In 2003, Middleton redesigned My Little Pony for Hasbro. Then, in 2005, Hasbro hired Middleton again for redesigning Littlest Pet Shop. Gayle Middleton has worked with Steven Spielberg on ET, with Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek and with Charles Schulz on Snoopy and has created pet toys for them. After re-launching Littlest Pet shop with the help of Middleton’s designs, the company saw increased sales in the next 5 years, from $60 million to $600 million.

After this success, Middleton was happy to see that her designs were so famous and loved by the toy community. She also wanted to share with the public and the fans another concept for toys, a very different idea of hers.

Middleton explains that after so many years of working with Hasbro and Disney, she started drawing funny but odd vampire babies. She says these drawings started in 2006, and her vampire babies were drinking dragon blood from a bottle. Middleton even thinks that maybe she was surrounded by so much cuteness that she needed something different. She needed a solution on how to handle that cuteness overload. Therefore, the babies that she was drawing were cute but naughty at the same time. As bizarre as it may seem, it was a surprising turn of events. Middleton says she became obsessed with these drawings and the vampire babies. She was drawing them continuously for around 3 years, so in the end, she found a name for this collection – Vamplets.

In 2010, Middleton launched the collection with 6 vampire babies and the collection was immediately sold out. In the next couple of years, the collection got werewolf babies, cyclop babies, zombie babies and abominable snow babies.

At the moment, Middleton has a Kickstarter campaign running. The campaign is for funding the newest designs – small fur balls with the name Bitemares and a Baby Undead Dragon.

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There isn’t any time where you need to start reading to your baby. Some people believe that you need to establish that educational connection while they are still in the womb. Others believe the perfect time is when your baby is only few weeks old. If you ask us, you are the one who need to make the rules. You have the baby in your hand and you can start as early as you want. Reading to your baby while he/she is still an infant may seem funny or ridiculous to you, but the results are amazing. They won’t keep focus while you are reading at all and won’t seem they are getting anything from the book. This is not a reason to quit.

At the beginning you could read them a book only for a few minutes. The road to success is to set a daily routine for reading a good book to them. Babies have lots of naptimes during the day which gives you a nice opportunity to read those books for babies. On this way, you are introducing reading to your baby while making him/her respond to your voice and enjoy it. Patience is the key. Your baby will grow up very fast and he/she will start to respond on images over short period of time.

When purchasing educational books for babies you need to remember that it’s all about the quality. Babies love repetition. Make sure you find their favorite book and read it a couple of times. Your baby would love it and they will request it many times. Repetition of your books for babies will strengthen up their comprehension.

Once you complete the library of your child, make it accessible for him/her. You will have trouble placing them on the bookshelf over and over again, but your baby would want to have fun with the book while you are not around.

Stick to those popular and relevant topics. We are talking about toy stories, stories with some familiar foods, pet books and more. Animal books are the most attractive especially when you imitate an animal sound to your baby. The baby will be amazed and you will make him/her learn the noises animals do. We are giving you complete freedom to find the book your baby loves.

Have you been reading to your baby? What is your baby’s favorite book?

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They will help the baby learn to distinguish different parts of the toy. A good idea for a toy in bold colors is something that comes in parts and spaces that need to be matched. That way the baby can learn to match the missing part with the right space and reinforce the coordination of colors and shapes. Toys like this are the Touch and Sing blocks by Neurosmith and also, Lamaze offers a wide range of toys that are based on the principle of learning.

Toys that make sounds can be very appealing to babies, as well. Soft and sweet sounds are what you should look for. Sharp noises can only scare the child. Music is considered to have a great influence on the child’s development so introducing music to the child while the baby is still young is a great idea. The baby will be happy to play with a toy that produces sounds. If the toy is a mixture of sounds and shapes then you have a winner. Toys from Edushape like Baby’s first birthday music set, the Mozart block or touch and sing blocks can be an excellent choice.

Whatever you do, you need to keep the toy simple but fun. You can’t buy a one year old  a toy for a three year old and expect to like it. Baby toys should become more complex as the kid grows and learns new things. When you look for a unique baby toy look for something that is on the same level of complexity as the kid can handle. You can try and exceed just a little bit.

The point with the toys is to help the baby develop motor skills and to synchronize them. You can ask the assistant at the toy shop to help you choose a unique baby toy that can help the baby improve the hand and eye coordination, the manual dexterity and the attention span. Toys like colored blocks, rattles and animals are an excellent choice. Another important characteristic that baby toys should have is cause and effect. Toys that respond to touch or movement give the baby a sense of power and awareness of itself. Educational toys like squeak toys and musical toys are a good choice. A unique baby toy should be able to stimulate the baby’s five senses and help the baby learn and have better skills.

