Author: Chris

Hi, I am Chris! I am the dad of my wonderful, three year old son Benni. I love my son, and I love toys. Hence, playing together with Benni is my favorite way of connecting with him. That's why I started this blog: That Toy Dad is dedicated to sharing my passion in order to helping moms and dads raising their kids by offering toy reviews and reviews of kid related products, services and programs. My ultimate goal is to give YOU helpful advice and make it easy to spend quality time together with YOUR kids and hence establish a rock solid connection with them through play and by having FUN together. I further try to offer parenting advice from a dad's perspective and useful tips on how to become a full time Stay at Home Dad.

Fun Things to Do with YOUR Dad: 5 Ideas for Great Father Son Activities

September 20, 2018 / Chris / Leave a comment

Being a Dad is such great fun! I sure do have a fantastic time reliving some of my own childhood memories, when I do fun stuff with my son Benni. I’ll bet you rekindle your fondest memories when you do fun activities with your children too.

But have you ever thought about how your own Dad used to enjoy spending time with you when you were small? A great way to renew those old bonds, and have some fun along the way, is to revive this partnership. This is achievable by doing new activities together, or some of those you enjoyed doing as a kid, fishing for example.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at lots more fun things to do with your Dad that will give you some ideas for great father-son activities. Continue reading →

The Best Personalized Books for Kids – Because Tiny Heroes Deserve Their Own Novels

September 9, 2018 / Chris / 4 Comments

I thought today, that we’d take a look at companies who create personalized books for kids. When I published my article about the importance and the benefits of reading to your kids, I already had this followup article in my mind: See, I know how much my own son Benni loves story time, but it becomes extra special when that story is all about him!

I’ve found three companies I’d like to take a closer look at. They all make personalized books either via Amazon or through their own websites. The first company I’m going to review really spells out what they do! So let’s take a look at Put Me In The Story.

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Sun Safety: The Best Sunscreens for Kids

September 6, 2018 / Chris / 2 Comments

During the summer months, adverts for sunscreens are everywhere. These ads tell us about the dangers of sun exposure and the damage it can do to our own and our kid’s skin.

Children’s skin is far more delicate than adults, so knowing which the best sunscreens for kids are, can be confusing. What SPF factor should you choose? What does a broad spectrum mean? And why are some sunscreens potentially harmful?

In this article, I’m going to help you understand all of this and know which are the safest sunscreens for kids.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I have any kind of medical background. I am just a dad! Please take this article as what it is: “Just” some advice from other parents! I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject but have taken my information from sources that I believe to be reputable and reliable, as well as from my own experience with my 3-year old son.

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Dad’s Kitchen: Easy Cooking with Kids – 4 Dad-Friendly Recipes You And Your Kids Will Love

September 2, 2018 / Chris / 6 Comments

Kids love playing mini chefs. So, I thought I’d give you some recipes for easy cooking with kids. Creating exciting meals in the kitchen with your children is excellent fun, and perfect for giving them future life skills.

But then again: If you’re a stay at home dad like myself you probably want to get in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible without leaving behind a whole lot of mess behind; while still creating a tasty, healthy dinner for the kids.

The recipe’s I’ve selected are suitable for children of all ages and abilities. For younger kids, you’ll need to help with putting things into and out of the oven, frying, and chopping. It’s the perfect way to teach your children about kitchen safety; you don’t want any cuts or burns! Oh and don’t forget about the washing of hands before they start.

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How to Balance Work and Family Life: 5 Surprisingly Simple Steps to Improve Your Time Management as a Busy Mom or Dad

August 31, 2018 / Chris / 2 Comments

It sure can be tough balancing your work-life with being a parent. Before the kids came along, everything took half the time. Going on a night out with your homies required no thought at all. There’s no denying having children is a wonderful gift, but it sure can complicate things and sometimes leave you feeling like there’s no time left for you.

In this article, we’re going to look at taking back control by using simple time management for parents that can help you balance work and family life. I’m going to tell you about five surprisingly simple steps to improve your time management as a busy Mom or Dad.

