On a brief poll to my Twitter followers, I asked, "Who would buy toys for their children for Valentine's Day?" People responded that small boxes of chocolate and books were typical gift items. However, one person remembered that receiving a stuffed animal from her parents was a memorable gift as a child.

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25,000 infant rattles by Lee Carter are being recalled due to a potential choking hazard. The handle of the rattle is long enough to fit in an infant's mouth and throat.

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Looking for a wagon for your children? The Little Tikes company, as part of their LeapSweeps campaign, will be giving away 29 wagons during the month of February. Go to www.littletikes.com to enter. Enter by February 29, 2012. Winners will be notified in March 2012.

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Children these days, with the addition of smartphones into our daily lives, are often exposed to digital cameras and the art of photography at very young ages. If you have a child who enjoys taking pictures, but cringe every time you hand over your smartphone, iPad or digital camera, VTech has developed the Kidizoom camera specifically for children ages 2-8 so they can safely experiment with photography. This digital camera for kids allows children to take multiple pictures, video, play games and edit photo's directly on the camera. For a full review of the Kidizoom camera, please click here.

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For those of you who enjoy getting the chance to meet famous people and interact with cast members, Marvel Studios is sponsoring a global twitter chat with the director and cast of Marvel's The Avengers on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 11 a.m. (PST).  "Avengers" prize packs will be given away via trivia questions. Fans around the world will be able to see a 10 second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl XLVI commercial airing February 5th on NBC. The Twitter chat will last 30 minutes. Joss Whedon, the diretor and cast members Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg will be available.

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The Disney Pixar Cars 2 movie has inspired many fun Cars 2 toys. However, I would have never thought that these simple little cars would evolve into being one of the coolest iPad accessories for kids. After purchasing a package of the Cars 2 AppMATes, download the free app and drive your favorite character right on top of you iPad through Radiator Springs. Click here for a full review of the Cars 2 AppMATes.

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For those of you Modern Family television show fanatics, this Adora Playtime baby doll (compare prices) was recently featured on one of their episodes. The 12 inch doll comes in 5 ethnically diverse skin tones and eye color combinations. The dolls are lightly scented with baby powder. Both the doll and the accessories are machine washable. The dolls are handcrafted and recommended for kids ages 1 and up. Click here for a more in-depth list of baby dolls for kids of all ages.

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Physical exercise is important for family fitness, indoors and outdoors, any time of the year. I've compiled a list of some of my favorite kids' bikes, scooters and ride-on toys for kids of all ages, starting as young as 1 and spanning into the pre-teen and even adult ages. There are ride-on toys, scooters, balance bikes, and a few bikes that work solely on arm power, with a variety of weight limits, so both kids and some adults can take turns riding together. It is recommended that children ride with a protective helmet and adult supervision. Happy Riding!

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This year where I live in the North East, we've had one snow storm so far, which ironically occurred right before Halloween in October. For a nice change, since then we've been blessed with some mild weather days which are not typical of the frigid temperatures we usually get this time of year.

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This Friday, January 13th, Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 3D arrives in movie theaters nationwide. My family and I were able preview the new movie at a screening last weekend. As a huge Princess Belle fan since the release of the original Beauty and the Beast in 1991, I thought the ability to experience the movie in 3D provided a totally new opportunity to view this classic movie, while feeling like you are actually standing in the French countryside or in the Beast's enchanted castle alongside the movie characters.

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