Toy Bug Is Having A Huge Sale!

We are having a sale!

Celebrating summer and the holidays, we’ve decided to bring you some super special offers.

We have taken 20% - 50% off selected items!

Here are some of the items available at hugely discounted prices:

Janod Rabbit Tractor – This is a super sweet bunny tractor that can be used as a shape sorter, puzzle or pull along toy. Was $58.95, now $30.95.

Pound A Ball Tower – This is a great toy for little ones to develop motor and eye tracking skills. Pound the balls from the top and enjoy watching the colourful balls rolling through the rainbow track! Was $45.95, now $35.95.

Domino Rally Game – The 247 piece domino set is a great educational toy for developing fine motor skills, logical thought processing as well as being great for concentration and patience! Was $54.95, now $38.95.

Doodle Roll - This all-in-one kit contains a roll of paper and crayons in a compact package, perfect for creative fun on the go anytime, anywhere!  Was $10.95, now $7.95.

Be sure to check out our On Sale category for more great specials!

Get in QUICK as some items have only 1 or 2 left in stock!

Sale ends Friday January 31st 2014!

Toys On Sale

Have you been to check out our On Sale category on the website lately? We have added a whole lot of new items and prices start from less than $2.00!

What are our favourites?

1. The Rabbit Skipping Rope: This rope is really fun, with a carrot on one handle and a cute white rabbit on the other. The handles are perfectly sized for a child’s grip. If you love this idea, you will also love the Carrot Skipping Rope which has carrots for both handles.

2. Sound Machine: Don’t tell anyone but I like this one a lot. The little box contains all sorts of sounds such as applause, shotgun, breaking glass and a drum roll. Do you remember the episode of The Big Bang Theory where Rajesh used a sound machine to punctuate his conversation? This works the same way. It’s a lot easier for your child to become used to noises when he or she can control them.

3. World Safari Game: Have an adventure in your lounge room with this clever board game. And introduce your children to continents, countries, capital cities and oceans in this uncomplicated, yet fascinating game.

4. Garden Set In A Carry Case: Just in time for spring! Let your child learn about nature by pottering in the garden with his or her very own tools.

5. Pet Fashion In The Tub: Your child will be more inclined to hop into the tub when there are friends in there waiting to play. This set contains 2 foam friends, a poodle and kitty, and 32 outfits and accessories. That’s a lot of style to fit into one bathtub!

That’s only 5 items but there are many more and the prices are excellent. Buy some to put into your secret toy trove or put them away for Christmas and birthdays. You never know when you’ll need a toy or game.

Choosing The Right Gift For A Child On The Autism spectrum

When it comes to buying a gift for a child on the autism spectrum, your decision requires a little more time and care, and it’s a little tougher for all involved if you get it wrong. Sad but true. Buy the wrong gift and you risk distress for the child as well as the parent.

A great place to start for advice is asking the parents, who can usually give you some tips regarding the particular kinds of skills the child is currently concentrating on, and some fun and relevant toys that suit. Maybe fine motor or active play skills are a priority for example, or the child might enjoy a tactile toy that will soothe and relax. Is the child learning to be more independent? Toys that assist in self help might be a good option. There can be a lot of expense in encouraging learning through play in kids with special needs, and the parents will appreciate the effort and assistance a gift that meets current skill development goals instead of something inappropriate or potentially stress inducing.

Whilst it’s not uncommon for kids on the autism spectrum to have obsessions, and sometimes families and therapists would rather move away from those things, at the end of the day, isn’t gift giving about pleasing the receiver? If you really want to see joy on a face when they tear (or carefully and quietly) open the paper, play to the child’s interests and obsessions.

Finding the right toy can be a game of trial and error, and if you really don’t trust yourself and would like the child or the parents to choose themselves, a gift voucher is sure to please.

Buying the right gift for a child on the autism spectrum is a little more challenging as the usual age appropriate gifts are not always suitable, but it’s not hard to find something that will bring joy, development or relaxation with a little bit of thought and a great selection from a fantastic online store like the Toy Bug.

IT'S FINALLY DONE!

Hi to all,

After a long 6 months and many days and nights of juggling family and lots of data entry, writing and at times trying to keep my eyes open.. The Toy Bug website is now LIVE!!

I have to say a special Thank you to my husband and son for putting up with me during this time (especially my son who does not like change and my husband who took over the daily house hold routine). And a special thank to all our suppliers who have helped out along the way.

A little history on The Toy Bug - we established The Toy Bug back in July 2007, a year and a half after our son was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). After accepting that we had a long road ahead of us and taking our son to different therapies every week, I decided to be a stay at home mum and put 100% into helping our sons therapy at home. So I spent countless hours looking for the toys his therapists were using and toys that would keep his attention and help with his developmental delays.

On sourcing some fantastic products - I wanted to share these wonderful toys I had found with other parents so I began selling our products via a catalogue through our local ECIC (Early Childhood Intervention Centre) and the Day Care Centre where our son attended. From word of mouth I started having people ask me "do you have an online store we can purchase from?". So I decided to go into business online and bring our wonderful range of educational and fun toys into the lives of children, helping them to learn as they play and create many cherished childhood memories (for both the child and their parents)

We have some fantastic products in stock so I hope you will take the time to visit our store and have a look around. As we have new stock arriving we will post a sneak peak here on our Blog page to let you know what is coming in soon.

One new service that we have added recently and are really excited about is our 12 week Lay-by service. What a great way to get organised for Christmas - it is so simple - you choose the products you wish to purchase - at Checkout select "Lay-by" as your Payment type and we will forward you an email with your Lay-By Form within 24 hours of you placing your order. We ask for a 10% deposit to secure your order and then every fortnight you make a payment to whatever amount you can afford at that time. How easy is that! For more information on our Lay-by Terms and Conditions please go HERE!

Over the next couple of weeks I will be doing profiles on some of our Award Winning Toys and what's going to be HOT for Christmas.

So take care - enjoy browsing around our gorgeous store and I hope you will check back often to see what's new at The Toy Bug.

Cheers :) Jo xo