How to buy toys that will last a lifetime for a child this Christmas

These independent sellers have seen enough fads come and go to know which toys stand the test of time

SPIN IT AGAIN: Wyon and Christel Stansfeld, owners, Pinocchio's Toys & Gifts, Paul St., Cork, with a traditional spinning top and Paddington Bear, two long-term favourites. Picture: Denis Minihane

“TOYS will teach children so much, and they learn so much from them if you give them the right toy — but you have to give them the right toy,” says Tony Duffy of Duffy’s Toyworld in Dunleer, Co Louth.

Children and their parents will be thinking a lot about toys this evening as the Late Late Toy Show hits our screens. In a year when many of our usual traditions were abandoned, Ryan Tubridy’s annual extravaganza is being anticipated even more eagerly than usual.