BARELY a week into October and already the toy manufacturers are parading their best buys for Christmas. It is enough to bring out the Scrooge in any parent.

According to the Toy & Game Show in London, this year's hottest property is an electronic dog. It does everything a real puppy does except make a mess on your carpet. Be grateful for small mercies.

Both the dog and another potential best-seller, the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? board game, are distributed by North Yorkshire firm Tiger Electronics. That is the good news.

The bad news is that the Christmas commercials have already started. TV advertisements bombard children for weeks until they are convinced that life would not be worth living without this gadget or that game.

Parents, under pressure from the formidable force known as 'pester power', are left to wonder how they can possibly afford it.

Very often these must-have toys are played with for a week or two and then forgotten. According to a survey, 60 per cent of parents believe the replacement value of unused toys in their home is £1,000.

At least if they remain in pristine condition, they may have a resale value to collectors in about 50 years' time.

But that does not ease today's money worries. Best start the counter campaign today. Emphasise the spiritual side of Christmas to your children, and insist that it is not the presents but the family togetherness that makes it special.

Even if that does not quieten the little gannets, it may make you feel less like tearing your hair out during the 78 shopping days we have left.