Tesco Direct are selling this rather fabulous VTech Red Playtime Bus for £17 - it's usually around the £20 mark.

• Click HERE to go and take a look at the Vtech Red Playtime Bus *

I can be notoriously tight-fisted, but there are two things I have to explain to you about this Vtech Red Playtime Phonics Bus:

1) I'd happily pay up to £30 for it, I think it's that good; and

2) Even though I'm not a fan of plastic toys that feature bells and whistles and make all sorts of 'fun' sounds, you need to know that you really won't go wrong with Vtech toys that, invariably, do feature all these things - their build quality is always first class and their educational value is superb.

All little children love busses - which makes this VTech Red Playtime Bus with Phonics perfect for both boys and girls - and will help them to get to grips with phonics, letter names and numbers.

The passengers on the side are big chunky buttons too, when they're pressed they say funny things and there are also other sounds that kids will love, such as: a horn, brakes and revving engine noises, along with music and all the usual bells and whistles we all expect from VTech.

This Vtech Red Playtime Bus will teach very small children cause and effect - push the buttons and something happens, and as they get older it will help teach them phonics, letter names and numbers.

You can arrange to collect your Vtech Red Playtime Bus for free at the Tesco store of your choice, or you can hand over an additional £3 and have them deliver it to you instead.

Thanks to wishihadadonkey at HUKD

Use this The Happy Puzzle Company promotional code to get three puzzles for the price of two. A nice way to stock up on some quality gifts for future use, particularly if you have more than one child to buy for.

Click here to use your The Happy Puzzle Company promotional code

• Discount: 3 for price of 2
• Applies to: selected puzzles
• Promotional code: SP13
• Expires: 31st August 2013

To use the Happy Puzzle Company code go to the Shopping Basket page and enter it in the box provided. It will be applied automatically to your order.

I tested it out on three of one kind of product and it worked just fine. It will also work if you mix and match. The code takes the price of the lowest item off your bill. It can't be used in conjunction with any other promotional codes I'm afraid.

Thanks to Syzable at HUKD!

A couple of weeks ago I told you that Argos were selling these very same Vtech My Laptop little laptops for £7.99, BUT they were only available in-store.  If your local Argos didn't have any stock, and you were disappointed, then you can cheer up now because Amazon have reduced their price down from £16.99 to £7.99 too.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Vtech My Laptop *

Computers haven't been the reserve of adults working in offices for goodness knows how many years - your child(ren) will be using them the moment they get to school, so they might as well get a little head start now with something like one of these Vtech My Laptops.

Your young Bill Gates will learn early computer skills, age-appropriate curriculum, including phonics, numbers, logic and all sorts of other things like pattern recognition.  The mouse isn't right-hand biased either, so if you have a little' lefty' they won't find it awkward.

The only downside to this Vtech My Laptop - and I don't understand this at all - is that it doesn't come with a mains adapter! WHY would Vtech do that?  I can't find reference to a mains-power option anywhere so you're going to need 3AA batteries, and plenty of them - rechargeables are definitely going to be the way to go.

All of the usual Amazon delivery options are at your disposal - free if you're happy to wait for a few days, or a few extra of your hard-earned pounds if you want/need it a little quicker.

Thanks to sarahmm (who's not me!) at HUKD

Argos are selling this Vtech My Little Laptop for half price - £7.99 rather than £17.49.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Vtech My Little Laptop *

Computer, laptops, iPads, iTouchs, anything starting with i  in fact, are no longer the just the play things of grown-ups. The trouble with living in a world where children are very savvy with all things tech', is they want what you have!

I've lost count of the number of times I've handed over my laptop, in the past, to my youngest son so that he can do his best digital Jackson Pollock impression in Paint. Then he'd move on to a bit of Cbeebies online and play games on the Thomas and Friends website - I considered myself lucky if I was 'allowed' two minutes to quickly check email.

He's managed to negotiate a deal with his dad, whereby he inherits the older iPad so that his dad can justify buying himself a shiny new one - that child is going to go far, I tell you!

