James' Toy Recommendations

With Christmas approaching, I'm busy looking into gift ideas for my kiddos.  I love seeing what other parents are thinking about getting for their kids, but even more I love hearing what other kids my kids age actually love and play with.  So I thought that today I'd put together a list of some things that James is in love with right now.  He's 14 months and can't get enough of all of these items so if you're in his ballpark age-range, I would definitely recommend any of these items!


(1) Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks
James loves these stacking blocks.  They are sturdy enough that he can't hurt them even if he puts all of his weight on them, but they also all stack into one block for easy storage.  James loves stacking them and knocking them down.  I think they'll also be nice to have as he gets older since they have colors, letters, and animals on them.

(2) Fisher-Price Disney Baby Amazing Animals Sing-Along Choo-Choo

This sing-along train is one of James' (and Charlotte's!) favorites.  It plays "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from The Lion King as well as says a few other phrases.  There are also stand alone animals (Simba, Lucky, and Dumbo) which are a big hit at our house.  James loves pushing the engine all over the house and stops to dance when it starts singing!

(3) Cordy Roy Blue Dog Sm 9" by Jellycat

This little guy's name is Woof-Woof at our house and he's James' lovey.  James can sleep without him, but he seems drawn to him the most when he's in his bed.  His feet, tail, and ears are a little crunchy now from so much love, but he's so soft and so easy to wash that I don't mind at all.  He's also not huge so he's easy to throw in James' bag when traveling.

(4) NCAA Alabama Crimson Tide Football Smasher

James is definitely getting into his boy role and loves all balls these days.  He enjoys trying to play catch with anyone and "tackling" whoever has the ball.  He loves his Bama football but also enjoys any type of ball and this Melissa & Doug Sports Bag Fill & Spill has provided James with hours of entertainment.

(5) The Praise Baby Collection: Praises and Smiles

Let's be real, some days I'm at my wits end by the afternoon and the kids are too.  It's on those days that I resort to Praise Baby dvd's and I don't even feel bad about it.  The kids spend about 30 minutes dancing and singing along to praise music while also exclaiming over the video of animals and kids and shapes and numbers and letters.  This one is one of our most requested dvd's but we have a number of them and they are all fantastic.

(6) 3 Pack Snack Trap (colors may vary)

While James might not say that he really loves his snack traps, I am very thankful for them!  They're easy to clip onto his straps in his stroller while Charlotte is at dance and helps keep him entertained and also full.  This little boy will eat about anything you put in front of him so having a couple of these pre-filled are handy to pull out.  James manages to make a pretty big mess, even with the snack trap (Charlotte didn't make nearly as much of a mess with them), but when we're out and about the snack trap keeps them pretty contained.  I've found that these are a little easier for small hands to get food out of than some other brands of similar items.

I would love to hear some suggestions for James or Charlotte for Christmas lists or things that your kids love that I haven't thought of!  Check out my friend Nicole's Christmas Countdown series for her family's wish lists this Christmas.

Disclaimer: No one asked me to list these items and my opinions are all my own. But if you purchase one of these items through these links on Amazon I might get a few pennies through the Amazon Associates program.

Toddler Must Haves - Fall 2011

Last week I posted about infant must haves and this week I'm updating what we currently couldn't live without for Charlotte.  Some things have been on our must have list for a while and some are new for this stage but all are things that I use all the time with our 27 month old!

Snack Trap

Charlotte can eat out of a regular bowl and plate but we 100% of the time still eat snacks out of snack traps because of Luca, our dog.  She still has to make sure and keep the snack trap out of Luca's reach but this enables her to eat her snack in relative peace.  They're also so handy when she's snacking in the car or when we're out.  I love the lids with them because then you can just fill them and throw them in your bag and not worry about snacks getting crushed before you can get them to your child and it helps them not pull out more than they can handle per bite.

Take and Toss Forks and Spoons

Now that Charlotte is using a toddler fork and spoon to eat with we've run across a problem with going out to eat.  She still wants a fork or spoon to eat with (and I'd rather her keep eating with one) but restaurant silverware is way too big!  Enter take and toss silverware.  It's cheap and can go into the dishwasher for at least a few washes and doesn't add a lot of weight to a bag so it's easy to carry around.  Charlotte loves being able to use her own sized silverware when we're out and I don't have to worry about her poking her eye out with a metal fork when we're eating out!

