no shit!!
sometimes just plan an extra 30-60 minutes to let your kids play in the toy store, or the toy aisles at you local Target or Walmart or whatever. Let the kids PLAY WITH THE TOYS with the knowledge that they aren't getting anything but they can play with everything.
then just watch them!
there's a reason why all those toys have 'Try Me' features! let the kids try them, it's fun! gently keep them moving thru the aisles (so they have time to play with lots of different things) but just let them play. you'll all get to see what toys the kids actually like, not just what they think they want because some commercial or other kid said it was cool.
so you save time trying to figure out what your kid is into this month and you save money later by avoiding buying toys the kids'll like for 20 minutes then banish to toy purgatory until the next kid picks it up.
and mommy gets a few minutes to whip out the smartphone and answer an email or check facebook or write a blog post like yours truly, since once the kids get used to knowing they have a limited time to play with any toy they like, you become background noise to the plethora of sounds and lights.
some days as a reward, we'll let our kiddo bring $5 of his own spending money to get himself a toy or 2. he's only 4 yrs. old so $5 is a big deal!
give it a try. at the very least you give your kids an hour of playtime bliss.
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