Toddler Boy Favorites: Christmas Wishlist Ideas

A couple days ago, I started writing Myles' Christmas Wishlist post. It made me think of an idea to share with you all a favorites list of items we already know we love. So here are some Christmas ideas straight from the brain of my three year old, Myles.






1. Melissa and Doug Catch and Count Fishing Game: Myles got this for this second birthday. Almost a year and a half later and he still loves playing with it. It's a toy that has a pretty wide age range and many different purposes. At first, he mostly just used the polls to pick up any random fish. Now, we can practice colors by picking up a certain color I say. He hasn't quite gotten to the actually game part (picking up the fish that the arrow lands on), but that just means we will continue to get good use out of it! And because it's wooden (and Melissa and Doug) it has held together wonderfully.

2. Step2 Easel: Myles got this two Christmases ago from my parents. I put it up for a while and brought it out here and there to see if he was ready to try it out. It wasn't until recently that he has really begun to make good use out of it. We practice learning our numbers and letters and he really likes to draw pictures now. I like that it has a chalkboard side and a whiteboard side and also comes with magnetic letters and numbers. It's also easy to clean and folds up nicely. I can see us using this well into the future as Myles learns to write and draw more.

3. Melissa and Doug Alphabet Puzzle: I picked up a Melissa and Doug alphabet puzzle very similar to this one at Goodwill two years ago. We looked at it here and there, but now that Myles is in school and learning his letters, it has become a great teaching tool. He can see what each letter looks like and a picture of something that starts with each letter underneath. I like it because I can just grab a letter and talk about it without him getting too bored. And again it's wood, so the quality is great.

4. Carter's 2 piece pajama set: These are Myles' favorite type of jammies. He often complains about his pajamas being too tight (totally my son), so I have been buying more of these lately. They are loose and comfortable, but still warm and snugly.

5. Imaginext Batcave: Myles got this from Santa last year, and it was by far his favorite gift. It has so many cool features, for a relatively low price (we got a Black Friday deal). I honestly can't say enough about how much it keeps Myles entertained. It comes with Batman (his motorcycle, helmet, and bat flier) and Robin. It has a jail cell, missile launcher, and a command center. It is also interactive with an app for iPhones. For me, the best part about these toys is seeing Myles really develop his imagination with them. We come up with all sorts of fun and goofy scenarios to put Batman and Robin though. This is definitely one of the best toy investments we've made so far.

6. Rolie Polie Olie: My mom sent Myles this book some months ago and it instantly became a favorite. I have read this story a ridiculous amount of times and I still love it. It is probably the only book he has that I don't mind reading every single night before bed. It never gets old to me: Rolie is so cute, the story is fun, and the rhyming is delightfully infectious. I promise that you and your littles will love this book!

7. Peanut Butter and Cupcake: Our second favorite book is one Myles got on his third birthday. My mom found this one, and I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't think it was something that Myles would be interested in. Boy was I wrong! He thinks this book is so funny and gets super involved when we read it. I like the story line, but the illustrations make this book a top for me. It does get a but repetitive reading it, but I can't deny how much Myles loves this story.

8. LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra: This was Myles' big present from my parents last Christmas. I wasn't sure he would be ready for it at that time, but it was such a good deal, I told them to get it anyway. I would say that at 2 he didn't do much on it. He pretty much only listened to some stories I downloaded. He played with it here and there for a couple months, but started really getting into it right before he turned 3. I bought him a preschool pack set of 4 games and he can play them all by himself now. He still listens to his stories and he also really likes the Pet Pad Party game that came already loaded. This is another good investment toy with a wide age range. I think it has games for up to age 8. I love that Myles is learning (a variety of concepts), but stays totally interested because of the 'game' format.

9. Kidoozie X-track: I bought this for Myles for his second birthday. It was set up at local toy store and I knew it would be a total hit with Myles. The fact that these cars race by themselves is pretty amazing to Myles. It comes with a ton of small individual pieces that link together to make the track, so you are able to move and manipulate it however you would like. There is also a bridge/tunnel and a cross piece so both cars can run on two different tracks. Myles loves that at times the cars meet and crash in the middle. This is a super unique race track and keeps up entertained for hours. 

What are some current favorites in your house?

Monthly Favorites: Seventeen & Eighteen

When it comes to being a new mom, "free time" no longer exists. And if by some amazing miracle you happen to somehow get a couple of minutes to yourself, I doubt researching baby products is on the top of your list. Whenever my son is coming to a new age and needing new products, I heavily rely on my fellow mommy bloggers' recommendations. No need to waste precious 'you time' trying to navigate through the thousands of products out there only to find out they're poor quality or useless. So I decided to do my own monthly favorites posts to help out my fellow mommies!