If your little one hasn't reached the iPad blackmail stage yet then this Vtech My Laptop could, in the meantime, be your knight in shining plastic and microchip.

With it, your child will learn early computer skills which, like it or not, is necessary these days; age-appropriate curriculum, including phonics, numbers, logic and all sorts of other things like pattern recognition.  It has a mouse too that's not right-hand biased, so if you have a little' lefty' then they won't find it awkward.

It's suitable for little computer boffins aged between three and six years and is powered by three AA batteries; no mains power option by the look of it - so you're going to need shares in Duracell, or whichever is your battery brand of choice!

Thanks to philmitchel at HUKD

Tesco are selling these Bathtime Buddies Alphabet Bath Letters for £3 - my youngest practices his spellings, with his dad, in the bath using these and we all think they're GREAT; they've been a fixture in the bathroom for almost as long as Edward's been around.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Bathtime Buddies alphabet bath letters *

There are 65 Bathtime Buddies Alphabet Bath Letters in a tub and are made of foam; they stick to the tiles really easily, come off just as easily too and I recommend you buy two jars - it's very frustrating when you don't enough of a certain letter!

They float on the water as well - so there's no scrabbling around under the bubbles to find them when bath time is over - and can be scooped up with the tub.  The lid has holes in it, you see, so you can scoop, put the lid on then turn the tub upside down and drain all the water out; fabulous.

Personally I'd collect my Bathtime Buddies Alphabet Bath Letters in-store for free, to keep them nice and cheap, otherwise you'll be paying £3 for home delivery.

Thanks to cazzap06 at HUKD!

Argos are selling this Chicco Bilingual Talking Farm for half its usual price - £19.53 instead of £39.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Chicco Bilingual Talking Farm *

If you want to introduce your child to a second language right from the get-go - and I fail to understand why languages aren't taught right from when our kids start school, that way we'd have a much better foreign language speaking record than we do.  It's appalling that our children cannot even begin to match the language skills of their European counterparts.

I could rant on about that for hours, so I'd better get off my soapbox and tell you more about this Chicco Bilingual Talking Farm instead:  your child will learn to recognise animal names, sounds, colours and numbers in both English and German which, whilst doesn't sound pretty is quite easy to get the hang of.

It's bright, fun and colourful and I'm pretty sure you're going to need batteries for it , and if I could find any reference to that on the Argos site I'd be able to tell you which type you need, how many, and whether or not they're included.  But I can't, so I can't!

This is an online exclusive so you can't pop into your local Argos and collect your Chicco Bilingual Talking Farm; Argos will, however, deliver it to you for free.

Genießen sie lernen Deutsch zu sprechen!

If you scoot over to Asda Direct you'll be able to pick up a Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus for £7.99.  Now, Asda states that the usual full price is £12.49, but I've seen the full retail price described as being £19.99.

Whatever the real full price is, £7.99 is a bit of a bargain.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus * 

This Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus will introduce your child to the alphabet, songs and music along with developing early vocabulary and fine motor skills; cause and effect will also be learned: press a button, make a movement, or touch a sensor and the bus will spring into life.

There are three learning modes you can choose from: Learning, Music and Letter Exploration and it can be connected the LeapFrog Learning Path website to expand it's resources.

You know, you really can't go wrong with anything made by Leapfrog; you can always rely on them to be well made, to be fun for children and educational too.

You can arrange to collect your Leapfrog Learning Bus, in-store, for free or you can pay an additional £2.95 and have them deliver it to your home.

Thanks to andypolack at HUKD

Debenhams are selling this seriously, I think, working build-it-yourself model of a jet engine - its original full price was £40, you can grab it now for just £12.

• Click HERE to take a look at the working jet engine model *

I love things like this and, must confess, I'm very seriously tempted to order one for my Edward's (my youngest son) 7th birthday - it's not until July, but this is such a great pressie, for such a great price, with added educational value (I like that), that stashing it away for six months just seems like a good idea!

