Last Minute Christmas Gifts for Children

I don't know about you, but my life is very full.  I'm still scrambling to put Christmas together for my children.  Imagine those who don't have children and want to buy gifts for them?  It can be a little daunting.  More than once, a childless person has asked me for help.  I have a massive amount of offspring, plus I used to be a nanny.  So, here are books and toys for each age group-
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BABIES love any book with vivid pictures and poetry.  The tried and tested favorite among all babies I've ever known is HAND, HAND, FINGERS, THUMB by Al Perkins.  Any of the simple books by Dr. Seuss are good too.  Just make sure they're *board* or *cloth* books, because babies gnaw and slobber on everything, especially stuff they think is reeeally cool.  The all-time favorite baby toy is the Stacking Cups.  Build 'em up and Baby will roll or scoot over and knock 'em down, over and over.  They just love it.  Makes 'em feel so powerful!  Cause & Effect Toys are a huge hit with the newly mobile baby.

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TODDLERS will like many of the same books, but Push Toys are a big hit at this stage too.  I call it the Interior Decorator Stage because you'll see 'em pushing chairs and ottomans around.  They've learned to walk and it's the most exciting thing in the world to them.

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CHILDREN from about 4 to age 8 will enjoy the tales of Beatrix Potter and Legos, boys and girls.  My son is obsessed with Peter Rabbit and thinks Mr. McGregor is the coolest bad guy ever.  I can tell he'll be a huge Darth Vader fan when he gets older.  There's something for everyone in the world of Legos too.  This is a toy which they can put together and take apart for hours.  To really impress their parents, give a plastic storage container with a lid too.  Legos hurt bare feet when they're left on the floor!
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OLDER CHILDREN.  Breyer's Horses are a huge in our house and they come in enormous variety.  There are even some sets which come with famous horse books, like THE BLACK STALLION.  For books, my girl's really into the WARRIORS series.  And she's not even into cats.
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TEENS.  I highly recommend a Barnes & Noble gift card.  You can't go wrong.  Tuck it inside a card which communicates your respect for the new adults they're becoming.
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That's it! 
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For grown-ups, scroll down to our Top Books for 2009 lists or click on a genre label in the directory.  Most of these books were free ARCs to me.
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Disclaimer:  I received no compensation whatsoever for any of these children's products, not even free ARCs.