Monday, November 30, 2009

Toy Ideas

We've got Jackson's Christmas presents 100% covered already. PTL! So far all I have for Annabeth is the Playskool Busy Ball Popper that I found on sale in October. Jackson had one and he LOVED it. Too bad it eventually broke and only the Lord knows where all those balls are now. I'm sure Annabeth will love it too because so far, she loves everything that Jackson loves. That includes matchbox cars, trucks and balls. She hates the baby dolls. Today I introduced her to the plush baby Minnie Mouse I got her at Disney World and she was slightly terrified of her.

I know I don't need to get her much because at this age she won't care and because her birthday is so close to Christmas. But I would like to get her one or two more things. It's "Cyber Monday" and I want to take advantage of the good deals online. So my question for you is this: if you have a baby Annabeth's age or slightly older, does he or she have a toy that has been a big hit? There are so many toys that I'd love for my kids to have but that I know in my heart they wouldn't play with. Then there are the ones I'd never have guessed they would have played with as much and for as many months as they did.

Here are some baby toys that were and are a big hit with my kids in case you're needing some ideas, too.

Jackson's:

Leap Frog Maracas

Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Cube

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank

Bee Bop Band

This has been the number one toy of all time for my kids. Jackson got it for his first Christmas and he still plays with it. Annabeth likes it a lot, too.

Busy Zoo Activity Center by Parents

Annabeth's:

Annabeth is obsessed with this.

Melissa and Doug Deluxe Fishbowl

These are very handy and CHEAP!

Fisher Price Link-a-doos

Thanks for your advice!

74 comments:

Shelly said...

PS - Thank you!
Hope you find Annabeth something special! :)

Shelly said...

I have no clue. But I suppose I'm not supposed to at this point!

And in that context of cluelessness, can you give me some hair-bow direction? I'm trying to find one of the headbands with the big bows on it for my girlfriend's new little baby girl, but to no avail. The two baby/kids stores I checked had no such a thing!

Unknown said...

I have a one year old boy and he loves cars, of course. He especially loves the Tonka Wheel Pals chunky vehicles. They make them in sweet ladybugs and other pink/purple critters for girls!!!!
My daughter got the Fisher Price tea set when she was a baby. She only chewed on it then, but she liked it. She's five now and still plays with it! And all little girls need a shopping cart to push! Hope this helps!

Heather said...

K turned one in August. We are getting her a ride on toy that we can push. She LOVES LOVES LOVES to be out with us when the boys are playing but the stroller is getting old for her. She wants to be down with the boys. So she is getting a step two pink and purple car that she can have a ball in. She too, loves all the boys cars and such. We also got her a doll to play with in the bath tub. She does love her dolls but she will also have a car in the other hand :)

Amanda said...

Shelly, you can find a ton of them on Etsy. Or you can try www.jellybeansinc.com. Search for "headband" and then "bow." I'd get a white nylon headband and then one or two grosgrain bows. Annabeth is wearing the medium size ones but you might get your friend the small size. It looks like they don't have much on the web site, but you have to scroll through the four pages of items to see it all. Hope that helps!

Ashley Turnbull said...

Hey Amanda! This is a great post. I was JUST surfing the web for Kate-gifts, and I thought how in the world would I pick any toys at all! We aren't doing much for her this year, but I love the idea of something she will play with for a long time. This cube thing looks great!

Please post a recap of what your readers post...would love to know the highlights!

PS. I am spending way too much time on here today looking for these deals (cyber monday). Ah!!!

Amanda said...

PS. Shelly, if you buy the handband and bow separately, you can mix and match them. Just make sure whatever bows you buy have the metal alligator clip. Sometimes bows are sold with grosgrain covering the clip. Don't get that because it won't fit in the headband loop. If you're overwhelmed now, I'm sorry!

Jennifer said...

Oh, and maybe a stroller for baby dolls. Maybe she will grow to like them if she can push them around.

Jennifer said...

My daughter's birthday is 10 days before Christmas, so we always try to get her toys that she will grow into that year since she won't have a birthday during the summer months. At about 18 months she started playing with dollhouses (Fisher Price makes a good one that is smaller and won't take up lots of room). She also loved puzzles with the big chunky pieces.

Tara said...

My two love the Leap Frog Fridge Farm! They are 2 1/2 now, but got it for their first birthday and still play with it!

Heather said...