Fifty parts make up this working jet engine model: it has spinning turbo fans, you can vary the speed too and is just awesome if you have an inquisitive, budding engineer in your family.

You won't need any glue, as everything screws together (with the screwdriver that's included), but you will need to get yourself four C batteries to power up your jet engine.

You can choose between home delivery - which will take up to four days - or collecting your working jet engine model in person from your nearest Debenhams, both are free; hurrah!

Thanks to mentalist at HUKD

If you're quick, and if Amazon don't put the price up before you get there, you'll be able to pick up a Lamaze Eddie the Elephant Tunes for £8.99 - his usual price is £22.99.

• Click HERE to grab a Lamaze Eddie the Elephant Tunes *

I've been waxing lyrical about Lamaze toys for years; Edward, my youngest son, was given a Lamaze Octotunes by my mum six years ago and he's loved and adored her ever since - both my mum AND 'Lamaisy' his Octotunes octopus!

The last time I told you about Lamaze Eddie the Elephant Tunes he was £17.99; the time before then (last year) he was £12.30 - I've never seen him as cheap as this, and don't expect to see him being sold for any less than this any time soon, if ever.

Eddie the Elephant Tunes is the most advanced musical soft toy in the Lamaze Tunes collection - your baby can play musical notes on his trunk and also record and play back musical notes on the feet.

There's a song book included too to teach some basic pieces of music and, of course, there are the usual bright colours, patterns and crinkles that are associated with Lamaze - there was a song book with the Octotunes Octopus too, it was great, we all had lots of fun playing tunes on her tentacles!

Eddie the Elephant Tunes measures 10.5cm x 8cm x 11.5cm and is suitable from birth onwards; the three AA batteries he needs are included too.  If you want to know what an existing owner has to say about Eddie, here's just one of many glowing reviews:

"What a FAB toy!!! I bought this for my 7 month old daughter for Christmas & she absolutely loves it. When you push the music note on his left foot tunes are played, while the star on his right, records tunes that you play yourself by pushing the buttons (musical notes) on his trunk.

She isn't old enough yet to use the recording function but I have certainly had some fun with it!!!! There is an accompanying booklet with colour & shape-coded notes to help. She loves to hold on to his ears, suck on his trunk, lie on his belly & chew on his feet.

All in all, an excellent high quality product, well designed, well made, colourful, fun, high quality and plays great tunes - definitely a great purchase!!!"

They won't be in stock for another couple of days, but will be sent out pronto as of the 14 December.

Thanks to mikegrant1 at HUKD

Whilst large, expensive pressies are always GREAT to get when you're a kid (and, let's face it, when you're a grown-up too!), there's still something rather exciting about being confronted with a fair few gifts to open on Christmas morning.

The trick to making a pile of gifts a success is to make sure they're awesome gifts - there's no point opening (or giving) a load of useless tat, so I spend an abnormal amount of time scouting around for things that are a little out of the ordinary...like this Potato Clock, which you can pick up for £7.99 instead of £10.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Potato Clock *

I remember being fascinated by potato clocks when I was little - HOW could a couple of spuds make a clock work?! It just sounded so bonkers!

You aren't limited to using potatoes to power your clock: lemons and various other fruits, along with some liquids will work too.  If you're worried about your child making a link between liquids and electricity, take the instructions out like this reviewer did...

"My only worry, and it is a big one, is that the instructions with the potato clock state that the electrodes can be placed in various liquids to make the clock work.

I was a tad concerned that this would give my children the false impression that they could put any electrical worries in water to make a product work. Therefore, I removed the instructions and never mentioned anything about using fluids to power the product."

Other than that, the reviews speak of wonder and a fair bit of excitement; even a boss who was given one as a pressie:

"I bought this for my Boss and he loved it. Took a photo of it on his phone and showed it to anyone who would look. Brilliant on lots of levels. Not just for kids."

So there you go: a fun, educational and somewhat quirky gift to give for Christmas - the potatoes aren't included, although I don't think anyone will be short of spuds on Christmas day!

