactive Play

Made from eco-accommodating materials, this infant toy set includes five toy creatures, incorporating an elephant beanie, a sheep formed clatter, a squeaky toy that resembles a giraffe and an additional that resembles a pig, and a hippo that creases when pressed. All the aforementioned toys are saved in a delightfully composed wooden ark that has look a-boo windows. On highest point of the ark is separable delicate board that additionally pairs as a bed guard for the youngster.

The aforementioned toddler toy sets were produced out of non lethal paints and finishes, and they don't have small parts that can reason unintentional gagging in tots and toddlers. The fabric and strands used to make the delicate toys are hypoallergenic. Ultimately, the aforementioned elastic wood toys are straightforward to perfect with a sodden fabric while the ones made of fabric may be washed with warm water and toddler cleanser.

Support positive collaboration that fortifies holding with your children through imaginative play. Manage them through their disclosure of the planet around them utilizing instructive toddler toys and nurturing items for youngsters with unique needs.

5 Guidelines to Select the Best Child Toys

The value of Kid Toys and games is tremendous in a kid's lifestyle. Besides getting interested, infants also understand a lot while playing with his toys. Kid Toys and games can create your kids have a good laugh with joy, it can stop baby from weeping, and it can create baby active while without your special attention, and it can also inform him without a failing. However, how to select a most suitable toys for your dearest baby?

1. Protection is the key to healthier baby toys

The primary factor to select a proper and balanced Kid Toys and games for your kids is safety. Please check below:

- Are the toys made with harmful plastic or fabric?

- Are there any quality guarantee?

- Are there reduce parts from the toys that could cause a choking hazard?

- Could the toys fit within a bathroom tissue move, if yes, it might jampacked children.

- Could little fingertips get pinched?

- Is your kids too large in actual system to securely play with the toys or equipments?

2. Select the Kid Toys and games according to Baby's interest

It is essential to select baby toys according to your kid's attention. In regular cases, for kids under 18 months like cell phones, soft books, noisemakers, active bins, activity platforms, putting toys and push-and-pull toys. However, it is essential for you to notice your kid's choice, and notice what passions your kids. Does he like to imagine driving a vehicle? Does she like to build with blocks? Does he enjoy experiences about the farm? Being aware of your kid's passions and making options based on those passions shows that you regard your kid's emotions and value her ideas.

3. Select the Kid Toys and games according to Baby's age development

It is also essential to select baby toys according to your kid's age growth, and buy the toys with referrals to the training brands on it. Supposing that baby is at the stage of growth that is regular for his age, the information on training brand gives you a basis to assess the toys. Read the training brand on the toys packaging box with the recommended ages. However, you are the one who knows the most about baby. You are the only one to consider whether the toys are appropriate or not. For an immediate, your kids may be behind most three-year-olds in actual growth, but may be well ahead in language growth. Consider these variations as you create your options for toys.

4. Select Kid Toys and games that are educational

In fact, within the first four years of lifestyle, children create a full 50% of their adult intelligence! That's how fast their minds are growing. Besides having fun, baby toys motivate the creativeness, synchronization, psychological and social strength. So it is essential select toys with academic reasons. These toys will help to create the self-confidence in baby.

Toys that promote the creativeness are great for both kids, toys like prevent or putting glasses can be very academic. They are designed to activate your kid's mind and sense of synchronization as well as help with item identification. There are prevents with creatures, subjective forms, vehicles and equipment within. Indeed, toys are one of the best friends that children may ever have.

5. Select Kid Toys and games that help baby understand about the actual world

Besides, academic reasons, some baby toys can help baby studying about real-life skills. It can be achieved through providing toys that reflection actual lifestyle. For example, Kid Einstein Video and DVDs such as Kid Da Vinci: From Go to Toe, Kid Einstein Community Animals, Kid McDonald A Day on the Village, Kid Neptune Finding The water, Finding Shapes, Kid Shakespeare - Globe of Poetry, Kid Beethoven - Songs Event. They are the ideal systems for baby to understand about the actual lifestyle, about the creatures on the globe and water world, get knowledge about our system from look at toe, get in touch with the wonderful poems from Shakespeare and wonderful music from Beethoven. For these kinds of baby toys, don't worry about whether a toy is for a boy or a girl. Consider instead what the kid will be studying using the toys.