(this is the hamburger) on top
of the frosting. Add another
cookie (producing a double
burger, for those with a man-
sized appetite) and cover with
coconut-lettuce. Add the top of
the burger with another vanilla
wafer.
apparently disappears as the
baby "drinks")
Baby In
A Basket
• a small stuffed bear or other
favorite animal
This toy is a great way to
help an older sibling learn how
to care for a smaller child. No
doubt, he or she will spend
many hours gently holding,
rocking and singing to his Baby
In A Basket.
If you or a friend are expect-
ing a second child, or if
you simply have a young
daughter or son who likes
dolls, Baby In A Basket will be
the perfect gift. (NOTE: This
toy is not appropriate for chil-
dren 3 and under who are
likely to place small objects in
their mouths.)
First, you will need a
small basket, which you
can find in a craft store for $2
or less. This is the baby's cra-
dle.
The size basket you pur-
chase depends on the doll you
select. You can use one from
home, or buy a new one for a
few dollars at a discount store.
The doll should fit cozily into
the basket.
You also will need a small
container — anything from a
cosmetic bag to a lunchbox
will work fine — which you
can then fill with the following
baby supplies. These can in-
clude:
And now, let's
get cooking:
Take a vanilla wafer and spread
a small amount of frosting
(mustard, ketchup, dressing —
or all three) on the flat side.
Place a peanut butter cookie
• diapers (all you need to do is
cut out a few from a washrag
or piece of white cloth)
• a blanket (also easy to make
from a small piece of fabric)
• a bottle (check your local dis-
count store; children especially
love those in which the milk
• a small plastic container filled
with every older baby's favorite
snack, Cheerios
• tiny books (available at local
bookstores, or make your own)
Top Toys
Family Fun maga-
zine recently host-
ed a toy-testing
day at KinderCare
Learning Center in
West Bloomfield.
The event was held as part of
the fifth annual T.O.Y. Awards,
to be announced in the Novem-
ber issue of Family Fun. More
than 340 toys are tested in the
competition, which is held at
10 KinderCare centers through-
out the United States.
This year's winners have yet
to be determined, but mean-
while you can get the scoop on
some of the most popular toys
at the West Bloomfield facility:
• Tangle Tube, from Mattel
Inc., consists of a collection of
foam shapes, tubes and balls
that can be bended and twisted
to form all kinds of fun. cre-
ations. This toy managed to en-
tertain a handful of boys for a
long time.
• Serpentino, from T.C. Tim-
ber, is a series of blocks that can
be linked together to form high-
ways, with marbles that can
then run up and down the
trails. Children enjoyed putting
these together in what appeared
to be endless possibilities for
new patterns.
• Fantastic Jewel De-
signer, by Kenner, is
a purple-
and-pink case
filled with stickers and
glitter and glue and
shapes to create your
own jewelry. It's a little messy,
but both boys and girls could
not get enough of this one.
• Dizzy Dryer, from Mattel
Inc., allows children to place
plastic clothing shapes in a small
"dryer" (complete with eyes)
which then spins around and
around, sometimes tossing out
those errant shirts and ties. Par-
ents are likely to wonder what
all the excitement is about, but
toddlers delighted in playing this
again and again.
• Adventure Team Power
Wheels Jeep, from Fisher-Price
Inc., is a minia-
ture vehicle
that your child can
actually drive. You'll
have to have a large,
open area in which your
little Mario Andretti can
roam around with
this, but boys loved it and
had an easy time maneuvering
around the
myriad toys
outdoors at
KinderCare.
And now, a special award,
to the most frightful toy
you may ever experience:
• Uggly Bugglies, from Natural
Science Industries, got mixed
reviews from toy testers, though
its makers promise children will
have "hours of learning fun"
as they study their "farm-
raised bug collection."
The first challenge is
just getting past the out-
side of the box. "Watch
the Coccoon Fizzle and
Gurgle Until a Real Pre-
served Bug Appears!" the
package reads, also advertising
the contents as "A Gross Na-
tional Product" (you've got to
admire their sense of humor, at
least).
All young scientists have to
do is pour vinegar over a con-
tainer, which then reveals a real
bug (at least it's dead).
One KinderCare worker
shook her head as she recalled
the first adventure with Uggly
Bugglies. "We did one, and af-
ter that the children wanted to
do another right away," she
said. "But I told them, 'Maybe
tomorrow' It's disgusting."
CO
CI
CI
OCTOBER
which requires just a few ingre-
dients and no cooking.