This is a little more of a splurge but we bought it for my daughter when she was around one and then my son played with it. We eventually stored it away to save for future babies but this weekend when the family was all gathered, we brought it out and everyone (ages 6 right down to 18 months) played with it and loved it still. It's patiently waiting our newest baby to be old enough to play with it now!

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2341&e=detail&pid=30446&pcat=bulnl

Anonymous said...

My daughter will be 1 2 weeks from today (oh so sad!) and we have bought her a few things for Christmas and her birthday that she has not gotten yet, but saw at the store and loved- Her favorite has been the My Pal Violet by Leapfrog. You go online and program it with their name, favorite food, and animal! It is so cute!! It also plays/sings daytime and night time songs with their name too as well as learning stuff. My favorite is when it says- " I love you Kaitlyn"
She is also getting the leapfrog fridge farm that plays music and makes animal sounds along with the ABC fridge thing that sings and makes the letter sounds, and the little caterpiller that has all the letters on each of his 26 feet. It makes the letter sound, plays music, and says the color. I was able to get all of them from Target for excellent deals! Here are some links to them! GL and I hope you find your sweet baby girl the perfect gift!
http://www.target.com/LeapFrog-19144-My-Pal-Violet/dp/B001W35I8I/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton
http://www.target.com/LeapFrog-Fridge-Farm-Magnetic-Animal/dp/B0001X0DR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=fridge%20farm&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=LeapFrog%20Fridge%20Farm%20Magnetic%20Animal&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Ctarget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=fridge%20farm
http://www.leapfrog.com/en/fridge_phonics/fridgephonics.html
http://www.leapfrog.com/en/infant_and_toddler/alphabet_pal.html

Anonymous said...

Oh- I forgot to add that this is her favorite toy right now that she already has! GL in your search!
http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2341&e=detail&pcat=bubrilliant&pid=44950

Kylie said...

My daughter just turned 2 this weekend. Since she was able to pull up, she has loved anything she can push. Last year for her 1st birthday she got a baby-doll stroller (maybe Annabeth would like to push the baby and not have to hold her! :)) and a grocery cart. My almost 4 year old son uses them to crash into walls and furniture :( but Avery still loves to push the stroller and cart and fill them with little toys and walk them all over the house!
This year she got a tea cart with a plastic tea set that she can also push around and have tea parties. She's still little for the tea parties but she loves to push the tea cart! :)
There are several toys out there that can convert back and forth from a push toy to a ride on toy. Both of my kids liked those at Annabeth's age.
May I ask what you got for Jackson? My son will be 4 in December and then it's Christmas! I need some ideas :)

Sarah said...

Hey, Amanda! Garrett got a VTech Discovery Nursery Farm http://www.amazon.com/VTech-80-061800-Vtech-Discovery-Nursery/dp/B000231EKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1259610059&sr=8-1 when he was little and loved it. His best buddy, a little girl about his age, actually played with it more than he did. Grace is also a huge fan. She's not a fan of tummy time, but this toy keeps her entertained while playing on the floor on her tummy.

Glad to know your kiddos loved the Parents' Busy Zoo Activity Center. We just bought one for Christmas!

Holly said...

Sydney loves to push things around--grocery carts, strollers, lawn mowers. Those are still her favorite at 3. I think, too, Amanda that a gift towards decorating her room or a keepsake kind of gift is always something that is good for this age. I wish you all the best Christmas!

Hayley said...

My 14 month old got the FIsher Price walker/stroller - she LOVES it! It helped her really gain confidence in walking. It's got a place for babies to ride, should she become interested in them later, but my little one still just LOVES to push it all around the house! She also loves bracelets, her furry leopard print purse (from her g-ma for her b-day, bought at Dillards) filled with her keys and cell phone and usually some goldfish :). Hope you find the perfect gift! Can't wait to read everyone's ideas!

Kelli said...

Last year my MIL got Caroline the walker stroller from fisher price. She LOVES it and it was really sturdy when she was learning to walk and she loved the bear on the top.

Other hits were... Fisher price alphabet blocks, fisher price farm (oh my goodness, she LOVES this - and the animals are JUST right for their little hands), and not toy related but my parents got her the pottery barn chair and it is her favorite place to sit and read! I hope this helps!!

Tara G. said...