Table Toppers

I have always loved Table Toppers and that love hasn't diminished now that Charlotte's older.  I still prefer to "set" her place at the table when we go out by putting down a table topper and wiping the exposed table down with a Wet One.  I'm sure I'll drop that habit now with James' arrival and Charlotte getting older but for now these are still one of our best friends!

Shows/Movies/Pictures/Apps on Phone and iPad

I would highly recommend some type of smart device with kids this age.  Charlotte loves playing with anything that we have: iPad, my iPhone, even an old iPhone that she calls her iPadPhone.  We've got a few Mickey episodes and a few Wonder Pets episodes on them that we can pull out if she gets unsettled while out to eat or waiting at the doctor.  We have always created some photo albums of pictures of her that she loves to scroll through and ask who everyone is in the pictures.

Charlotte just recently got into apps on the iPad thanks to Memma's smart thinking to download some new apps to entertain her during James' birth.  She loves the 123 Color app and the Toddler Jukebox app.  Yesterday afternoon we spent literally the entire afternoon playing with them!

Happy Meal Books

A lot of places (especially Chick Fil A) have 3 and under toys with happy meals that are small board books.  I have found that these are so great for sticking in Charlotte's bag and pulling out while we're waiting somewhere.  She loves having new books to read that she doesn't get to see everyday at home and I love that they are small and don't take up room and get her reading books even while we're out.  Target's dollar spot also tends to have small books like this too if you don't want to get the happy meal to get the book.  :) 

Wetbag

This bag has been handy since Charlotte was an infant.  Thankfully we haven't really had to use it often but it's great to keep packed with an extra outfit so that if she has an accident out we've got a set of everything we need and a waterproof place to put the wet clothes!

Personalized Stickers

I talked about bag tags in the infant post last week and I still use the tags that I got when we moved for Charlotte, but I use Charlotte's personalized stickers from Doodle Bugs Paper all the time now.  They're perfect for sticking on a birthday present or a baby gift...I just add a little message at the top above her name and we're good to go!  They also can quickly label her lunchbox or something else if I need to substitute out for the ones I usually send for lunch.  All around they're very handy and cute!

Fake Jewelry

This ranges from mardi gras beads to plastic bracelets to faux pearl necklaces.  Anything works and it's all equally loved by Charlotte.  With a necklace or a bracelet on she prances around and taking the jewelry off/putting it on keeps her occupied for a while!

Note: Again, no one asked me to do this and I wasn't compensated in any way for any of these reviews.

Reading Thursday - Toddler Must Reads

*We are on our way to the eye doctor today to get Charlotte's eyes checked.  If you could pray for a good appointment, a good trip, and a good day today we would appreciate it!

As you know, we're a very reading centric family and Charlotte is no exception.  The books that she is most taken with changes pretty regularly but some that she is currently in love with are....

Harry the Dirty Dog Board Book

Charlie and I had this book growing up and Mom found it recently and got it out for Charlotte and she loves it!  Anything about pets is good for her but she loves Harry!

Where Is the Green Sheep?

This book would be good for kids much younger also because Charlotte can basically read this one to herself but she loves looking for the green sheep and even when we're not reading it she sometimes goes around the house asking where the green sheep is!

Dimity Duck

Dimity has been a favorite of C's for months now and she's very good at finishing the sentences in it.  She has even mastered the word "eiderdown" thanks to this book!

Charlie the Ranch Dog

The cover bills this book as for 4-8 year olds but I can't emphasize enough how much Charlotte loves Charlie and Suzie and Daisy the Cow.  Ree has a new, young fan in Charlotte!

And one's that she loves and that we have but I don't have pictures of....

Biscuit Storybook Collection

This has some of her favorite Biscuit books but she loves ALL Biscuit books!

Little Golden Book Collection: Sleepytime Tales (Little Golden Book Treasury)

While we never read these at bedtime, Charlotte loves reading the stories in this book over and over and over again!