How to buy toys for the kid who has everything — without relying on sponsored lists from Amazon or Walmart

Holiday toy shoppers in search of intel have plenty of alternatives to pay-to-play best-seller lists.

An Amazon spokeswoman told MarketWatch in an emailed statement: “Every product on our annual Holiday Toy List, which features family gift ideas from new releases to customer favorites, is independently curated by a team of in-house experts based on a high bar for quality, design, innovation and play experience.”

If you’re a parent, grandparent or any other shopper on the hunt for age-appropriate toys that kids will use for longer than a week, here are some tips for independent recommendations: Alan Fields, co-author of the baby-gear guide “Baby Bargains” and a website by the same name, recommended the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, which says award-winning products featured on its site were selected by child-development, education and children’s literature experts, in addition to being kid-tested. “Unlike most other groups that rate products, we do not charge entry fees from manufacturers,” the site adds.

ASTRA does not require manufacturers to pay to submit products for consideration, said the association’s president, Kimberly Mosley. However, the retailers and manufacturers obviously have a vested interest in people buying the toys they recommend and make/sell. When in doubt, try a board game. Board games represent a growing category in the toy business, Silver said: Hobby board-game sales rose 13% from $305 million to $345 million between 2016 and 2017, according to 2018 estimates by the geek-culture trade publication ICv2. Board games exist for all ages, Silver said, and often involve social interaction and thinking. Some parents turn to them as an alternative to screen time for kids.

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