My third (a girl) loves balls and cars, too. My mom got her some cute little plastic cars that look like bugs (I think Fisher Price), but she only plays with those occasionally- she'd rather have the metal ones. She loves small chairs, too, and I'd love to get her one of those PBK or Land of Nod soft chairs if we weren't packing up next week. And I'm with Stephanie- the tea set (got ours at Wal Mart for $5) and the shopping cart and plastic food are always a hit. We also got a little shopping basket with handles from the Dollar Tree for those in and out trips to the store!

Kelli said...

The alphabet blocks are the ones with things on the inside.... they have been even more fun now that she is learning new words! And she loves the My Big Animal book and the Fisher Price books that have 16,000 flaps in them! I found them both at Target.

bethany said...

Babies are so hard to shop for when it comes to toys....thank goodness they don't really care! :)

We're getting Storey a Magna Doodle this year. She's constantly carrying around a notepad and pencil, so we figure it's the best way to keep her from actually drawing on furniture and such. I don't have any really great suggestions for baby toys besides that. Jakson got a box for Christmas at this age (no, seriously, he did).

I love love the Leapfrog toys-the fridge phonics toy gets played with all time (by both kids) and Jakson loves his Fix the Mix. If you do plan on purchasing any of those (Leapfrog brand toys), there are some amazing coupons for them online, so email me and I'll send you a link!! No sense in paying full price!!

Little Mama said...

My little girl got these two things for her 1st birthday and they've been a big hit!

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Pretty Please Tea Set

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10752256

Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Stroll Along Walker - it's a walker and a baby doll stroller all in one ... so cute.

http://www.target.com/dp/B0015KVXW8/sr=1-1/qid=1259610957/ref=sr_fkmr_txt_2_1/175-0431325-9370758?ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k:fisher%20price%20stroll%20along%20walker&page=1

Good Luck :)

Allison said...

I think our all time favorite has been the fisher price Learning House. There is also kitchen version. It is big and double sided so more than one kid can play with it at a time. Also, my MIL had something at her house over thanksgiving that I had never seen befor: Lego Quattro Blocks. Like legos, but big enough for babies to play with. They would probably be a hit with AB and J!

Amanda said...

I'm so glad I asked! I didn't know about the walker/stroller but it looks like that could be a must!

Molly said...

She might be too young for it - but wood blocks and legos were forever a hit with my neice and nephew.

they are 13 and 11 - and if bored enough now, they'll try and build something!

Jen said...

The Fisher Price Laugh N Learn Tea Set is a hit for out 19 month old. We got it for her birthday and she still loves it...it is for 6-36 months.

Charlow Family said...

My daughter just turned one, and her current obsessions are: Dora The Explorer ride along toy from Target, a Fisher Price tea set, and bouncy balls. I got her an Elmo Live for her birthday, but she is too young to care about it. For Christmas she is getting a little purse, a shopping cart, a new book, and a rocking horse.

Lisa said...

Both of my girls had a little tikes wagon, small one, they rode in it, climbed in it, put stuff in it and pushed it around. I had one of their wagons for 12 years. My youngest daughter picked out a teddy bear in a store when she was 10 months old, it was expensive but she was sick so I bought it. She is now 17 and still sleeps with this teddy bear!!

Tara G. said...

Almost forget! Gund's "My First Purse"- a hit with my girls!

Anonymous said...

I see that the Leap Frog My Pal Scout/Violet and Fridge Farm have already been recommended. Those have both been extremely popular with Lucas (now almost 15 months).

Also, I'm not sure if Jackson already has these that Annabeth would already be playing with them, but Lucas loves Mega Blocks (the bigger version of Legos). They're just right for his coordination right now and he loves clicking them together, spilling them all out of the bag, and throwing them back in. Someday soon, I'm sure, he'll graduate to actually building things.

Unknown said...

Man am I glad you asked this... I've been needing some direction, too! Our Annabelle turns 1 in 2 weeks, so she has a birthday and Christmas coming and I was hoping for some good ideas!

Kodi said...

My little guy is still too young, but something my friends' kids have loved is the Leap Frog fridge toys- especially the phonics one for Miss A when she's a little older. This is how my friend's kids both learned the alphabet! The farm and car wash would be good for Annabeth now. They are fun!

Heather said...

Hey girl! I got Avery Kate a Fisher Price "Laugh and Learn Tea Set" which is adorable and I know you love your tea! :) Connor also loved his "Baby Tad" toy which is a stuffed animal AND a toy all at the same time. There is also a "Lilly" which is the girl version! I also love LeapFrog's "Fridge Phonics" and "Fridge Farm" for one year olds, which she will be soon!!!
P.S. My Connor-boo loved his ball popper, too. I have many memories of looking under furniture, etc. for those balls!

