Table of Contents
PLAN TOYS
This has been a favorite from the beginning if you can remember, a really great company with a green approach and amazing toys that foster imagination. All toys are made in Thailand from All Natural Organic Recycled Rubber Wood.A WIGGLY SNAKE
We have two mommy and daughter snakes. They aren't sold that way or anything, but it so happens that Lexi absolutely ADORES having two so that she can share one with me. Right now we're in the "LEXI TOO!" stage and everything needs to be done together. So she pulls out both snakes, gives one to me (MAMA!) and takes one herself (LEXI!). The snakes wiggle and move their bodies as you pull them which makes it a bit more fun than a simple pull toy. I think pull toys, in general, have a limited life with the toddlers, depending on their temperament, so at the age 22 months, she's moved on from the pull toys as they don't offer a lot of active entertainment for her, but if you have a baby who's a PULLER (you'll know what I mean if you do), then know that we really loved this toy when it was developmentally appropriate. APPEAL: 12-18 months DEVELOPMENT: Fine motor and physicalA WOODEN CAMERA
I am, of course, partial to any kind of photography equipment, even if it's a toy, and as a daughter of a (non-pro) photographer, Lexi imitates me on daily basis. I allow her to use my real camera to play with but it's bulky and hard to bring to her eye. This camera makes a nice clicking sound, it feels AMAZING in your hands (I love the rubberwood) and the little kaleidoscope viewfinder makes it fun for kids to "take pictures". It took Lexi quite a while to get the kaleidoscope part, she eventually knew to put the viewfinder to her eye but didn't know to actually look through it. And how adorable is she taking a picture of mommy by putting the camera to her mouth? haha APPEAL: 1Y+ DEVELOPMENT: fine motor skills, role-play.A STACKER
We have two Plan Toys stackers. I wrote about one in the previous toy feature. This rainbow stacker is a bit different because it requires the precision skill of putting one of the rings with a small hole in it onto a wooden pole. Most kids can't do it well till 12 months, but once they figure it out, it becomes one of their favorite activities. She will actually sit and play quietly while threading the stacker rings through the pole for a few minutes ( which doesn't happen often) Again it's made of the same rubberwood that feels heavy and substantial and is a pleasant toy to handle- the quality is very apparent. APPEAL: 12-36 months DEVELOPMENT: fine motor skills, cognitiveHAPE
Another company that uses only wood, though different type of wood than Plan Toys, and has a great assortment of toys. We started our Hape collection with the kitchen and have since bought countless products. Their selection is truly unbeatable.A KITCHEN
Our play kitchen is very simple and clean looking and fits into the natural wood theme of the playroom perfectly. I would have preferred a solid wood kitchen, and this is particle board, so I let it off gas for as long as I could before assembling. I've looked at solid wood kitchens and they are ugly and crazy expensive ( justifiably so, however our of our price range for a kitchen play set). Hape is a eco-company that tries to make green choices, so I feel much better about using a Hape kitchen that isn't solid wood rather than some other random brand. You win some, you lose some. Of course, the kitchen doesn't come with the goodies inside so that was purchased separately here: Kitchen Start Set , Food Set, Garden Salad and Fridge (our next purchase) APPEAL: 12 months+ DEVELOPMENT: fine motor skills, pretend playA COFFEE MAKER
Soon after she fell in love with the kitchen, I had an idea to buy her a cappuccino maker (technically it's a coffee maker, but we don't drink coffee). She loves making real decaf cappuccino with daddy and goes through the whole process as that's something they have been doing since she was 12 months old. So this was a great way of imitating what we do.A RACETRACK
A no-brainer for boys and a fun toy for girls! This is an awesome toy for two kids or more since they can play off of each other.POUND and TAP BENCH
Pounding? Not so interested. Xylophone? Obsessed! This xylophone was one of her first true musical instrument obsessions ( and if you follow us on IG, you know that the love for music and instruments has been in FULL since about 16 months ). She would literally carry it everywhere and make us look for it and the hammer if it was missing at all. The concept of the toy is you pound on the balls at the top of the bench and they fall onto the xylophone rolling down and making a pretty sound. The xylophone can be pulled out and used as a separate toy. It's really perfect for boys who like to pound on things as it doubles as a xylophone and makes music giving them exposure to something boys something don't pick up on their own: music. APPEAL: 12 Months + DEVELOPMENT: motor skills, musical, cognitiveSTACKER
This my favorite stacker from the aesthetic standpoint. I love the colors and the shapes. As a toy it has several uses: color sorter, shape sorter, size sorter and the process of threading something through that Lexi enjoys so much. Right now she is NOT into any type of sorting by color or size or shape, she doesn't have the patience for it ( so like her mama), but I just see the toy getting a ton of use as she changes her interests.Some of the other favorite HAPE toys:
BOBLES TUMBLE FURNITURE
