Lay-by For Christmas

Did you know that you can lay-by our products? With Christmas looming ahead, a lay-by system will make it easier for you to manage your cash flow while you stock up on gifts.

You can now order the toys that your children will love and pay for them over 12 weeks. You can start with a purchase of as little as $40.00 and all you need to pay is a 10% deposit.

We ask that you make regular fortnightly payments of whatever amount you can manage. We know that some weeks are better than others so we don’t impose a set amount on you. If you would like to pay out the balance at any time within the 12 weeks, that is not a problem. We don’t impose any penalty amounts at all, unlike some of the major stores.

Our lay-by system is there for your convenience. We know that you want to shower your family with gifts at Christmas and this is one way of making it easier for you to do so.

Once your final payment has been received, your order will be delivered to you within 5-7 days. You can order your gifts and leave them stored with us until the big day is almost here. It’s so much easier than trying to hide them away from curious little eyes!

If you would like to use the lay-by system, all you need to do is to select “Lay-By” as your payment type at checkout. It’s that easy.

If you’d like to read more about our lay-by system pop over to the website.

Then, start shopping!

How To Use Our Packaging For Fun

Think back on past Christmases and kids' birthdays – remember when they put aside their presents in favour of the wrapping paper or the cardboard box? When we send you your next parcel, don't throw away the packaging – use it with your kids to have some fun. Simple materials like bubble wrap and corrugated cardboard shipped with our products provide great sensory input.

Lay bubble wrap on the floor like a little 'path' or road. Encourage your child to walk on their heels slowly, step by step along it (you may need to go first). They will not only feel the bubbly texture, they will feel it pop against their heels. They could also try walking on the soles of their feet to feel the slight difference.

With the corrugated cardboard, your child could firstly rub their hands or fingers along its ridge like texture, then try painting it with bright colours using a sponge or brush. Or better yet – finger paint! The paint on their fingers – and no doubt all over their hands – provides even greater tactile stimulation.

Use the bubble wrap and the corrugated cardboard together – cut them into “carpet” squares and lay a path on the floor to offer different textures for the feet.

You could also help your child make a textured collage. Cut different shapes out of the bubble wrap and corrugated cardboard and glue them to a piece of paper or cardboard.

So when you get your next Toy Bug order – save a trip to the recycling or rubbish bin by having fun with the packaging.

My Toilet Chart

Toilet training children can be a challenging task for many parents and it is even more difficult for parents of children with ASD. Many of these kids are non-verbal and mostly communicate through the aid of visual cards. Without the perfect tool, toilet training these special children can lead to frustrations and a lot of mishaps.

With these important factors in mind, Magnetic Moves came up with the My Toilet Chart which has been specifically designed to aid children and their parents during the toilet training stage. It has the signature interactive and easy-to-use features of Magnetic Moves' charts, which make it a big hit among parents and children.

The chart allows the parent to use it to suit their child's needs. It has spaces for up to 5 goals and it's up to the parent to choose whether to use all 5 goals or start slowly with just one or two. Once the child achieves the goal, a star is placed under the goal in a column.

The chart is reusable as it is magnetic and with 35 colour-coded activity tiles, 20 star tiles and 5 balloon reward tiles, it's easy to adjust and personalise. There are also 50 extra stickers which can be used to encourage the child some more, as well as an easy-to-follow user guide.

The Cubeo Organiser

For children on the Autism Spectrum, trying to remember the things they need to bring to school everyday can be a difficult task. T hey usually work on routine and when that changes, it sets them off balance. Children on the Autism Spectrum are also usually very visual learners and sometimes can have difficulty verbalising their thoughts or needs.

This is why the Cubeo is a revolution in teaching kids how to remember and organise the things they need for school. It is visual and colourful so they will find it engaging and easy to use. It comes in the form of a bag tag so kids can access it without having to undo tricky zips to get to it.

The Cubeo has over 80 reusable stickers which feature common items you'd find in the schoolbag of a primary school student, as well as stickers for extracurricular activities. There is also an information card where you can write down the contact and allergy details.

So how easy is the Cubeo to use? It's really simple. There's a front window that displays all the items that the child needs for that day. The ingenious drop-down cards allows the child to see and remember the other things he or she needs for specific days of the week.

