Useful baby gifts at a Toys R Us sale

If you're making up a gift basket for a baby shower, newborn or first birthday party, check out these hot deals at Toys R Us Express, Erin Mills Town Centre (Mississauga, Ont.):



2-pack baby/toddler plates for $3.17

4 food containers for $3.17

Not sure when this sale started, how long it's lasting, or if it's happening at every Toys R Us location, but check it out if you can!

Have you seen any other good deals lately? Post them below.

Toys R Us book discount - expires Jan. 31, 2014

From my experience, Toys R Us doesn't have the best prices on books, but occasionally you'll find some good ones.

I was browsing the store last weekend and found this new savings card highlighting this deal:

Buy any 1 book, save 10%, buy any 2 books, save 15%, buy any 3 or more books, save 20%

Just read the fine print before you make your purchases: "The offer excludes clearance items, Leapfrog and Vtech hardware, Duplo Read & Build books, Imaginarium furniture, LEGO Building sets and LEGO games."

(D'oh, guess I can't just settle on their clearance books!)

There's a PDF of the savings card here. I'm not sure if you can print it out and show it to the cashier. But if you want the real Toys R Us card, just ask them.

Best places to go with a new baby

I'll be honest with you: I stayed inside my apartment for a month before I went out by myself with my new baby. I thought of all the what-if's: What if I can't open and close the stroller? What if I have to change her diaper and I can't do it alone? What if I have to nurse her? What if she cries? What if people stare?

So if you're itching to escape your home with your new baby, here are some places I recommend in Mississauga, Ontario. They're divided into great and okay categories. You'll see why:

Great Places

• Erin Mills Town Centre: The mall isn't too big or too small, so there's a variety to look at. Plus their nursing room is awesome: there's a microwave, changing tables, comfy seats and it's all separated from the washroom stalls. Wherever you are in the mall, you don't have to travel far to dash to the nursing room. Oh and there's a Toys R Us Express, score!

• Any Ontario Early Years Centre location: Other moms are there, too, so everyone can relate to handling a fussy baby.

Okay Places 

• Square One Shopping Centre: The mall is large and unfortunately there's only one good nursing station (in my opinion). It's upstairs near Walmart, tucked behind Michel's Baguette. It has everything you need to nurse and change diapers, plus there's a private room in there with a toilet and chair for nursing. Just be warned: If you need to go there quickly and you feel antsy with a fussy baby, it may take awhile to get there.

• Indigo/Chapters: The most comfortable chairs here are in the children's section, but of course those aren't for nursing. And if you need a washroom asap, sometimes it's not nearby. So this is the best place to go if your baby just fell asleep but you still want to get out.

Also, I've never been here, but I've heard that those Movies for Mommies events are baby-friendly. Check their site for details.

Can you add anymore places to my list?

ON SALE: Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm

I was at the Real Canadian Superstore this evening and saw the Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm for $24.97. This is a great deal to me; at Toys R Us, it rings in at $44.99.

But if you want to go the cheaper way, you can find Little People houses, barns and accessories at Value Village. The only difference is that everything is separated. So you'd buy the house/barn/whatever separately and the Little People are usually in a pack of six or eight. I've bought six Little People for $3.99 before - I just washed the crap out of them first and then my daughter played with them.

Have you seen any good deals on toys lately? Share them below.

Master Moves Mickey Mouse: Who's selling it cheaper?

So I haven't done much toy shopping lately because my daughter has been interested in crafty stuff and Little People toys she already owns. However, I happened to see this Fisher-Price Master Moves Mickey Mouse toy at Walmart and Toys R Us. Wanna know who's cheaper? You be the judge:

Walmart: $20
Toys R Us: $89.99

A good reason why shopping around makes a huge difference. (And no, Walmart did not pay me to write this post!)

Price-matching places

Here's a quick list of Ontario stores that price-match 7 days a week. Enjoy, savers!

• Real Canadian Superstore
• Walmart
• Freshco
• No Frills
• Toys R Us (yes, seriously)
• Canadian Tire (yup, this one too!)

Take note: There are "fine print details," so pay close attention. For instance, Freshco sometimes says you can only price-match four quantities of one item in one shopping visit. So ... just be aware before you tell the cashier to shut the front door ;)

Did I miss any stores? Let me know!

Two words: Discounted toys

Toys. We gotta love 'em yet we gotta hate 'em for their costs. Needless to say, my mommy group and I have had quite a journey in toy shopping. Here's my two cents on the topic: Toys R Us/Babies R Us and Walmart aren't too bad for prices, but the best places for toy shopping are thrift stores (think Goodwill and Value Village). I've mentioned this to a few other moms and I've gotten some "interesting" looks from them. (And maybe they don't think their dirty looks are being expressed, but c'mon, that stink eye is kinda obvious!)

In honesty, you have to think of toys like this: how long is the baby going to play with them? So if you're paying over $80 for an exersaucer that's only going to last for a few months ... isn't that such a waste on money?! Plus, it's not like I'm giving my daughter a dusty toy off a store shelf - I do wash the dickens out of them (hello, bulk tubs of Lysol wipes from Costco). Another good way to save money on toys is by checking out garage sales too. Last summer, we bought a Graco baby swing (only used twice!), a trike, some books and small toys for a total of... $35! (Don't mean to sound cocky, but are you jealous yet?)

Another good way of saving a few bucks on toys is by borrowing them. I didn't have to spend money on an Evenflo exersaucer because I borrowed it - thank goodness for that, my daughter hates all exersaucers anyway! A friend of mine actually swaps baby toys with other moms, so that's another option if you know other moms. I have also been open to accepting hand-me-down toys from other children who have recently outgrown them.

So next, you're probably wondering if I really do have bragging rights. Well, here are a few lucky purchases by myself and my mom, so you be the judge. (Excuse the photog quality, photos were taken on my phone!)

VTech Sing Along Microphone - $0.25 at a local garage sale; I saw it last year at Walmart for $12 or $13.

Little Tykes Discover Sounds Kitchen - $3.99 at Value Village (without the play food and dishes); regular $39.99 at Babies R Us.

Shrek Laugh With Me Baby Girl - $6.99 at Value Village (still in the original package, never opened); regular $18.99 on Toy Store Inc.

Little Tykes Cozy Coupe Car - $6 at Goodwill; regular US$49.99 on littletykes.com

VTech Rhyme and Discover Book - $3 at Goodwill; regular $21.99 at Babies R Us