Monthly 17 & 18 by julia-crystal on Polyvore

Many of the items on this month's list were Christmas presents.

1. Elmo's Big Lift-And-look Book: Myles got this book from my uncle for Christmas. I love when other people pick out gifts for him because they are usually things I would never think to buy, but he ends up loving them. This book instantly became Myles' favorite book of all time. I think he loves it so much because 1. it's Elmo 2. its a flip book. He gets so excited when he opens the flaps and sees the surprise inside. I love it because each page teaches something different: shapes, colors, opposites, letters, and numbers.

2.  GoodNight Moon Cuddle Bunny and SesameStreet Take Along Elmo: It took a while, but Myles finally found some lovies. Myles got the little Elmo from my grandma for Christmas and the Goodnight Moon bunny came as a gift at my baby shower. I really can't pinpoint exactly when it started, but around 17 months he began sleeping with both of these every night. He became very attached and had to make sure both of them were in his bed every night before he went to sleep. They are both the perfect size for a toddler to cuddle and sleep with, and cart around everywhere else as well.

3. PixarBook Block Set: I picked this set out at Barnes and Noble with a gift card that Myles and I got for Christmas. I am always so at a loss when it comes to picking out books for Myles. His favorite books are all so different, I never know what will peak his interest. I could spend hours at the book store and end up with absolutely nothing, so I was very proud of myself for actually picking something out, taking it home, and not returning it! I love these book blocks because they come with 12 books, so you get 12 different stories for the price of one! They are short (like 6 pages), but they are perfect for little ones to 'read' on their own and keep their interest. 

4. Melissa and Doug 60-Piece Standard Unit Blocks: Myles got these as a Christmas present from my aunt and uncle. I'm so glad they picked them out because I would have never thought they would be something he would really get into. But, of course, he loves them! I love classic wooden toys and this set is perfect. It has every different kind of block you need for tons of building and imaginary play. Myles' favorite thing to do with the blocks is make raceways for his cars:

5. TechDeck Fingerboards: I'm not even sure where this came from. I just remember finding it in our house somewhere and Myles instantly took to it. It was perfect timing that I found it when I did, because we had just bought him his own 'flippy' (aka skateboard) and helmet. I love these fingerboards for little ones because they are small, keep them entertained, and help work on fine motor skills. I'm pretty terrible at using them, but Myles' dad showed him some awesome tricks that Myles has copied. Now that Myles is older, he likes to put his action figures on the boards and pretend they are skateboarding.   

6. HotWheels Dino Spinout Track Set: My dad got Myles this set for Christmas. I had been thinking about getting Myles something Hot Wheels for a while, wondering if he would be into them at all. He was starting to play with cars more and he loves when things crash, so we decided on this Dino set. It was so perfect for him! The set-up is super easy and all you need is a higher table/ledge to connect the track to. It is great for younger toddlers because it doesn't require them to do anything but put the car on the track. The car goes down, crashes into the dinosaur, and the dinosaur falls over. I have even joined in on the fun from time to time! We have a couple more sets now, but this one is still our favorite, by far. 

7. TheFirst Years Take & Toss Straw Cups: A friend had these at her house and I thought they were the perfect little cup. I went to buy them at Target and was super impressed with the price too. You get four cups, tops, and straws with the normal pack. I'm not really sure if these are supposed to be disposable because they are called 'Take & Toss' but we have kept them for more than 8 months now. We have 3 sets left (lost one) and they are still in perfect condition. I always had a had time finding sippy cups that worked how I think they should. I bought a ton of different ones and Myles only drank out of a couple of them. He really only wanted to drink out of a regular cup so after tons of spilled liquid, I was so relieved that I found these cups and he actually drank out of them! Super durable, easy to drink from, and inexpensive; my kind of cup!