Happy potato clocking!

Home Bargains are selling this Hello Kitty Electronic Talking Story Book for £7.99 rather than £19.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the Hello Kitty Electronic Talking Story Book *

I don't know any Hello Kitty fans young enough for this rather cute looking Hello Kitty Electronic Story Book - my youngest niece is a crazy Hello Kitty fan but she's five and the electronic storybook is suitable for youngsters aged one year and older.

Six electronic pages feature illustrated stories that are read by Hello Kitty - that's interesting interesting because, as far as I'm aware, Hello Kitty doesn't speak (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...I'm sure someone will!)

Anyway, within those stories she teaches the first letters of the alphabet, numbers and lots of new words.  Your little one can also listen to tunes and sing-along with Hello Kitty as she sings any of three happy songs.

The Hello Kitty Electronic Talking Story Book requires two AAA batteries, which are included, and will cost up to £2.99 to be delivered to your home.  Of course, if you live near a Home Bargains store then you can arrange to collect your book for free in-store.

Happy electronic storybooking!

Mothercare are selling this Leapfrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo Ball for £7.99, its usual price is £16.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at the  Leapfrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo Ball *

The Leapfrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo Ball will help your child to learn about letter names, animals and the sounds they make.  At the same time,  music, lights and swirling patterns will encourage exploration, whilst spinning and batting the ball will assist in motor skill development - so not too much for them to discover then!

To start exploring the alphabet your child must just spin the wheel which features all 26 letters of the English alphabet.  Each letter is bright and colourful and features its own animal whose name starts with the letter, from Alligator to Zebra - it would amuse me greatly to hear 'Duck-billed Platypus!' for the letter D, dog is just a bit boring in comparison.

The  Leapfrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo Ball is an award winning toy too.  It won the 2008 Good Toy Awards Plat Matters Silver Award and the 2007 Practical Preschool Awards Gold Award - just in case you wanted some extra reassurance before you part with your cash.

If you collect your  Leapfrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo Ball then you won't have to pay any extra on top of the £7.99; if you'd like Mothercare to deliver it to you then you'll need to part with an additional £2.95.

Berylthtebargainhunter at HUKD

Tesco Direct are selling the very cute Leapfrog My Pal Scout for £13.49 - his usual price is around the £19.99 mark.

• Click HERE to take a look at Leapfrog My Pal Scout *

This is the sort of thing my ex-mother-in-law would have bought my youngest son, Edward, for Christmas; he's a bit old for this sort of thing now but he would have loved playing with a Leapfrog My Pal Scout.

Scout is an interactive puppy that connect to your computer to tailor him to the wishes and desires of your child - you can customise the music he plays and personalise learning with your child's name and favourite food, animal and colour.

Leapfrog My Pal Scout comes with five, pre-loaded song and if your youngster is a bit of a music maestro, you can download more learning tunes and lullabies from an online list of 30 songs.

The learning skills include first words, daily routines, early number sense, feelings and emotions, and animals.

Scout also has icons on his paws that show what each one is for: press a paw to play music, to learn or hear songs and play games. Pressing another one turns him off and the other is the sleep mode which triggers the blue nightlight in his collar.

Your Leapfrog My Pal Scout will need 3xAA batteries, which are included, and he's recommended for children who are six months or older.

Thanks to clairenfreitas at HUKD

If you pop over to Amazon you'll be able to pick up a rather fabulous Lamaze Eddie the Elephant Tunes for £17.99, rather than £23.99.

• Click HERE to take a look at Lamaze Eddie the Elephant Tunes *

I've adored Lamaze things ever since my mum bought my youngest son a Lamaze Octotunes toy for his first Christmas - it's essentially the same as Eddie the Elephant Tunes, except the eight notes were played by squeezing each tentacle rather than pressing buttons on a trunk.

You know, I'd even be happy to pay the full price for this Lamaze Eddie the Elephant Tunes, and if you know someone who has a little one  (or you're the one with the little one) then I urge you to consider buying them an Eddie the Elephant Tunes for Christmas.

