Buying Christmas gifts for a special child in your life isn’t always as easy as it seems. Take one look online or visit your local retail stores and you will see an endless selection of toys that all look perfect for your child, niece, nephew, or grandchild. What should you buy? To get a good idea, continue reading on for a brief summary of the Best Selling Toys for both boys and girls this upcoming holiday shopping season.

Barbie Dolls: You likely played with Barbie dolls when you were younger or had a sister who did. Barbie is one of those toys that never grow old; they are always a best seller year after year. Unlike the Barbie dolls you may have played with, you have hundreds of choices! Aside from the traditional fashion dolls, a new hit with girls are the playsets that include furniture, such as the Barbie My House set.

Interactive Dolls: Gone are the days of playing with a doll that only opened her eyes; little girls now have a large selection of interactive dolls to play with. These dolls can walk, talk, eat, swim, go to the bathroom, get “sick” and more! A few popular choices this holiday season include the Little Mommy Loving Baby Walk & Giggle Doll and the Baby Alive Baby Go Bye Bye doll.

Action Figures: Action figures are always a hit with the boys and this year’s best selling toys in terms of action figures are based on the popular Transformers 2 movie. Leader Optimus Price, Bumblebee, Leader Megatron, and Sideswipe can all be transformed from car to transformer. Another popular set of action figures this year are the Halo 2009 Series 6 figures, including Pure Form Stalker, Spartan Soldier Recon, Brute Bodyguard, and Grunt.

Wooden Toys: When buying Christmas toys for toddlers and preschoolers, you can’t go wrong with wooden toys. In addition to the yearly favorite of wood building blocks, you have a ton of buying options. A few popular favorites include the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Wooden Railway Set and the Manhattan Toy Automoblox cars. For girls, there is a large selection of wooden play food sets, as well as stamp sets.

Educational Learning Toys: In the last five to ten years, the focus of most manufacturers has shifted to producing fun, educational toys. These are not only a hit with kids, but their parents too. The good news is that you will find no shortage of educational themed toys, but some are better than others. You can’t go wrong by opting for the Fisher Price Smart Cycle Extreme, the LeapFrog Zippity, or the V.Motion Active Learning System. If your gift recipient already has one of these learning systems, buy an extra game instead.

Lego Sets: Another yearly favorite that has withstood time is the Lego Brand. When opting for a traditional box of Lego pieces, you still have a choice with the color; a mixed combination or opt for pink. Children aged four and up with love the building block sets that enable them to construction fire trucks, helicopters, houses, and scenes from Star Wars, SpongeBob, and more.

At first glance, it seems pretty easy to buy a Christmas gift for a child, but you will soon see that it is a lot harder than you originally thought. Why? Stores are jam-packed full of toys, all of which will seem like the perfect choice. Right away you are going to say “oh my, what should I buy?” To get a few ideas, please continue reading on to familiarize yourself with some of the Best Selling Toys.

Barbie: Barbie dolls aren’t just one of those toys that will probably never go away, but they are one of those toys that top the best seller list each holiday season. Unlike the Barbie dolls you or your sister may have played, you are presented with an unlimited number of buying choices. Every so often, a new Barbie DVD is usually released. After each release, those themed Barbie dolls and accessories are popular, such as the Barbie Diamond Castle Playset or Barbie and the Diamond Castle Glimmer Horse.

Dolls That Are Interactive: A new hit among little girls are dolls that really appear as if they come alive. These dolls and their abilities vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but many will go to the bathroom, talk, eat, walk, or even swim! Two popular choices, in terms of brands, include the Baby Alive dolls and the Little Mommy Loving Baby dolls.

Action Figures: Action figures are always a hit with the boys and this year’s best selling toys in terms of action figures are based on the popular Transformers 2 movie. Leader Optimus Price, Bumblebee, Leader Megatron, and Sideswipe can all be transformed from car to transformer. Another popular set of action figures this year are the Halo 2009 Series 6 figures, including Pure Form Stalker, Spartan Soldier Recon, Brute Bodyguard, and Grunt.

Wooden Toys: You can’t go wrong with wooden toys when buying for a toddler or a preschooler; they are a best seller year after year. Despite the fact that not many toys are all wood nowadays, you still have a number of buying choices. In addition to traditional building blocks available in a wide range of sizes, the Manhattan Toy Automoblox cars come highly rated and recommended. For train lovers, the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Wooden Railway is always a good idea.

Educational Learning Toys: In the last five to ten years, the focus of most manufacturers has shifted to producing fun, educational toys. These are not only a hit with kids, but their parents too. The good news is that you will find no shortage of educational themed toys, but some are better than others. You can’t go wrong by opting for the Fisher Price Smart Cycle Extreme, the LeapFrog Zippity, or the V.Motion Active Learning System. If your gift recipient already has one of these learning systems, buy an extra game instead.

Legos: The Lego Brand is another group of toys that have withstood the test of time and varying trends. As like most brands that have withstood popularity, you have many buying choices. Opt for a traditional box of Lego blocks or those colored pink! There is a large selection of building sets available that can have your gift recipient constructing houses, cars, helicopters, and more. Moreover, many licensed products enable them to build their favorite movie or television scenes, like from SpongeBob or Star Wars.