Top Picks from the Smyths Toy Catalogue

With just twelve weeks left until Christmas, the shops are starting to fill up with toys and gifts as the toy catalogues and gift guides start arriving on the doormat in droves.

The Smyths Toy Superstore catalogue fell through our letterbox this week and my children couldn't wait to get looking through it in preparation for writing their Christmas lists.

Unlike some parents who try to put off all mentions of the big day for as long as possible, I actively encourage them to choose what they will be asking the man in red for fairly early.

No, I'm not just a glutton for punishment, I actually do this for money-saving reasons. I find that buying gifts earlier on means that I can take advantage of store promotions and offers such as the save £10 on a £50 spend promotion that Smyths have been running this weekend.

Another advantage of the children choosing their wishlists early is that I can pre-order or purchase when there is plenty of stock available, especially with the most popular toys, meaning no stressing and queuing in December!

What's great about Smyths is that they have toys to suit all budgets, from the big ticket 'Main' gift, that family members may club together to buy, to the small stocking fillers, and everything in between.

After much research on the parts of my six and ten year olds, we've come together to bring you our top picks from the 2017 Smyths Toy Catalogue:

Blow the Budget toys:

Luvabella

The top name on every doll loving child's lists this year is most definitely 'Luvabella', this lifelike, interactive doll responds affectionately to love, changing her expression just like a real baby and has already sold out in many places. Even with a price tag of £99.99, Luvabella promises to be a favourite this Christmas! Suitable for age 4+

Cozmo

Cozmo by Anki is a clever little robot with a mind of his own and coveted by tech kids young and old! His unique personality evolves as you hang out with him, so there’s no end to the fun you can have together. Cozmo expresses a wide range of real emotions in response to his environment and Anki’s innovative and powerful technology lets Cozmo interact with the world around him to make decisions based on his mood. Both my son and my husband have him at the top of their lists but he may have to be a joint gift with a price of £199! Suitable for age 8+

Great value smaller gifts idea as Stocking fillers:

 Shnooks

Pop the bubbles, shake, and bring your new best friend to life! Shnooks magically grow 8 times in size from their unique shnubble- bubble pack, once fully grown, you can style their hair and play with the comb, hair clip and surprise accessories that come with it. With 6 to collect in the range, they are fantastic value at just £7.99 each but beware your child may want more than one as they each have their own name and personality! Age 3+

MAYKA

Mayka toy block tape is on every LEGO fan's Christmas list this year! It offers builders of all ages a new flexible way to play with and display their creations. It comes in a good range of colours and the option of two or four studs across and a variety of lengths, with prices starting from just £7. With re-usable backing tape that allows you to change it's placement as often as you like this is great value and idea for stockings or 'table presents'. Suitable for age 3+

These are just a few toys that the Children have picked out and we'll be sharing more of their favourite things and some amazing toy reviews on the run up to the festive period so watch this space!

Don't forget you can now pick up your FREE copy of the 300 page catalogue in-store.

Have you started the Christmas Shopping yet? When do you find the the best time to find the bargains? I'd love to read your tips in the comments...

This is a collaborative post with Smyths Toys.