Becca said...

Yes, we too love the stroller/walker and my little girl just turned one! She loves to put her babies in it. Also I was going to suggest the laugh and learn house, but my sweet friend Heather already did. I had just clicked on your blog to send the link to my friend Heather and I looked at this post and saw she has already found you and suggested one of the toys we love too. Happy Shopping!!

Megan said...

My daughter is 10.5 months old and her favorite toy is the fisher price laugh and learn learning home. I got this for my daughter (who is now 3.5) when she was little. My 10 month old can sit and play with it forever. It is big and bulky but totally worth it!

Funny thing....I have only got my 10 month old one present too - and it is the ball popper - I used a coupon at Target and got it super cheap. I don't think I will get her much else because I know all she will play with is the wrapping paper at Christmas : )

Monica said...

Magna Doodle...both of my kiddos LOVE the one we have. It's actually on my wish list for a Christmas gift for my son, who just turned one, so we can quit fighting over who gets to play with the one. And, believe it or not, a kid-sized broom. Josiah pushed it around before he could crawl, seriously, and he and Susanna (my two year old) still battle it out over who gets to sweep. Although, our floors are all pergo, except for the bedrooms, which may be some of the appeal. I suppose neither one of those is cyber-Monday worthy, but huge hits at our place. Happy shopping!

jenmom said...

Have you thought about some cute bath toys for A? My JennaBeth is nine months old and loves her bath time!
Happy Shopping!~

C:M:W said...

I got Whitt that Busy Zoo this year for Christmas, I am so excited for him to play with it one day. Yeah for Christmas. Good luck for little Anna Beth! All my ideas are geared toward boys. P.S. We miss yall!

Allison said...

Fisher Price Gumball Machine....such a hit with Miss G!

Kristin said...

Amanda - I'm Missy B's friend and next door neighbor. I wanted to thank you for the prayers for my daughter, Campbell, a few weeks ago. What an awesome miracle God has worked in her little life, such a testament to those who prayed for her.

When Campbell was a newborn, I bought this kitchen at a garage sale new. I pulled it out when she was 10 months old and could pull up. Oh my was it a hit! She loved to open and close the doors and take things on and off the top. It was a good height for her then. At 18 months, we are still going strong with that being probably the thing she plays with the most.

Not to mention, it is like the cutest kitchen I have ever seen!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2402970

Amy Lynn said...

My baby is a little younger than Annabeth, but her new love is her animal train (http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2341&e=detail&pcat=amazinganimals&pid=37219) The boy I used to nanny for had the same one and played with it until he was over a year old.

J said...

when my almost-3 y/o was almost 1 that christmas, his FAVORITE was a Mickey Mouse airplane made by kiddieland i believe. they still sell it at target, and he STILL plays with it. it's been his favorite for a long time. it's a ride-on toy and has a shape sorter under the seat.

Bobbie said...

Thank you for asking this important question! We Grandmas can use all the ideas we can get, too! I've given the Leap Frog fridge alphabets for baby gifts but hadn't seen the farm animals. That will be under the tree for our new grandbaby-I love that idea. Our Siestas have come up with some great suggestions--this will help all of us!

Maggie said...

We bought this for Lucy. Her cousin who is 6 months older loves it!
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Crawl-Cruise-Musical-Jungle/dp/B0015KTUKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1259622595&sr=8-1

The Oakes said...

My daughter just turned two. The toys that she has loved this year are a Fisher price shape sorter cookie jar that sings (my son is 4 and he would have NEVER played with it!) She also loves her baby stroller (which has just recently had babies added to it), any sort of sparkly beaded necklace (she used to wear all 8 of them every time we left the house.) She also likes Matchbox cars just like her big brother. Her Wammy just got her a pink porshe!

Suzi K said...

Thats funny because my 18mo old Aliya hates baby dolls so far too! But she loves her stuffed animal Pooh Bear that burps-go figure?

Yes, I agree get the Fisher Price Walker/Stroller. We got that for our daughter. Before she could walk she played with the toys in the front of it and learned to stand, then walk, and now she pushes her Pooh Bear in it.

Tree Frog Creations... said...

Baby Stella doll! She will love it & my 3 yr. old still plays with hers! Here's a link: http://www.geniusbabies.com/baby-stella-doll-manhattan-baby-toys.html
They may also have them at Target.

