* Prices and Range *

On Tesco's web site, or in smaller stores, you cannot buy the wide range of products that you would expect to find in a good toy shop.

Their web site will only help you choose children’s books by age range or price, also DVDs, CDs and computer games aimed at children.

We live near one of the largest Tesco stores, and went there yesterday to do our grocery shopping, but also had a look round the toy section for Christmas presents.

They had the sort of presents you could find on line, as mentioned above, but also a wide variety of other toys for all ages.

Because of the time of day we went, there were lots of mums with pre-school children, whose children were showing a great deal of interest in the very reasonably priced Tesco’s own brand toys.

There were toys for older children in their own brand range as well, catering for children up to about 8 years.

If you wanted toys for children older than 8, the most suitable they had were top branded ones, which were individually reasonably priced. Although, if you were buying for 3 or more children and didn’t want to buy Tesco’s own brand toys, you may get better value for money in chains like Woolworths or Argos where they are offering 3 for the price of 2 deals.

Tesco’s Own Brand Range
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All toys in Tesco’s own range are clearly marked with the minimum age they are suitable for. Things that took my eye while browsing in Tesco’s own range toys are below.

* Cuddly Toys *

Small cuddly toys from £1.27 each, large cuddly toys still selling for just under £10, with various sizes in between, and cuddly toys that could also be used as bags in the shapes of very cute dogs, cats, or unicorns for £4.97.

If you want a pet that isn’t too much trouble this Christmas how about getting an own brand long-haired barking dog, complete with grooming set for £8.43.

* Brightly Coloured Toys for Babies *

Tesco’s excel at these, in my opinion. They seem robust, able to stimulate manipulative skills, and are fun to play with.

I am putting up photos of what I bought on yesterday’s shopping trip for you to see.

This first picture is of an activity cube, with a face of a red cat on the front. There are 4 rotating bars holding the front and the back of the “cat” together. One of the two top bars has a blue star with a star shaped mirror in it, which can be rotated. Another has 2 rings, one yellow and one blue, which can be spun around. On the bottom two bars there is an egg shaped purple and yellow rotating rattle, and a cylinder shape coloured orange and purple, which when spun, will make the two colours merge because of the spiral colouring. This says it is suitable from birth. Cost £3.42.

Pictures 2 and 3 show a green frog and a blue dolphin “Bathtub Pals”, which can suck in or squirt out water. There were plenty of ducklings on the shelf but I bought the last of these 2, obviously popular, characters on display. A 22 year old friend, without children, visited us before I had finished putting away the shopping and asked if he could have a frog in his Christmas stocking. He looked sad when I said they he could only have one if Tesco restocked in time, because this frog was bought for a specific young person. As the child is not especially expecting a frog, I will buy the child a duck, if the frogs prove difficult to get hold of and give the frog to the adult, to rivvit around in his bath, provided he behaves well. I wish all the people on my Christmas present list could be so cheaply pleased! These state that they are suitable from 6 months onwards, so the 22 year old qualifies. Cost 87p each.

Picture 4 is of a yellow Puppy Sand Wand. The “sand” is brightly coloured small beads, which can rattle from one end of this dachshund to the other via one of the three holds in each part of his long four part body. For this toy you are supposed to be at least 18 months old. Cost £2.97

* Transport Toys *

Smaller transport related toys include cars £1.74 each or a set of 5 for £3.47, car transporter for £2.76, a set of three emergency services vehicles set for £5.97 and an airport playset for £7.86 All these seemed great value for money, and the main material used seemed to be plastic.

There was also a wooden toy transport related own brand range of toys where individual friends and relations, who didn’t have a lot of money to spend, could be asked to buy different packs. Prices started from curved or straight railway track packs from £1.87 each, an ordinary cross-hatch bridge is £4.97, a replica of Tower Bridge in London costs a mere £7.43 (I wonder how many "Del Boy" could sell to tourists), a level crossing for use with trains and cars (with flashing lights and sound effects) for £8.87. More expensive sets in this wooden range are a crane which allows for goods to be loaded from a lorry to the train or vice versa (by winding the handle at the side) is £17.87, the emergency service centre (including a helicopter, policy car, fire engine and ambulance, and building from them to work from ( flashing lights and sound effects help this toy to be entertaining) costs £17.87. The most expensive set I saw was the alpine railway set for £29.43, which includes different height pillars so that the track can be made higher to get around mountainous regions, a mountain with tunnels, and lots of accessories like friendly looking cows and sheep. I am back in my second (or some who say fifty second) childhood, explaining these toys to you.

* Pretty Princess range *

This includes the Pretty Princess Wooden Palace with 20 accessories for £32.97 and the Pretty Princess wooden stable with fenced paddock and 2 horses for £9.97. These are traditional dolls house size sets. The colours of these toys and predominantly pink and purple.

Also in this series are plastic accessory sets for girls of the average size of a 5-6 year old such as tiara, other jewellery, shoes and a flashing lights and sound effects mirror.

Again small accessories can be bought for well under £5 and the larger sets I saw didn’t cost more than £10.

Tesco First Beauty Case with a battery operated hairdryer and lots of hair styling accessories is £6.87. Again this is in the girly pink and purple colours.

The Pretty Princess Mirror, designed with a handle to be hand held, has novelty flashing lights and sound effects for £3.97.

A young princess of at least 5 years old, because of the small pieces, may also like the Tesco Butterfly Friendship Bead Case. The contents of this butterfly shaped case will help with hand/eye co-ordination as a princess makes pretty jewellery with the different shaped and coloured beads.

* The Messiest Toy I Found *

For those who like messy toys there is the Tesco Pottery Wheel, with modelling clay, and paints for £7.87. The hand/eye co-ordination of the child needs to be taken into consideration before buying this toy. Even with good co-ordination skills, this should be used in a large enough, easy to clean area.

* Customer Services *

I asked a customer services lady what options would be available if I bought a toy for a child for Christmas, and they received the same gift from more than one person. She told me that they would refund the money with the receipt, provided it was returned with the packaging unopened. Without the receipt, provided it was a Tesco own brand toy, it could be exchanged for something else in the toy department only, but customers should report to the customer services desk on first entering the store, before looking for something to exchange it for. She gave me this information in a very friendly way, giving the impression that she fully appreciated the problems facing people choosing toys for Christmas gifts.

I hope the rest of my Christmas shopping is as easy as this!

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I have put whole family in age range in view of the fact that 0-8 years isn't an option, and my 22 year old friend wants a Tesco toy frog.