Our gift to you this holiday season is a stress-free shopping guide for the hottest playthings of the year. They topped our kid testers' wish lists!

By Kourtney Eidam with Sarah Rammos and Brooke Bunce

1. Having a Ball Roll and Pop Fire Truck

Encourage your child to crawl with this BrightStarts vehicle that shoots out balls for him to chase. Put it in Park so he can push the buttons and work on his ABCs. 3 months+, $20; toysrus.com

Buy the toy here! >>

RELATED: Age-by-Age Guide to Toys

2. Treetop Friends Musical Crib Mobile

Owls, apples, woodland charm-this mobile pretty much covers the biggest nursery-décor themes of the moment. It also lulls your kid to sleep with music. 0 to 5 months, $45; skiphop.com

Buy the toy here! >>

3. Pour & Float Froggy

Kids will hop at the chance to take a bath with this floating fountain that squirts water from its mouth. It also teaches numbers through songs and counting activities. 9 months+, $18; vtechkids.com

Buy the toy here! >>

4. Koala Ring

Bonding with your unborn baby can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a pregnancy. Feeling your baby inside the womb and having him or her respond to your words and actions is simply an amazing feeling - one that is hard to explain. There are many ways pregnant women go about bonding with their unborn baby, but I'd have to say that rubbing my belly was something I constantly did. In talking with other moms about how they bonded with their baby in utero, I can say that rubbing the belly was a consistently recurring theme. Of course, beyond rubbing your pregnant belly, there are quite a few other ways to bond with your unborn baby. Here's what 7 moms had to say! - By Melanie Edwards

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I have Parkinson's disease and my niece understandabily is nervious about my holding my great-nephew Wren; he's a little over six months old and weights about 20-23 pounds. So the other day, we were invited to a anniversary party for a couple celebrating their 60th anniversary, my 79 yr old mom, my older brother, my niece, her husband their two yr old and the new baby, were all in attendence. My niece fed Wren then handed him off to me, because I had already finished eating. I discovered that the natural shaking movement of my Parkinson's seemed to delight the baby, as my leg kept pace with the DJ music, Wren was all smiles. He even burpped a couple of times. I hope my Neice realizes PD is not contagious and the natural movement gentle rocking and slow shaking of my leg should place me at an advantage when taking care of him. Jugs

Calmer ParentingI am a single parent with three daughters, one tween, and two toddlers. My everyday parenting life is full of opportunities to guide my children to becoming the productive members of society that I hope they will grow up to become. To me being a parent means making myself obsolete, my job is to raise my children to be fully independent functional adults. I am raising them to leave home. The foundation I am setting now in parenting my children should serve to give them the inner voice and strength needed to become responsible adults.

Children should know they are loved by their parents, in small ways such as packing their favorite lunch snack, and in larger ways such as being held accountable for their actions. Properly disciplining a child takes strength of character and love for the child. We all know parents who are so concerned with being liked by their children that they cater to the ever changing demands of their young children, only to be surprised later with the problems

Parenting is not the easiest job in the world. It wasn't that long ago that I was a kid myself and yet there are times I just have no idea who these little people are or what they're thinking. I am certain there have been more than a few times that I have not approached a conversation with my kids in the best way and I have a feeling there will be a few times more. Click through to read 7 mistakes parents (including me!) make when talking to their kids: - By Devan McGuinness

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© iStockphotoby Elina at Parenting.com

Ah, the miracle of birth! Once upon a time, dads were kept away from it-corralled in the hospital's waiting room, smoking cigars while pacing nervously. Now, of course, hospitals encourage fathers to be there for the birth of their child. But one dad claims that this time, progress isn't a good thing. In fact, seeing his wife give birth put him off of sex for an entire year!

In an article in the Daily Mail, Martin Daubney describes how traumatic a three-day labor and emergency cesarean birth were...on him! "Witnessing the trauma of childbirth, coupled with the toll it takes on their partner's body, can have a devastating impact on a man and his approach to sex," Martin writes.

Plus: Dad's Guide to Sex After Pregnancy and Childbirth

The problem? There are changing expectations of fathers, Martin says. "Today's dads see it as an intrinsic part of their role to accompany their partner through every step of childbirth. To suggest otherwise is seen as a

Running is a good choice to keep yourself healthy. Not only does it help keep the function of body organs working in a proper way, it also improves the fat burning process in the body. Usually for parents it becomes quite difficult to make time for running and other health improving activities. However, if you are health conscious and want to run anyways, you should consider joining your kids and make running an even better experience.

Read more at BetterHealthBlog:

· How To Avoid Back Pain When Playing the Piano

· Simple Steps to Reversing Childhood Obesity

· Stress Release for Single Mothers

· Choose Your Fit Eyeglasses Properly

· Some Proven Tips to Help You Stay Fit