You've seen these around on my IG and random photos, as well but I've never actually written about them. Boblesis made by a Dutch company and is a super creative and fun play furniture for small and big kids. It's made of EVA foam that has been tested for formamaide, so it's completely safe. It's truly such a universal toy because it can be used in a variety of ways: you can create obstacle courses, use it as table and chairs, practice your balancing skills on it- sky is the limit.Green toys
Green Toys are truly amazing! I find myself buying more and more toys from Green Toys. Besides making boy toys in girl colors, and girl toys in boy colors, their toys are just so unique in a way, yet simple and "common sense". All toys are made in the USA from recycled plastic milk jugs, no BPA, no phthalates.Tea Set
Shape sorter
This is the only traditional shape sorter we've ever had and it is brilliant in its simplicity. The shapes are really easy to grab even for the smallest babies who don't have the greatest coordination, it opens easily to remove the shapes and it has huge aesthetic appeal to me. She still plays with it all the time and can now open it on her own. We have two sets- one of upstairs and one for downstairs, that's how much she loves it. APPEAL: 12-30 months DEVELOPMENT: fine motor skills, cognitiveToolbox
SVAN TABLE
ELMO LOL
This is a fun toy for every age. An Elmo character that laughs when you tickle him and make funny noises and then asks you to do it again. It's always adorable to watch how kids respond to him and pretend to tickle him and laugh at the same time. Lexi has not really watched Sesame Street, but she knows who Elmo is and always points him out everywhere.ABC TOUCH PAD from B KIDS
B kids tablet is a simplified version of a tablet perfect for the beginning stages of interest in such devices starting from about 6 months. As your baby gets closer to 18 months, she might or might not be more interested in the real version, but if you have kept all iPhones and iPads away from her, this will at least make her feel like she is playing with her own version of an adult toy. Even though Lexi has always had access to the media devices (if somewhat limited), this has presented enough interest to keep her occupied in the car when she is in the right mood. It plays ABCs, 123s and animal sounds depending on the setting, as well as some limited games. The ABC Touch Pad is probably best to be started from 6 months on, however since I never mentioned it in previous toy posts, I thought it was fun enough to include it here. She still plays with it from time to time and can figure out the settings and how to switch from games to abcs, so it does have some limited interest potential even for the older crowd. APPEAL: 6 months -24 months DEVELOPMENT: fine motor skills, cognitiveThere are some other toys that I would love to include here but I am adding them into other upcoming posts about musical toys and toys for physical development that we've been loving, so I wouldn't want to repeat myself.
23 comments
Very nice review! There are a lot of toys you mentioned that I’ve been considering buying for my daughter.
However, I’m really confused by this statement: “It’s really perfect for boys who like to pound on things as it doubles as a xylophone and makes music giving them exposure to something boys something don’t pick up on their own: music.” Could you elaborate on what you mean by this? Specifically the second part. FWIW, my daughter loves pounding on stuff too, it’s not just a “boy thing”. (:
Ha! Honestly? I have no clue. Rereading it now- it makes no sense and I’m not sure what I was trying to say by that. I wrote it a while ago and it must have been late night.
My daughter looooves trucks especially dump trucks so I don’t really limit toys or interests by gender. I think I was trying to say that in general, boys like to pound on things more than girls. But of course it’s not exclusive. The second part is just nonsense. Haha.
I should change that sentence when I get a chance.
That makes sense. Thanks for the reply!
Great post, thank you! If you’re thinking about getting Lexi a Green Toys truck, I recommend the “Flatbed Truck and Race Car.”
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-Flatbed-Truck-Race/dp/B004JZYGQ6/
It’s two toys for the price of one! The bed of the truck tips, just like the dump truck you linked. But the race car sits in little grooves on the flatbed. DS (a month younger than Lexi) has had it since his 1st birthday and plays with it every day. He puts the race car on top, tilts the flatbed, and the race car rolls off. He also plays with the race car by itself. He also has the seaplane which is great in the pool (or ocean in your case, no ocean here!).
Oh thanks for that! I think I saw what you’re talking about. And def. looked at the seaplane before. We have a normal plane that we used for our first flight.
Cute Toys!!! Is she not into baby dolls? My daughter was obsessed with them at that age! She also got a LOT of use of her baby stroller. She used to nurse her little babies. So cute. My favorite doll is a corolle doll that smells oh-so yummy! Also, keep an eye out for Magna-Tiles, she’ll soon be old enough for those and they are soooo much fun for parents, too! I am obsessed!
She really ISN’T! Plus I haven’t been able to find one not made of PVC. Corolle is non pthalates PVC but I’m still iffy though the dolls are soooo cute.
hmmmm… I wonder about cloth dolls, then? I’ve seen cloth dolls on land of nod before, but never looked at them closely.
