Now that Christmas is behind us and presents have been unwrapped, I wanted to share my kids’ favorite toys and gifts from this Christmas as a special ‘kid-approved’ post, if you will.

In my line of work, I’m blessed to have the opportunity to review many different products…and of course a great percentage of those are family-related or especially for kids.

Throughout the past year, I’ve featured most of the products below on my blog or in my different media segments. While I’ve given my opinion on these items, we have saved the majority of them to share with our kids until Christmas. So it was intersting to me to finally find out which of the toys and gifts they liked best!

I thought it would be relevant to share their favorites with you so that you know what toys are actually worth spending the money on!

1. EzyRoller
This turned out to be the sleeper hit of Christmas! A blogging friend of mine told us about the EzyRoller and said our kids would love them – and she could not have been right! The kids have not stopped rolling around on these since they got them. While this wasn’t necessarily on their Christmas list, I think it’s safe to say it was one of their favorite, if not their favorite, gifts of the day.

2. iPod Shuffle
I received one of these doing a blogger trip in February and while we there was no way we were ready to get our kids an iPod touch or iPad, this was a great introduction into electronics for our 8 year old (even though she only has two songs on there right now with no future prospects of getting any more any time soon

3. Build a Bear Merry Mint Pup
Every time I pass by Build A Bear I think, “We can’t possibly need another one of these”, but again the excitement over the experience seems to never fade. So I wasn’t sure how getting a pre-made pup would go over, but I guess between the cuteness and the candy cane striped outfit, it won her over anyway

4. American Girl
Thanks to some American Girl Doll giveaways I did throughout the year, I also got a My American Girl Doll to give to my daughter. While she just got her first American Girl doll this summer (McKenna) and I didn’t expect for her to get another one this soon (if ever!), it’s been a delight watching her excitement over getting a “My American Girl” doll that looks like her (and that she can also use to play school with!).

5. Bebe Gun
While I can’t say I whole-heartedly agree with this gift, my husband felt it was time for both of our kids to have a bebe gun (bought from Bass Pro Shops). It seems to be a sort-of rite of passage here in the South, but it still makes me a bit squeamish. Regardless of my views, both kids really enjoyed these in the backyard…even though it was 29 degrees out!

6. Xbox 360 with Kinect
This has been especially great for younger kids who don’t quite get the ins and outs of using a controller and it allows the entire family to get off the couch and have fun! We especially like Just Dance 4 and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean.

7. “Brave” Blu-Ray
One of the kids’ favorite movies of the summer (and the #1 Animated film of 2012), this was a hit in the theater with our family and was a thrill for them to get under the tree. While I wouldn’t say it’s my all time favorite Disney film, it is one of the most beautiful animated films I’ve ever seen.

8. Doll Clothes from the craft store
While my mom was here after Thanksgiving, I was surprised to find that many craft stores actually carry clothes for 18 inch dolls (like American Girl). While I love the quality and detail of the American Girl outfits Kariss has, I also was shocked at the unique items we found at the craft store. We found a white ‘fur’ coat & matching ‘Uggs’ boots that together cost less than $10 with the sale & coupon we had!

9. Lands End Rolling Backpack
You may remember me sharing how I discovered the high-quality Lands End kids’ backpacks during my Talk of the Town Save vs. Splurge Back to School segment. As kids’ get older, the amount they have to bring home increases. We saved this rolling backpack to give to Kariss now because we knew it would not only be great for school, but also for taking on trips.

10. Jingle the Husky Pup with Interactive Storybook
My little man has been wanting a Hallmark Interactive Story Buddy ever since his sister got Abigail the bunny last year. Not only did we get to record our own voices with the Jingle recordable storybook, but Jingle also interacts when you read his own book to him (plus, he’s just fun to cuddle at night!).

As parents, I feel like often times we shop for what would make us happy more than what would make our kids happy, so it’s always interesting to me to find out what it is they actually end up playing with and liking after Christmas.

What were your kids’ favorite gifts they received?