My Favorite Toys!
As I shop for Christmas presents for the children in my family I have been reflecting on what toys really get the most play at my house. Here’s a list of the top toys we own (we own A LOT!)
1. Leap Frog Learn and Groove Musical Table – If we had to go to a
desert island and could only bring three things, this would be one of them! This toy was the best toy purchase we have ever made and I think every child should own one. We have had ours for three years, and it has always been the “hot toy” in our home. It really grows with your child and I highly recommend this toy!
2. Plush Bunglie Donkey by Jelly Cat – You can’t get the donkey very easily anymore since he is now officially retired, however Jelly Cat makes the most adorable stuffed animals. Darah has been sleeping with her lovey for three years and will not go to sleep without him. They are incredibly soft and cuddly and a must-have in our home!
3. My First Stacking Cups – These classic stacking cups are a hit in our home and have had multiple uses. They’ve been everywhere from the sandbox to the bathtub to the kitchen. Connor loves crawling around with one in each hand and one in his mouth and Darah likes to stack them up high and knock them down. They’ve been great for all kinds of fine motor activities (stacking, sorting, pouring, etc…)
4. Swirlin’ Surprise Gumball Machine – This is just a really cute and
really fun toy. Darah received this toy as a first birthday present from a friend and it has been very loved. The music it sings is cute and it has a volume control adjustment (so great!) I really liked it when we were working on teaching the concept of “cause and effect” with Darah and she was very attentive with this toy!
5.Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - My kids love this book (and so do I!) The pictures are really bold and crisp and it’s a fun book to read with the kids. Darah knows it so well that she’ll start signing the name of the next animal to come before we even turn the page. In the kids’ stockings this year, they are going to be receiving Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?”
6. Baby Signing Times and Signing Times DVD Series - We love these
dvd’s! Darah’s vocabulary has increased so much since she started watching Rachel, Alex, Leah, and Hopkins on Signing Times! Signing has been such a great communication method for Darah and now Connor and I know your little ones (or even bigger ones) would really enjoy this series. My 5 year old brother very proudly told me the other day, “McKenna, this means ‘be careful.’” Very cool!
What are your favorite toys for your little ones? What will Santa be bringing this year to your house?
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What a great post. Really helpful actually. Jackson will definitely be getting books this year, among other things, but I have a question for you. With all the toys that our kids get…what do we do with them? I have heard a couple of things. “get rid of 2 when your child gets 1″. “pick out 5 they can play with for the month and then recycle”, etc.
I’m nervous about Christmas this year because he already has so many other toys. Ha ha. Hmm….need help!
Ace really enjoyed playing with your Leap Frog Learn and Groove Musical Table, so that is the one thing that we will be buying her for Christmas.
We have the Leap Frog Learn and Groove Musical Table too and it IS amazing! Both of my kids still play with it all the time and when other kids come over they are drawn to it.
Natalie,
I’m kind of a toy junkie, so I’m a bad person to give advice on that. I do rotate the toys though. I keep a lot in the closet and switch out toys and books that are available in their rooms. Books especially…my Mother-in-law has a really bad addiction to buying books for my kids, so we rotate those A LOT! lol! I do the “get rid of an article of clothing when you buy an article” for me though to keep my closet in check and it really works for me. I love donating to the Ronald McDonald House (since we’ve taken advantage of their wonderful services), so I highly recommend calling them and asking if they need toys for their playroom when you do get rid of toys!
We loved the Leap Frog table. It was a great toy when my son started pulling himself up. It is probably the toy I would recommend most.
My son was a late talker, and the Signing Time Videos were a godsend. I discovered them at our local library, and in no time, my son and I were communicating! He would sign to me and I’d have to watch the video to see what he was saying. Now he won’t stop talking!
McKenna – I love your idea of donating to the Ronald McDonald house. We have one nearby, so I’ll be sure to remember that.
That is too funny, I have almost all of these toys!! Jayden LOVES the Leapfrog table I wish I would have had it with the other two boys.
We have the Gumball machine and both Xavier and Jayden loved this toy. I also liked the adjustable volume on it.
We are now on our 2nd Brown Bear book. Our first was just falling apart. This has been a family favorite since Josh.
I will be getting the DVD series for Jayden, thanks for the idea!
McKenna, that’s a great idea. Thanks so much!!! Maybe I’ll be doing that as a Christmas donation to them this year. That would fun!
I picked up Polar Bear, Polar Bear too McKenna … thanks for the recommendation! We already have Brown Bear, Brown Bear and really like it. Eric Carl books are great so I picked up My Very First Library as well. I will remember the Leap Frog Table. I think she’s too young for it right now so maybe the Easter Bunny can bring that!