8. ALEXToys Bathtime Fun Jungle Water Fall: We didn't buy Myles too much for Christmas because he got so much from our family already and we weren't even going to be home for actual Christmas. I did buy him a train table and train set for his big present and then got him just a couple of small things. The only thing I thought he really needed was new bath toys. I find that bath toys are the hardest toys to pick out. I never like any of the selection when I go to the store and I'm not even impressed with what is online. It was extremely difficult for me to pick anything out because I couldn't find something that really 'wowed' me and I really wanted something cool for him to open at Christmas. I eventually decided on two: this jungle waterfall and the Little People Play 'n Float Bath Boat. I totally lucked out with the waterfall because Myles really loved it. It comes with 4 pieces that you stick on the wall vertically so that water flows through each piece and eventually into the tub. Each piece is different and funnels the water through it differently, so it is very visually stimulating and fun to watch. It also comes with a cup to pour the water out into the top of the waterfall. The only part that I didn't like about this was that at his age, Myles wasn't able to scoop the water up and pour it into the top by himself. He would always end up dumping the water out before he got it to the top, and so I had to do it for him. And if I didn't do it over and over and over, he would get super upset. So I guess he liked it that much!

  

What toddler items are on the top of your list? What are your opinions of these products?

Monthly Favorites: Fifteen & Sixteen

When it comes to being a new mom, "free time" no longer exists. And if by some amazing miracle you happen to somehow get a couple of minutes to yourself, I doubt researching baby products is on the top of your list. Whenever my son is coming to a new age and needing new products, I heavily rely on my fellow mommy bloggers' recommendations. No need to waste precious 'you time' trying to navigate through the thousands of products out there only to find out they're poor quality or useless. So I decided to do my own monthly favorites posts to help out my fellow mommies!

I will also let you in on any deals or money saving tips with each product!

Monthly 15 & 16 by julia-crystal on Polyvore

1. Toy Story: I bought this movie with money from Myles' first birthday. I played it for him once after I bought it and he couldn't care less. He was so not into TV shows, movies, etc. So I just put away for the time being until I thought he may be a little bit more into it. A couple months later (at 16 months), I decided to try it again. That one random day changed our lives forever! He only had to watch it once to get obsessively hooked! All day long, it was "Buzz/Woody, Buzz/Woody": when he woke up, when he ate lunch, when he got up from his nap, before bed. We even had to start spelling any words that reminded him of the movie or he would go into tantrum meltdown city! I limited watching it to once a day, but if it were up to him he would have seriously watched it 24/7. The good thing is I absolutely LOVE this movie. I was actually excited to watch it again and found it to be even better as an adult. We eventually invested in the 2nd and 3rd ones so we could rotate them. His super obsession lasted about two months and kind of fizzed out after that. He still loves all of the characters, but he doesn't ask to watch the  movies anymore. He has moved on... hopefully not too much though because we are having a Toy Story party for his 2nd birthday.

2.  Sassy Catch and Count Net: I feel like good bath toys are so hard to come by! I am always looking for something different, entertaining, and somewhat educational for the tub and I am forever disappointed in the selection. The Alex brand has some pretty cool things, but I never know what Myles will actually like anymore, so I don't want to buy any of them just to find out he couldn't care less about them. Every time I think he will really like something, he has no interest in it. I have found that with bath toys, the simpler the better. I picked up this set one day at Babys R Us and it is still one of his top favorites 7+ months later. The fish have "1, 2, and 3" on them and are three different colors. Those simple little fish are what we used to teach him colors and numbers. The first time he said blue and counted were with these fish! It is also a really good way to work on fine motor skills with scooping the fish up with the net. When he first got this, he wasn't able to scoop them up. It was something we worked on every bath and I was so proud when he finally got it. Now he loves to take the net everywhere. He even uses it in his water table to catch things. This toy is totally inexpensive and simple, but it is by far our favorite bath toy ever!

3. Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pad: I was planning another trip back to Illinois with solo toddler duty, so I knew I had to step up my "keep-Myles-entertained" arsenal! He wouldn't sit still for a movie or TV show yet, so I had to find other ways to occupy him for 4 1/2 hours. Our previous 3 flights weren't too bad, but the older he got the harder it was to keep him sitting still and content for long periods of time. I brought a couple of his favorite books, toys, and snacks, but I wanted to bring something with that was totally new to him. He was starting to get into stickers and that made me think about the sticker clings that came with background settings I had when I was young. I googled something along those lines and found these reusable sticker pads. I bought both the vehicle and animal sets. Each set comes with 5 different backgrounds and about 35 stickers per background. I kept them hidden until the plane ride so that it would be something totally new for him. At that age a lot of the stickers and scenes were lost on him, but he liked putting them on and taking them off and just holding his favorite animal/car. Since then he has grown to engage with these more and more. He knows almost all the animals and different kinds of vehicles and he starting to create imaginary play with the scenes. I like playing with him and making up stories to help him understand that aspect of it. We are flying solo again in a couple weeks, so these will definitely be in our carry on bag! They provide hours of play and are perfect for keeping kids occupied when they are confined to a small area (car seat, plane ride, waiting at doctors, etc.)

