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?