Not only did Edward grow to adore 'Lamaisy' (as his Octotunes octopus became called), but we all loved working out tunes we could play on the tentacle notes - I think my rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star was nothing short of musical genius!

Not only can you play music with Eddie the Elephant - he comes with a little music book too, so you don't have to try and figure tunes out for yourself - you can also record and play back your musical masterpieces.

I think he's utterly adorable and he's suitable from birth upwards.

Happy elephant tuning!

If you missed the deal on this Vtech Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball a few months ago, then make sure you don't miss it this time - Amazon have brought its price down to £9.59 this time (it was £8.99 last time), from £15.99.

• Click HERE to grab a Vtech Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball *

This isn't an Amazon Deal of the Week, so I have no idea how long the price will stay as it is - we all know how things go when Amazon get into a price-changing mood!

I really like the look of this Vtech Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball, even though I'm not usually a fan of plastic toys!

It features everything that babies and little kids LOVE - movement, flashing lights, chunky buttons to press, sounds and music; it also features everything us parents love - interaction that's fun but also encourages learning and, most important of all...an OFF switch!

Inside the Vtech Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball is a motor, this is what allows it to roll around so your baby can crawl after it in a bid to try to catch it - it doesn't just carry on and on though, it will stop within reach so you don't end up with a frustrated youngster on your hands.

Music and animal noises sound when the big buttons are pressed, and there's a spinning disc on the top with flashing lights to delight the visual senses.

The Vtech Crawl and Learn Bright Lights Ball will familiarise your child with animal names and noises, numbers, counting and colours and is suitable for titchy ones aged between six months and two years'ish.

Happy Bright Lights Ball chasing!

John Lewis are selling this rather fabulous VTech Red Playtime Bus for £12.74 - it's currently on sale at Amazon for around £20.

• Click HERE to go and take a look at the Vtech Red Playtime Bus *

Even though I'm not a fan of plastic toys that feature bells and whistles and make all sorts of 'fun' sounds, I have to tell you that you really won't go wrong with Vtech toys that, invariably, do feature all these things - their build quality is always first class and their educational value is superb.

All little children love busses - which makes this VTech Red Playtime Bus with Phonics perfect for both boys and girls - and will help them to get to grips with phonics, letter names and numbers.

The passengers on the side are big chunky buttons too, when they're pressed they say funny things and there are also other sounds that kids will love, such as: a horn, brakes and revving engine noises, along with music and all the usual bells and whistles we all expect from VTech.

This Vtech Red Playtime Bus will teach very small children cause and effect - push the buttons and something happens, and as they get older it will help teach them phonics, letter names and numbers.

You can arrange to collect your Vtech Red Playtime Bus for free at the John Lewis store of your choice, or you can pay an additional £3 for standard home delivery.

Thanks to cornflakes1 at HUKD

If you head over to Amazon you'l be able to pick up a LEGO Duplo Play With Numbers set for £15.95, instead of its full £24.99 price.

• Click HERE to take a look at LEGO Duplo Play with Numbers *
  

There are 58 bright, colorful numbered bricks that will have your titchy one learning their numbers without realising it or feeling they're having to try -  I'm a very big fan of anything that combines play with learning for very young kiddies; it's never too early to introduce children to numbers!

Lego Duplo Play with Numbers has a 'National Parenting Seal of Approval' award and parents who've already bought it have nothing but good things to say...

"My 2 year old daughter was thrilled to play with this set when she was given it. The bright numbers and pictures drew her in instantly. She is counting more and more and since being given this set she uses it all the time to count the pictures as she builds.

I would definitely recommend this item to anybody and would buy as a gift for either a boy or a girl. This set will not fail to impress. A must have!"

Lego Duplo Play With numbers includes a Lego Duplo child figure, dog, and wagon which allows for imaginative role play too. Pattern recognition skills will also be developed when your child plays with Lego Duplo Play With Numbers - you can play matching games with the bricks that have pictures on them.