4. American Plastic Toys Tool Bench: I found this bench (and extra tools) at my local children's resale shop for $20. I had been eying a tool set for a while so when this popped up, I had to get it. Myles loves all things 'working'. He always wants to be a part of whatever the adults are doing, especially if it involves tools. This set is the perfect way to indulge his love of 'working' while keeping him safe. Although he still will always ask for the real thing, he is usually satisfied with his plastic tools. It comes with lots of different tools and accessories that are awesome for perfecting fine motor skills and imaginary play. It has been really cool to watch Myles over the months grow with this toy and learn how to use the screw driver, hammer, wrench, etc. properly. We even just picked up an electric screw driver at a rummage sale that goes with this set. It is by far his favorite tool to date. He even uses it to drill on our teeth :)

5. Personal Family Photo Book: I have talked about this book a couple of times before on the blog, but it is one of our all time favorites. Being away from all our family has been rough so we try to do whatever we can to make sure we stayed connected. Myles loves looking at pictures so I thought this would be a perfect way to help him remember everyone and get to see their faces whenever he wants. I made this book using Snapfish and it was really easy. I am hoping we can use it to help him learn some more names before we go back for his second birthday soon. I think it would be so sweet if I could somehow make that happen!

6. Crayola Washable Kids Paint: These paints are the best! They have a couple different sets with all different colors. I love them because they are completely washable, but still very vibrant and have come out looking great in all of our projects. They are the perfect paints for hand/foot print art as well. These are my go-to toddler friendly paints! 

A little craft using the paints: Painted Puzzle Wall Art

Christmas footprint art: 

7. Nuby Insulated No Spill Straw Cup: It is like a full time job just trying to find a decent sippy cup out there. I can tell you that we have one whole shelf in our kitchen cabinets dedicated just to sippy cups and all their accessories. We have recently (starting around 22 months) converted to regular cups 90% of the time, but I have kept all of our sippies for outings and travel. From about months 14-20, I couldn't leave the store without picking up a new sippy in hopes of finding 'the one'. The biggest issue I had with finding the right cup was making sure that it was truly was no spill, but still easy enough to suck the liquid out of. I had the most luck with the Nuby brand and this specific one I ended up liking the best. You can buy the cup and top together or just the top if you already have some cups they would fit on. These are the closest to no spill or leak that I have found and they are still very easy to drink out of because of the easy touch-flow valve. It also has a flip top so the straw stays clean. There are several other cups in the Nuby brand that use this top if you are looking for something bigger, smaller, or non insulated. These are by far the best sippy cup for their price on the market!

  What toddler items are on the top of your list? What are your opinions of these products?

Monthly Favorites: Months Thirteen & Fourteen

When it comes to being a new mom, "free time" no longer exists. And if by some amazing miracle you happen to somehow get a couple of minutes to yourself, I doubt researching baby products is on the top of your list. Whenever my son is coming to a new age and needing new products, I heavily rely on my fellow mommy bloggers' recommendations. No need to waste precious 'you time' trying to navigate through the thousands of products out there only to find out they're poor quality or useless. So I decided to do my own monthly favorites posts to help out my fellow mommies!

I will also let you in on any deals or money saving tips with each product!

Monthly 13 & 14 by julia-crystal on Polyvore

1. Goodnight Moon: Apparently this is a classic children's book. Somehow I had never heard of it before I got it and the stuffed bunny for my baby shower. I also don't completely understand its appeal. I like the concept (saying goodnight to everything in his room and then the moon, stars, etc.), but the stuff he says goodnight to in his room are kind of strange things. I guess that doesn't matter to kids because Myles adores his book. It only took like 3 nights of reading it and he was hooked. At one point, even the mere suggestion of reading a different book before bed was received with appalling looks and whimpering cries. He's backed off a little, but still one of his favorites.

2. Step 2 Water Wheel Activity Play Table: Once we moved to California, a water table was a total must on my list of backyard toys for Myles. I found this one on Craigslist for $5. I wasn't looking for anything too special since I knew it would be sitting outside in the sun all day. I like the shape of this one and how it has two different sections. This thing has provided us with so much entertainment over the past year; and I look forward to what it will bring to us in the future!