Each pack of the Cubeo contains the device, a set of 90 reusable stickers and is available in blue, green, pink, and yellow.

Siblings and Autism

Having a sibling with a disability can be challenging and when the disability is ‘hidden’ or not so obvious like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it can be even harder.

‘Normal’ family life is rarely problem free. A family that never disagrees would be incredibly odd! The presence of an autistic child is unlikely to be the sole cause of such problems, although it may complicate or exacerbate struggles at various times.

Often the sibling with ASD will require extra attention from the parent, and the other children may understandably feel left out or resentful. It’s perfectly normal. No one likes to feel left out, regardless what age they are, or the reasoning.

So what do you do about it? Can you do anything? Absolutely!

Consider setting aside a short period daily or at minimum, weekly, to connect with the other family members and let them know they are special in their own way. Perhaps use the time when a child is travelling from school, undertaking a sport or activity or after siblings have gone to bed. Share a milkshake, a trip to the park or the shops, a book or a game, something simple where the sibling without a disability is not the centre of the activity or event. How special would it be to have a designated ‘date’ with mum or dad, or better, both!

Don’t forget kids are pretty resilient too and research suggests that in the majority of families, the benefits of having a sibling with special needs far outweighs the disadvantages.

Tolerance, acceptance, patience, compassion, a strong sense of equality, social justice and a greater understanding of people and their differences are all common traits in people who have the blessing of a person with additional needs, Autism related or otherwise, in their family.

Sesame Street Puppets

Since its first airing in 1969, Sesame Street has been a firm favourite with children of all ages and there are many good reasons for that. Designed specifically with an educational curriculum and aimed at creatively explaining cultural and social situations in a way that young children can relate to, it was the first television show of its kind and still remains one of the most popular.

Many parents of young children these days were avid viewers of Sesame Street in their own childhood and we all get a little warm and fuzzy when we see our favourite muppet monster captivating our own little ones.

The show has continued to evolve over the last forty years, with developing technology and changes in our day to day world, but many of the key characters are still the same.

We have some wonderful Sesame Street Hand Puppets in store and they are perfect for encouraging creative role playing with your children.

It’s easy to role play with characters we all know so well and most mums, dads and even grandparents can just as easily slip into character when it comes to Sesame Street muppets as well as any three or four year old can.

Colourful and cuddly, these plush hand puppets are just the ticket for endless hours of imaginative play and your children can easily become the puppet masters that bring these wonderful characters alive.

A cute addition to a sing-along or a counting game, for learning the alphabet song and even being a familiar friend in unfamiliar situations, these puppets will quickly become a fun part of your toy family.

ASD And The Drama Of The Airport

Airports are huge, noisy, brightly lit areas of CHAOS!

They can send anyone over the edge, especially a child on the spectrum.

As with all new environments, it is important your child feels safe. Bring activities they enjoy to keep them occupied, familiar foods and anything that keeps them calm and helps them to feel secure. This is for both during your time at the airport and on the flight itself.

It’s also important they are dressed comfortably and it's really helpful if you dress your child in brightly coloured clothes. It makes them much easier to spot in crowds, should they wander off!

Set them up with activities whilst you’re waiting in lines as well as waiting for the flight to take off.

In preparing your child for the airport, the use of social stories is fabulous and helps your child to understand and anticipate what is coming. Ideally, and if it's an option, try a trip or two to the airport itself, so they are more familiar with the environment.

Your best strategy, however, is to ask for help. If you have someone to be a second pair of hands and help keep your child entertained, then that’s what you want to aim for.

However, that is not always an option, so don’t be scared to ask the airline staff for help. Explain your child has special needs, and that they don’t do well with lining up. Being open and upfront will ensure your needs are respected, and it will also help the airline staff to help you.

If you can afford it, avoid the low-cost airlines as they often don’t have the resources to help. That is, they may be slightly understaffed and frazzled and not able to give you the assistance you require.

Finally, be aware of the strong smells and loud noises of the airport, as well as the visuals; strong, bright lights, and loads of people!

Travelling on an airplane should essentially be fun - however as with anything, the more familiar they are with an environment the better.