Tree Frog Creations... said...

Baby Stella doll!!! My daughter still plays with hers at age 3! It is wonderful!
Here's a link but I think they also sell them at Target.com.
http://www.geniusbabies.com/baby-stella-doll-manhattan-baby-toys.html

Unknown said...

Great post! I'm loving all the ideas, too! I have a question for all the moms 'in the know'...I see the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn house on the Fisher Price website for $70 but I see it other places for over $100. What's the difference??? Are there extra accessories that aren't included in the $70 Fisher Price website price?

Amy Beth @ Ministry So Fabulous! said...

Well, I think it's a wee bit obvious that I don't have any good children's gift suggestions (at least for angels that young), BUT... have you seen the pink retro kitchen on sale on Target's website today? It's $99.99 and I AM IN LOVE.

Don't you think Annabeth needs it now? I mean, you could hold her up to it, after all...

Brittany said...

My Daughter is about 1 week older than Annabeth. She received a Fisher Price My Pretty Learning Purse at 4 months and still loves it to this day. It plays music and teaches opposites and other things. As she has been teething she has used the keys, mirror, dollar bill, etc. to chew her little heart out.

I picked up the FP tea set for my daughter also that I am really excited about! We are also getting her a push walker/ride combo that hopefully she can use for a while.

I understand the whole "only wants to play with Jacksons toys" - I grew up with two older brothers and only wanted to play with their GI Joes and matchbox cars too!

Spicy Magnolia said...

Soooo helpful! I'll be spending at least the next hour gleaning ideas for Brennan. I'd like to get him a small craft table, but other than that, the kid could use a couple more toys. :)

Lauren said...

I have no wisdom on baby girl toys, because mostly my son just loves trains and trucks. And stuffed animals. But I do want to say THANK YOU for listing Jackson's favorite toys! I have been at a loss for stuff to get for Noah for Christmas, plus his bday is in early Jan. Though I have to say, I fear for my sanity when it comes to those maracas....

Ashley said...

Oh my goodness, my little Avery is 6 months and I have no clue! They don't remember at this stage, so we are thinking she will be more interested in the paper more than anything! I have gotten a few books & toys for the next few months but not sure what else. This gal has too many clothes!!!

So fun, love this time of the year!

k and c's mom said...

Both of my kids (boy and girl) learned to walk pushing the FisherPrice toy lawnmower that made bubbles as they pushed it. (Said children are 23 and 25 now but I know they still make them because I give them for birthday gifts to the little ones I know.)

Angela said...

My one-year-old, Amelia is also a big fan of the farm fridge toy and the tea set. She doesn't understand "tea party" yet, but it is fun for me to play with her and she likes the sounds it makes. Thanks for posting this! I'm taking a few of these ideas for myself.

The Wootens said...

This may be a little different, but for each of our kids' first birthdays, we knew that they'd already be getting a crazy amount of toys from everyone else, so we bought each of them a gumball vending machine, stocked it, and placed it in a local business. We've popped in to re-stock over the years, and once our kids were 3 or 4, we brought them with us to help. Mary Beth is nearly seven and thinks it's so much fun to go re-stock her gumball machine. She's also made about $700 in passive income over the past 6 years with that little thing. :)

Laura Smith said...

Amanda, My baby boy is 8 months. I love reading your blog to see what Annabeth does because I know little Tyson is close behind her. I am in love with "Little People" toys. Notice I said "I"...I am hoping he will like them too! Just the other day I found the Little People Nativity set and promplty threw it into the cart! I found it at Target, but later saw another at Walmart that lights up and plays Away in a Manger!

Mrs. Jenk said...

My daughter is 11 months old and this is her very favorite- http://www.target.com/LeapFrog-Spin-Sing-Alphabet-Zoo/dp/B000NRX5XE/ref=sc_qi_detaillink

She spins those letters everytime she sees it! It helps teach letters, animals, and plays music. Good luck!

The 'Ssippi Scoop said...

Bailey will be 1 on Dec. 22nd. We got her a Shoenhut (I might have that spelled wrong) mini piano. My great grandmother got me one when I was little and my mom still has it so she plays with it at Mom's and loved it there so we knew she would love it here, too! It's the tall one so she can stand up to it, not the one where that is low to the ground so they have sit. This past week when we were at Mom's for Thanksgiving, she played away on that thing, and even started dancing to her own music. Too cute! The other big thing we are getting her, and you may already have this, we don't yet, but we are getting her a child's rocker painted with her name and a Bible verse on it. She loves to rock herself in a rocking chair at my Mom's too! So we got our ideas from things we played with when we were little I guess because Mom still has everything.