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The Challenge

If you’re not into artsy-fartsy stuff (but who isn’t, right?), you could just go to any shop that sells ready-made toys, but since you are reading this, we believe you have what it takes to make your own baby toys. We all know art cannot be rushed or taken lightly – but here are a few starters. You could start by creating a tracking stick, glitter water, and a homemade drum. These are the easiest of the whole bunch! We challenge you to try them.

Of All Things Artsy

Let us start with the tracking stick. This toy is every easy to make. You just need to gather Popsicle sticks, a set of construction papers (preferably bright colors), and a hot glue gun. Start by cutting different shapes with the construction papers – a star, a diamond and a heart would do. Then after, stick the shapes into the Popsicle sticks.

Then after, let’s proceed with the glitter water. This is the easiest way to make your own baby toys. Gather an empty plastic water bottle, glitters and even marbles. Start by stuffing all of them into the water bottle and fill it two-thirds of the way. That’s it!

Lastly, the homemade drum. Gather an empty cardboard box, a string, and two wooden spoons. Start by making two holes on opposite sides of the box using a scissor. Then after, cut two pieces of string that is eight inches long (or depending on your child’s size). Thread the string into the holes and tie a knot on the insides of the box. Securely tape the box closed. And lastly, tie a spoon to each piece of string. And voila, let the banging begin!

This job isn’t really very challenging, it is very fun actually. You needn’t necessarily follow them. Along the way, you will find something that you would rather prefer than what’s written here and there’s no problem with that. After all, a little bit of creativity won’t hurt if you make your own baby toys.

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Simple and Cheap

One technique on how to clean baby toys is gathering one cup of water, another cup of distilled white vinegar, a spraying bottle and any piece of cloth. Very simple and cheap, right? First off, mix the water and the distilled white vinegar together. Put them in a spraying bottle and shake. Spray some of it in the piece of cloth. Then after, start wiping the toys. The smell of vinegar fades away completely after it dries so its smell should be no problem as well. This method, however, is for the hard toys – mostly teethers, plastic and wood toys.

As for the stuffed ones, your washing machine may come in handy. Usually there are washing directions in the toy’s tag but if there’s none, here’s what you need in this technique is vinegar and baking soda. Start by mixing 3 cups of white vinegar into the washing machine. Then, put in your little one’s stuffed toys. Stuffed toys that are usually of cotton and polyester material usually survive the washing machine. This is probably the easiest way how to clean baby toys.

Very Convenient

These are two of the many techniques out there but these are the most helpful of all. Simple and hassle-free. A better way to secure your child’s cleanliness is to clean your child’s surroundings first. Make sure that your baby’s blanket, pillow or even his or her crib is free from the dust bunnies. After all, it is not only for the sake of your baby’s health but yours as well. Be stress-free from now on. You don’t have to worry anymore because now, you definitely know why you need to clean and most importantly, how to clean baby toys.

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Being Practical

In today’s time, being practical is one of the hardest things to do. We see expensive things as the best things when in fact, there are also durable ones that are bought at a cheaper cost. There are a lot of places you can go to if you’re looking for a cheaper cost of baby toys. On the internet, there are sites that cater to cheap but durable baby toys like www.walmart.com, where the prices range from $10 to $20. If you are looking for more beautiful toys, you can visit www.toysrus.com or www.toysinusa.com, where the prices range from $15 to $50. Practicality is the key. If you’re that savvy, pick a toy that would last until your next baby so that you wouldn’t have to spend much again.

Cheap Thrills

If you’re in for the adventure, you should probably visit your area’s famous cheap markets. The marketplace is well loved by parents because in here, they could find a wide variety of cheap things. The cost of baby toys ranges from $5 to $15. It is definitely cheaper than the ones you buy in the mall. Although it will be stressful to venture through these markets, at least it will still relieve the stress in your pockets. You got to purchase a nice yet affordable toys for your baby.

Whether it is cheap or expensive, you have to make sure that the baby toys you purchase are clean and safe. A lot of reports are claiming that there are toys that contain a great amount of melamine and lead – they are both toxic and dangerous to any person’s health especially, your child’s health. Although the cost of baby toys in markets are cheaper, you should always be careful in choosing and always consider everything before you purchase.

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