Taking a dip:

Playing with his fish: 

 Feeding the birds:

 And playing with food:

3. VTech - Baby's Learning Laptop: My mom found this little laptop at a garage sale. I'm guessing she paid less than $5 for it. Although it still doesn't keep Myles from trying to use my laptop, he does play with it like he is doing something really important! I like all the different learning options and the cute little mouse that moves all around. It has three different modes that teach shapes, common objects, feelings and music. It also folds up for easy traveling, because sometimes you have to work on the go :)

 4. Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack Roll Cups: This toy is in my top five favorites of all time.. I think I might go as far as saying it is possibly even number one! I had a Kohl's gift card from Myles' birthday that I needed to use. Since he already got tons of clothes from his party, I opted to check out their toy section. They actually have a good selection, especially Fisher Price and V-Tech toys. I literally looked through everything and picked out 17 different things, but I only wanted to get one toy, so a decision had to be made. I had been thinking about getting him the classic ring stacker, but they didn't have that one there. They did, however have this bad boy. It took me a minute to convince myself to get it because I wasn't too sure it would be something Myles would like, but it had a ball and you can't go wrong with a ball when it comes to Myles. Let me just tell you that I so love everything about this toy. It seriously teaches so much: you can stack them, nest them, click two together to make balls, put the shaker ball inside the balls for noise, you can nest them as balls, learn colors and numbers, practice with fine motor skills, problem solving, and tons more. I also love that it is functional for a wide age range. I am all about the longevity of a toy.

5. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Creation Center Case for iPad: This was another item I purchased with Myles' birthday money. He was still really into HooplaKidz videos on Youtube and I felt that he was old enough to start using the iPad a bit on his own. I hadn't really done any research on a kid's case, so I just went with what I found at Target. I probably would have bought a different one if I had looked on Amazon, but we like this one just fine. It's bigger so it's not meant for traveling or anything thing, but it does have some extras that Myles loves to play with. One side is for the iPad and has a protective screen. You can also position the iPad so that they can't press the home button. It includes four different shape stampers that can be played with free apps you download. It also has a snap-on panel (used on the front or back) to play with the stampers on. It can lay flat or be propped up with the legs and it has a handle. It definitely protects the iPad from anything a toddler can do to it! It is perfect for any sort of iPad usage.

6. Green Bay Packers 101 (My First Team-Board-Book): This book was a Christmas present from my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Half of my family cheer for the Bears and the other half the Packers. My father has been a die-hard Packers fan since before I was born so I am raising Myles that way. Anytime he sees his Packer gear, he always says "PaPa" and whenever I ask him what shirt he wants to wear, he points to his Packers jersey and says "PaPa". He got this book for his 1st Christmas when he was only 4 months, so we kept it up until he started being interested in books. As soon as I brought it out, it became an instant hit with Myles. It was his go-to book for a long time. At some point every day, he would pick it up and read it:

It gives lots of stats, favorite players, accomplishments, rules of the game, etc. and at the end it has a spot for a picture and says "Future Player". It is one that we will be keeping forever. These books are made for every team, so whatever one your family roots for this book is a must!

7. PBnJ Baby SippyPal Cup Holder: This was the other item I purchased from Kohls with Myles' birthday money. He recently started getting into the 'throw everything off of the highchair' phase, so this caught my eye when I was perusing the toddler section. I had seen a couple before and thought it was a good idea, but it never made it all the way home with us until then. For the price I figured it was worth a try to see if it helped the situation. Myles did not like this thing... but only because it worked really well and stopped him from being able to throw his drink on the floor! It was funny when he caught on to what was happening, and he was not pleased. Myles-1,434,345 Mommy-1 Definitely recommend one of these bad boys when your child enters this phase. It makes eating time a little more bearable when you have at least one less thing to pick up off the floor 17,000 times in a row. 


8. PlayHut Mega Fun Tent: The above picture isn't the exact configuration of the play tent that we have, but it's pretty close. The one we have is in the picture below. I found it at a consignment shop for $12. It was such a coincidence because just two days before I found this one, I was seriously debating picking up a similar version at Toys R Us. But in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to pay full price for something I wasn't sure Myles would play with. So imagine my sheer excitement when I saw one that was even bigger for 1/3 the price! I already had a ton of plastic balls, so I put it together as soon as we got home. We have had this inside and outside and it works great in both places. I love that it has this Twist ' N Fold Technology that allows for the whole structure to be stored completely flat and then instantly be set-up. It has stood up pretty well against Hurricane Myles too. The only thing I would change is the way they connect together. It is just a couple of velcro pieces and they aren't very strong. Myles has broken a few just by trying to get in where he is not supposed to. Other than that we love Play Hut tents and definitely recommend this variation for tons of different play options. 

What toddler items are on the top of your list? What are your opinions of these products?