Good luck! I am having the hardest time with Bailey, the one year old, and my 6 year old niece.

Heather said...

Hey girl, I was going to just call and tell you but I forgot. I am sure you know this, but you know the Bitty Babies at American Girl. They are a smaller baby then all the ones that are more expensive and with names. I think you can get a bitty baby with an outfit for like $42? It would be more of a sentimental gift for her first Christmas, but if she gets a stroller and when she starts walking, I bet she would love putting her baby in the stroller. Just a thought and thanks for sharing your ideas on gifts, I needed some!!

Marc and Charity said...

That is helpful b/c I'm not even sure what toys are "out there" for Addison's age....Target here I come!

gillian said...

thanks so much for asking this question, i've read through all the comments and have some great ideas now, my daughter is turning 1on December 23rd. For her birthday we're giving her a doll from Baby Be Blessed.

Geezees Custom Canvas Art said...

Great post...i have a boy who is gonna be 7 in 2 weeks...and a girl who is gonna be 3 in January. He loves Pokemon and she loves dress up and princess's.

katiegfromtennessee said...

I wrote down your list of your babies' favorite toys:) Thanks for listing them Little Momma:)

katiegfromtennessee

RitzFamily said...

We just celebrated my daughters first birthday a little early. I felt the same way you do. I have an older son (3) and she loves everything he plays with including all of his trucks! Some of the gift she got were this...

Noahs ark by little people (loves it!)

Walk along stroller by fisher price

Busy ball popper (loves it)

Learning home by fisher price laugh & learn

Mailbox by fisher price laugh and learn

Hope that helps a little! Also since I know Jackson is the same age as my son I wanted to share an awesome present he got for his birthday. Creepy Crawlys. It says for ages 8 and up but he can fill the bugs all by himself, and we just cook them off together. It has been a huge hit at our house. Have fun shopping!

Janette

Kendra said...

We love the FP Little People toys. Great for little hands to grasp and to start imaginary play. Aquadoodle toys are fun - color with water, so no mess. The Little Touch LeapPad is great also. Good suggestions from others, but I didn't see these listed.

Stephanie said...

Munchkin Mozart Music Cube - great toy for years!

Team Turkey said...

The Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Shopping Cart has been a huge hit for my son (now 15 months).

jennyhope said...

Well, I never played with barbie dolls and my girl won't either. Wish I was more help!! =)

Deirdre said...

the leapfrog music table has been Ginny's favorite so far. It was a real motivator for her when she was learning to stand and is now still her fave (at 15 months). She plays music on it and dances all day long. AND it is not annoying music. Very jazz inspired. Which was a totally lifesaver for me. I can't stand most of the noises that standard kids toys make.

also plastic cups that stack up. They are great for regular play and make wonderful bath toys.

Kristi said...

Okay, since our fifth child just one, I have a few opinions in the toy department :). The Fisher Price tea set is great. An aunt gave it to my oldest daughter who is now 7 and she now shares it with her baby sister (who just turned one) and she is loving it also! Also, we love Little People in our house :). We have saved all of the sets and added to them. The farm for the boys and the dollhouse for the girls. That would be fun because she & Jackson could play together. My kids like putting all of them together to mak a town (they even have a Little People camper :). The Fisher Price walker/doll stroller is great as well. And, the Leap Frog fridge magnetic toys. I hope that helps!!

Bev Brandon @ The Fray said...

We were looking to buy toys this week for all the new babies arriving in our friends' lives...I was trying to pay bills by cellphone while reading this delightful intriguing helpful post and ended up enrolling in automatic payment where I have to pay 2 months upfront...last time I'll pay bills & read posts at same time...ha. Great ideas!

The Davidson Den said...

We agree with the piggy bank and the Bee Bop Band toys! In fact, we got the Bee Bop Band with our first child (he's 7 now), and it has been a "hit" (so to speak) with all four of our kiddos!! I haven't read all of the comments here, and you may already be done shopping, but one thing all my kids have loved is magnetic toys. My Atticus (14 months) got a set of dinosaur magnets from Melissa & Doug. (I'm sure they have something a little more girly.) He LOVES them!! He puts them ALL on our magnetic wall and then takes them ALL back down, putting them in their box, and then he repeats (over and over).