There's nothing extra to pay for delivery of your LEGO Duplo Play with Numbers, so £15.95 is your total investement (Amazon price fiddling not withstanding of course!)

Thanks to chesterdrawers at HUKD

Toys R Us are selling this Fireman Sam Alphabet Rescue for £14.99, rather than £19.99.

• Click HERE to pop over to Toys R Us *

Fireman Sam just reminds me of my friend Helen from senior school; we used to go home to hers, make toast and watch Fireman Sam - he held iconic status among us 15 and 16-year-olds at the time.  Goodness knows why, I can't remember now, but I can still sing every word of the theme tune to this very day!

Don't worry, I'll spare you the aural abuse and just tell you about this Fireman Sam Alphabet Rescue instead...

Jupiter, in case you're not familiar with all things 'hero next door', is Fireman Sam's fire engine; this particular Jupiter has alphabet buttons on one side and five modes of game play to enjoy, with Fireman Sam's voice helping and guiding your child through each one.

When an alphabet question is answered correctly, Jupiter flashes 'his' lights and sounds the siren; you can't beat an audio visual reward, especially when it comes from Jupiter!

You will need to buy two AA batteries for this to happen, if you don't happen to have any hanging around wherever you keep batteries in your house (fourth draw down in the kitchen in my house - the art is in guessing which ones have full charge and which are the partly used/mostly used ones my husband has thrown back in for future battery lottery fun!)

Unless you really, really can't swing by your local Toys R Us to collect your Fireman Sam Alphabet Rescue for free, then don't choose the home delivery option - it'll set you back an additional £4.95; come on Toys R Us!  Every one else has dropped their OTT almost £5 for delivery - even Tesco and Argos! - isn't it time you followed suit?!

Happy alphabet learning with Sam!

If you click over to the Early Learning Centre, you'll be able to pick up their Animal Sounds shape sorter for £7.68 instead of £12.99 (you'll need to enter the code SAVANNAH into the promotion code box in your basket to get this price.)

• Click HERE to take a look at the ELC Animal Sounds shape sorter

I have a bit of a 'thing' for sorting toys; to this day I find them almost irresistible - if there's a sorting toy that needs its shapes sorting, I feel absolutely compelled to sort them!

This ELC Animal Sounds shape sorter is suitable for little ones aged six months or older and has plenty for them to discover and enjoy.  Whenever they fit one of the animal shapes into its correct space (developing their fine motor skills) they will hear either an animal sound or a short musical sound (teaching cause and effect) depending on whether its set to the 'melodies' or 'animal sounds' mode.

The ELC Animal Sounds shape sorter also features a front door, with a mirror behind it, that plays a funny sound when it's opened; there's also a large, easy to grab, carry handle at the top which makes it nice and easy for your child to carry when they're a little older.

Two AA batteries are required to bring the ELC Animal Sounds shape sorter to audio life, which don't appear to be included.

Standard delivery will take up to four working days and is free, if you live in mainland UK, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man - don't forget to add the promotion code SAVANNAH!

Thanks to fullbloom at HUKD

If you pop over to the Early Learning Centre, you'll be able to pick up a Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus for £12.79 - the full retail price is usually £19.99.

Click HERE to take a look at the Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus 

You really can't go wrong with anything made by Leapfrog; you can always rely on them to be well made, to be fun for children and educational too.

This Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus will introduce your child to the alphabet, songs and music along with developing early vocabulary and fine motor skills; cause and effect will also be learned: press a button, make a movement, or touch a sensor and the bus will spring into life.

There are three learning modes you can choose from: Learning, Music and Letter Exploration and it can be connected the LeapFrog Learning Path website to expand it's resources.

You'll notice the published price on the ELC website is showing £15.99 - to bring that down to £12.79, simply enter code SAVANNAH into the promotion box in your online basket.

Standard delivery of your Leapfrog Touch Magic Learning Bus is free and will take up to four working days, if you live on the UK mainland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Thanks to iateapinkkitkat at HUKD