![Simon Whistler of "Today I Found Out" tells us why stepping on Lego hurts so much.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/r/1/z/0/image.related.landscape.380x253.gtqy43.png/1484295699253.png)
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![Quality family time around a classic board game.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/c/h/z/0/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.3chqp.gjzr0o.png/1444361327283.jpg)
Best board games by decade
We have collected a list of our favourite releases by decade for you to add to your growing pile of games.
![Trampoline safety measures not making kids safer.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/y/l/v/e/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gi1d29.gjzr0o.png/1444361327283.jpg)
Big jump in trampoline injuries despite safety measures
With safety nets, covered springs and extra padding, it's easy to believe trampolines are much safer now than they were for previous generations of children.
![Make your own: Edible Lego.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/w/r/u/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.ghbitn.gjzr0o.png/1444361327283.jpg)
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![loom](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/f/g/o/t/image.related.landscape.120x80.3fgh9.gjzr0o.png/1444361327283.jpg)
![Lego: the many ways it has taken over my life.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/u/n/j/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.1mrdr1.gjzr0o.png/1444361327283.jpg)
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![<a href="http://www.beamers.com.au/" target="_blank">Beamers sunglasses</a> are designed by two eye surgeons who have ...](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/e/r/g/g/image.related.landscape.300x200.gteqyl.png/1482376370005.jpg)
Summer sunglasses for kids
It's summer time once more and while we often grab a new pair of sunnies for ourselves, it's the one time the kids often miss out on that essential protection from Australia's harsh sun. Keeping their eyes safe from UV rays is as important as shielding your own eyes. The longer eyes are exposed to UV light, the more that they will be prone to eye conditions later in life. We've rounded up the top kids' sunglasses brands so you can make good decisions about eyewear for your children for the summer holidays.
![Limiting our offspring is nothing but a bitter taste-tester for their future.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/e/m/t/y/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtemlu.png/1482188511519.jpg)
No Gender December: does it even matter?
In a child's toy box is a series of messages that parents and other gift-givers are sending
![Emma Tapping denies her Christmas present pile is materialistic.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/e/6/0/s/image.related.landscape.300x200.gte5vn.png/1482120483894.jpg)
The mum giving her children almost 100 gifts (each!) this Christmas
Last year Mum-of-three, Emma Tapping shocked the Internet when she shared a photo of a mountain of Christmas presents on Instagram. The pile of individually wrapped gifts was so big that it eclipsed the tree behind them.
![Who says kids only want toys for Christmas?](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/d/w/t/l/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtdwqe.png/1482105615531.jpg)
10 fantastic non-toy gifts for Christmas
Children are dropping letters in the mail to Santa and letting parents know what they want for the holidays.
![Popular Pokemon Pikachu](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/s/8/w/7/image.related.landscape.300x200.gtdb25.png/1482092254304.jpg)
The last places to buy Australia's most-wanted Christmas toys
Frantic parents are desperately hunting for Australia's three-most-wanted toys this Christmas.
![Two Pokemon Steam Siege cards - the one on the right is fake and the one on the left is genuine.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/7/h/r/o/image.related.landscape.300x200.gt7gnz.png/1481673575634.jpg)
Can you pick the fake Pokemon card?
Cheap, counterfeit Pokemon cards are plaguing the popular tabletop game, leaving unwary parents and enthusiasts scammed and disappointed.
![A cheap Thomas the Tank Engine toy is part of the crackdown.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/5/8/u/m/image.related.landscape.300x200.gt4r4r.png/1481095555010.png)
The 47 toys too dangerous for Christmas
A Thomas the Tank Engine train, a Minion toy rifle and 45 other dangerous toys will be destroyed by a steamroller as part of an annual product safety blitz.
![Doctors have warned water beads can cause serious illness if swallowed.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/z/2/6/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsz1s0.png/1480372706788.jpg)
Water beads poses serious hazard to children, new report
Doctors are warning parents that water beads, which have been marketed as kids' toys, pose a serious hazard to children – and can even result in death.
![Hatchimals are the "must-have" toy this Christmas.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/x/i/s/x/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsxeab.png/1480042669894.jpg)
Mum's honest review of the season's must-have toy Hatchimals is going viral
They're the must-have Christmas toy no one can get their hands on. But, according to one mum's honest review of the Hatchimal, if you haven't managed to track one down, it might be for the best.
![Maddison Noble and four-year-old daughter Riley Freeman are the creatives behind new kids fashion label 'Raising Riley'.](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/l/l/x/w/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsl8ck.png/1479763479364.jpg)
Canberra mum launches gender neutral kids fashion label
Each weekend, in a lounge room in Chisholm, a mother and daughter team sit together and draw brand new designs for their gender neutral clothing line.
![Kip & Co teen collection](/web/20170117192438im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/t/u/k/r/image.related.landscape.300x200.gstubr.png/1479699726093.jpg)
Cult bedding designers Kip & Co style their new range for teens
Kip & Co release their first teen-styled collection of sheets, doona covers and blankets just in time for the gifting season.
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