We have two cloth dolls, one from Ikea and some other random one. Lexi couldn’t care less about them. They are not realistic enough! 🙁
I’m the same way–I don’t buy toys based on gender for Gia. I buy (or ask for as gift) what I know she’d like. She is not into dolls at all, but loves cars and trains.
As usual, thank you for the “products” post – I am always interested in those! Holy sh– Lexi has a lot of toys! Do you have them all out at the same time, or do you rotate? I noticed that those play kitchens are all the rage – all blogging (and I assume non-blogging too – lol) mommies are buying these for the 2 – 3year olds. Does Lexis actually play with it a lot, or does it just stand there? this is not the type of toy that is easy to rotate, so I am always afraid that it will just hang there taking space and of little value beyond the first week’s excitement… does Lexis still play with that latch door too? I generally just let my daughter play with bowl (not breakable) and wisks, let her open a few drawers that do not have dangerous items and are not child-proof, and lately she has been putting items in the fridge or in the sink if she feels the urge, rather than plunking upwards of $200 for a kitchen, but what can i say – having two kids made me c-h-e-a-p, and I can’t deny it. Gone are the days of impulse purchases. 🙂
Also, it would be interesting to find out what classes you attend with Lexi? Does she have a formal music teacher, and how, if at all, is learning to play an instrument working for toddler? How is gymnastics affecting her overall physical development – do you see a big difference? (ok, just some ideas for the posts….)
thanks – irina
great questions! 🙂
yes, the kitchen is amazing! She plays with it regularly. She keeps coming back to it more than any other toys especially recently as she is oly now starting to play on her own without my involvement. But you know every kid is differnt, so I have no idea how your babies will do with that. I think it’s an awesome pretend play toy!
I do rotate toys, but as soon as take away certain ones, she goes and finds them in a drawer and starts playing with them. lol The kitchen I linked to is only $100 and is definitely worth it, in my opinion. I want to get a fridge now.
Classes and their benefits that I can see in Lexi – great post idea.
I dropped the idea of a formal music teacher for just a few months because I got busy with the holidays and her birthday, but I will probably pick it up some time in spring, as I think she can benefit from it more than simple Kindermusik can allow. Otherwise on weekly basis we go to gymnastics, open gym, library, library classes and kindermusik
Awesome post! I actually was kind of relieved to hear Lexi doesn’t play with dolls much either. My daughter (18 mo.) Is so much more into musical toys like the xylophone toy and mimicing mommy in the kitchen with toy mixing bowls and pans. Are there other music/instrument prep. Tpys you have found that both you and Lexi like?
Also, I tried to post on your other blog “selfie magic” but it wouldnt let me without a password? Just wanted to let you know there are still followers! 🙂
We have A TON of musical instruments: sax, trumpet, harmonica, all kinds of drum, including an electronic set and an acoustic toddler set, a real kid sized voilin, a recorder, and a few others I can’t think of. I’ll be writing a post on that too 🙂
Selfie magic- not sure why it didn’t let you comment. I might have them turned off for now, but thank you for supporting me there!
Do you have any other recommendations for “green” table and chair set? I love the Svan one but its a bit out of our price range. I was going to purchase a P’kolino set when I read a review about formaldehyde in the glue!!
All others I’ve seen are even more expensive! What about trying to get one used? On CL or eBay or even amazon?
Thank you I will look. Quick random question but what is the name of the song you used in your YouTube video Jumping in the pool at Marriott Singer Island, 15 months old? My daughter loves it!!
I can’t remember which song it was but it’s by a french singer Yelle 🙂
Cute video! We also mostly only use plan and hape toys. We have almost all of green toys, love the pink truck and race car. I don’t usually like the pink stuff but I thought the race car and truck were 2 cute toys for a little girl. We also have the beach toys and love them. I don’t give my daughter musical toys but we do have a couple that were gifted. I keep those in the car. She goes to a montessori preschool, so she is not overstimulated at school either. She gets to watch one show per day and she chooses Daniel tiger or peppa pig. Some days she’s asks me to watch house hunters or property brothers lol…can u tell I watch it a lot? We try to keep the tv off when she’s around mostly though.
House Hunters? Lol That’s funny 🙂
Nice article. After reading this article I completely agree that children love different types of toys. We just have to select proper toys according to their age. I have 2 year old daughter. Recently I ordered non toxic art products from http://www.pureandsimplebaby.com.
Hi Elena:
Could you please tell me the brand of the storage cubes you have in Lexi’s playroom? I see a blurry version of it in lexi’s stacker toys picture. It’s looks like its natural solid wood and I have been looking for one! Thank you!
It’s Ikea 🙂