Keep Your Kids Safe - Safety Tips for Purchasing Childrens Toys

 A great toy is the classic present for the child in your life, whether you are giving a present to a niece, nephew, friend, grandchild, or your own child. Many people who do not have children of their own (and even some who do) do not realize that giving a toy to a child requires a certain amount of knowledge about the hazards the toy might pose to the health and safety of the child. Here are some things to keep in mind when you go out after the perfect gift for Christmas, birthdays, or other special occasions.Kinderspielzeug Holz

Be age conscious: This is the most important thing to remember. All kids go through different stages of development. Children up to three are in a very exploratory stage, and during these years it is their sense of taste that they will rely on most. This is fairly obvious to anyone who has seen an active child under one exploring; anything they find goes immediately into the mouth.

For this reason, many manufacturers have labels on the toys they produce that warm potential buyers that some ages are not appropriate to give this toy to. These ages are when the child is most likely to stick the toy in their mouths, and any small parts will pose a serious choking hazard. You might think that a kid over two isn't likely to stick something in his or her mouth, but toddlers can engage in unexpected behavior and it is better to err on the side of caution. Puppenhaus Holz

Batteries are a choking hazard that many people do not think about. Most toys today come with battery compartments that are sealed with screws so that it is impossible for a child to get the batteries out. Even this safety precaution poses some amount of hazard, though, as the screws can be lost while changing the batteries, posing another choking hazard.

Avoid toys with a lot of loose strings or cords. Any long, dangling object poses a strangulation risk. Dress up clothes, toys that plug in to the wall, and even toys that have pieces attached by string have the potential to wrap around a child's neck and cut off their airway. Again, most older kids will not have a problem with this type of toy, but kids under six can be quite careless and it is best to avoid potential strangling hazards.

Heavy toys: You might be surprised at how strong children are. The toy you bought might seem too heavy for a kid to lift off the ground, but there is always the chance that they will. Once it is off the ground, it is very possible that the toy will come down on a foot or a finger. Even more likely is the possibility that the child will roll the toy down the stairs into an unsuspecting person. Kinderspielzeug aus Holz

Buying toys is always fun, but purchasers need to make sure that they minimize the risk of harm to the child and others by buying age-appropriate toys. Using discretion at the time of purchase will save everyone some peace of mind.

SMSF Fees - Make Sure You Are Comparing Apples With Apples

I read with amusement an article I found on the website of a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) services company that compared the fees they charged for doing SMSF administration with the management fees charged by large Superannuation Funds and of course concluded that it was cheaper to have an SMSF. The writer of the article is assuming the only costs for running a fund is simply administration fees. In 2008, I did some research for a friend who was planning to start fund management company, and what I found was that the administration fees are only a small part of the costs of a fund management company. The biggest costs are for research and investment management expertise.Weinflaschenhalter aus Holz

The writer of the article must assume investing requires no skills and choosing the right stocks to invest in is as simple putting the stocks page of the newspaper on the wall and throwing a dart to choose a stock to buy, or taking tips from your neighbour or taxi driver. He assumes there is no need to pay for financial education, research or advice to properly manage an investment portfolio. I wonder how well his clients' portfolios are doing this year - not too well I suspect if they believe no skills are needed for investing.

For anyone who is considering starting an SMSF, you must factor in a cost for investing. Some of the costs would include. Kinderspielzeug Holz

1) Education - if you plan to invest in stocks, you must know some basic techniques for analysing stocks such as fundamental analysis and technical analysis so you have a basis for what stocks to buy, and when to buy or sell a stock. If you wish to invest using other more complex instruments such as options, futures, warrants or CFDs, there is more education that you will need to invest in. There are many education companies out there and most courses I have seen costs a few thousand dollars each. I have spent quite a lot of money on books, courses and seminars but I see it as an investment in myself to develop the skills I need to help me manage my investments, no different from paying for a University degree to get the skills I need to help me find a job.

2) Research -  with the internet, a lot of information today is now free. You can get free fundamental data and news on listed companies on Google Finance and Reuters and you can get free stock charts from Bigcharts but it takes time to do the analysis on each stock. There are a number of research companies who can provide their analysis for a fee and subscribing for the research could save you time and provide you with some investment ideas. Be careful not to confuse "research" with "advice". There are many financial advisory companies who provide recommendations on what to buy but do not provide the basis for their recommendation. I would strongly advise that you come up with your own investment criteria so that when you decide to buy a stock, you know why you are buying that stock. Before you buy, you should also have a plan for when to sell the stock and that is only possible when you understand why you bought it in the first place. Buying blindly based on someone's recommendation is a very dangerous practice.Kinderspielzeug aus Holz

It is not easy to make a direct comparison of costs for running an SMSF vs management fees charged by large Super Funds. All I would like to point out is that there is a "investment management" component that should be included in the cost of running a SMSF. When we compare fees, we should take it into consideration so that we are indeed comparing apples with apples.

Dolls Houses - Child's Play Or Just For the Adults?

To most people dolls houses are designed for the amusement of children or collectors, and serve no real purpose other than to keep one occupied; or, in the case of children, out of mischief. However, just a little research into the history of the dolls house reveals a far more interesting background than one might imagine.Kinderspielzeug aus Holz

Spanning across thousands of years, the humble dolls house has changed significantly in not only appearance, but also function. The earliest known examples of what we would now call dolls houses were miniature homes, discovered in Egyptian Tombs and thought to be created over 5,000 years ago. Built out of wood, it is believed the models, which included servants, furnishings and livestock, served religious purposes.Kinderspielzeug Holz

It was the 16th century however, which saw the introduction of dolls houses for entertainment purposes. Known as 'baby houses', the models were cabinet display cases made up of different rooms, which were decorated with such things as miniature household items. The design and architecture would have been painstakingly created and they were intended for the sole purpose of adults.

It was mainly the wealthy who owned them, since in those days, the building of a dolls house would have been commissioned by specialist craftsmen. Especially favoured by the mistresses of rich households, guests would bring small presents, such as dolls house dolls, wooden dolls house furniture or accessories, as a thank you for their hospitality.

As time passed, however, the function of the houses changed. Interestingly, they became educational aids for young girls, in order to teach them about the function of a household and to learn domestic skills.

By the mid 19th century, and helped along by the advent of mass production, the popularity of dolls houses soared, and due to their much lower cost, the majority of girls in the western world owned one.

Nowadays, dolls houses are a great gift for children and collectors alike. Their design has advanced a long way since their inception and it is possible to buy them in a range of different options, for example wooden dolls houses, and for a variety of purposes.

Many collectors relish the opportunity to recreate past eras or present events, often opting to build the dolls house themselves. There are also a large number of museums and shops dedicated to the art of dolls houses and their history, which just goes to prove the popularity among the older generations.

However, it is said that dolls houses are a great way to help children develop social skills and confidence at an early age, and it can be argued that the passion many collectors develop for dolls houses stems from early childhood memories of playing with them.Weinflaschenhalter aus Holz

Indeed, dolls houses [http://www.elc.co.uk/toys/lets-pretend/dolls-houses-furniture/] can be a great way for parents to bond with their offspring, since it is possible to build and decorate them together. What's more, with a wealth of items available, such as dolls house furniture,