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Raising Healthy, Self-Confident And Responsible Kids: A Top 10 Guide To Parenting Young Children

August 26, 2018 / Chris / 6 Comments

Raising your children right is a big responsibility. If you’re just a littlebit like me, I bet you’ve thought more than once: “If only kids came with a guidebook!” – I certainly have!

Raising your child to be happy, healthy, self-confident and responsible depends on a number of influencing factors. These factors include exposing them to a life that makes them want to be those things, providing continued support and guidance and letting them make mistakes. And being a role model!

In this article I have compiled a list of 10 surprisingly simple steps that will help you level up your parenting within just one week or less. In fact, when a friend of mine just recently actively incorporated these into his parenting, he could see a big improvement in his relationship with his kids in just 3 days! Sounds too good to be true? Let’s see…

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Rollei Sportsline 64 Review: Is THIS the Best Camera for Kids?

August 20, 2018 / Chris / 6 Comments

Ever since my wife and I planned our first trip to the United States together with our 3-year-old son Benni, I had this idea in my mind to give my son a digital camera and ask him to take photos of the world, of us, of the sightseeing that we do, the roads we travel etc.

The idea was to encourage him to do what I do with my own DSLR as well: Take pictures of the world the way I see it! Wouldn’t it be great for us and for him to have a collection of pictures that he took himself? Something he could be proud of. And for me, I thought, it would be super interesting to see what attracts his attention, what he aims at with his camera and what he thinks is worth taking pictures of?

I did some research on Amazon and other blogs, but couldn’t really find a “good” camera for my son. They were either too expensive, not robust enough or simply totally overloaded (we’ll get into that later). But finally, my search is over: I think I found the perfect camera for kids! And the award goes to the Rollei Sportsline 64! Keep reading to learn why…

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Goal Setting Activities for Kids: 7 Simple Steps to Raising Self-Determined Kids

August 16, 2018 / Chris / 6 Comments

Children who set goals from a young age learn to be self-driven and determined in life. If you could do something as simple as helping your child set and achieve goals and give them the skill set they need to grow into a well-rounded adult, wouldn’t you do it? Children are sponges and by teaching these life skills at a young age, it is more likely they’ll carry the good habits over into their future.

Here, we’ll talk about some of the advantages of teaching your son or daughter self-determination with goal setting. I’ll also give you some ideas about goal setting activities for kids, so you can set your son or daughter up for success. You’d be surprised how early they are ready to start learning!

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Table and Chair Sets for Kids – The Best Seat in the House for Kids Activities

August 9, 2018 / Chris / 9 Comments

Today I’m going to be looking at table and chair sets for kids. Kids just seem to love anything that makes them feel grown up and that’s why scaled down household items like a table and chairs made especially for children is such a great item for your home. The reason for this may be because kids naturally enjoy learning by copying adult behavior, this is why toys like workshops, kitchens and playhouses are always so popular. Continue reading →

Free Audiobooks for Kids – Because Kids Just Love Listening to Stories

August 2, 2018 / Chris / 10 Comments

When I first started doing my research for this particular blog post it was my intention to tell you about 9 free audiobooks for kids. But as I started to dig deeper, I found that what may be more interesting is the places you can find a great many free audio books to download or stream, which can keep your kids entertained for hours.

Just recently I have published a post about the importance of storytime for your kids and what the benefits of reading stories with your kids are. And I still stand by the idea that spending time together with your child, experiencing a great narrative as a family and really just having great quality time together is the best thing you can do for your kids and your family as a whole, I also realize and understand that sometimes there simply isn’t enough time to read as many stories to your kids as they would love to hear. Therefore, audiobooks are a great alternative for your kids to get some inspiration for their imagination, right? Personally, I fell that there is nothing wrong with it, as long as I don’t use these story as an excuse not to spend time with my kids!

Here I have found three different websites where you can download audiobooks for kids completely legally and for free. Let’s take a closer look.

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