painting wooden toys

[chil]

what paint should I use to paint children's wooden toys that I will get a smooth shiny finish with please?

[Clanad]

May I recommend a good quality latex enamel in spray cans? The enamels are always higher gloss and the can label will inform you of even brighter gloss. Latex enamels are always lead free and used approriately will produce a brush-stroke free finish. A product I use here in the U.S. and may be available in the U.K. is Plasti-Kote... Use several light applications rather than one or two heavy ones. I hang the product to be finished on a wire in the garage so I can turn it around several times to check for missed places. Ventilate the area well...
Best of luck!

[joko]

as clanad says, but be sure to remove any surface sheen first, with fine sandpaper.
for detail, ordinary artists acrylic, or you can just spray some of the paint into a container