Our Favorite Toys

Christmas is right around the corner and parents everywhere are thinking about what to get their kids. With babies and toddlers, they may not be able to tell you exactly what they want. So if you're like me, you want to do some research to make sure you're getting toys that will get a lot of life out of them. I also usually lean toward toys that require them to use more of their imagination, rather than lights and music that create all the fun for them. Also, we live in a smaller house, so I like toys that don't take up a lot of space and can be packed away. My oldest is only three years old, so I don't know how these work for older kids, but most of these toys she enjoyed as a young toddler (18 months) and still does to this day.

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Dump truck- https://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-Dump-Truck-Yellow/dp/B001Q3KU9Q

I would say this is probably her most used toy. She loves to drive this all over our house and she's been using it more and more to "haul" different things all over the place.

Wooden Blocks- https://www.walmart.com/ip/Spark-Create-Imagine-Wooden-Animal-Blocks-with-Shape-Sorting-Lid-150-Pieces/46691743

The thing I love about this set is that it doubles as a shape sorter and it comes in it's own container to pack them all away. Our 9 month all also loves picking these up and playing with them as well.

Etch a sketch- https://www.amazon.com/Teamson-Kids-Kitchen-Accessories-Burlywood/dp/B013KC8V14/ref=zg_bs_166347011_61?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=13DY9MX8DD42ZGVG7BCQ

This is a great quiet play time toy. We've brought it to church and restaurants before. It's also great to have in the car.

Ball.

A simple toy great for all ages. We practice light kicking, throwing, and rolling it around. Another toy our baby can enjoy as well.

Kitchen- https://www.amazon.com/Teamson-Kids-Kitchen-Accessories-Burlywood/dp/B013KC8V14/ref=zg_bs_166347011_61?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=13DY9MX8DD42ZGVG7BCQ

She uses this often and loves to pretend to make us food. The one we have is a little bulky, but I bought it used at a garage sale. If I could do it over again, I'd probably buy a smaller version like the one I linked. I also have a love/hate relationship with all the small food pieces. It's easy for them to get scattered all over the place. But overall she really enjoys this toy!

Puppy Walker- https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Laugh-Stride-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B00CS3XACC

Another toy that is bulkier than I would like, but it was a hand me down and she loves it! She used it a lot when she was first learning to walk just as a regular walker. As she got older, she often uses it as a cart, baby stroller, and she can also fold the seat down and ride on it. It has songs it plays and noises it makes, but once the batteries ran out, we never replaced them. :) So even though it's bulky, there are a lot of different uses for it!

Mega Blocks- https://www.amazon.com/Mega-Bloks-80-Piece-Building-Classic/dp/B007GE75HY

This was the first set of blocks we bought for her. She enjoyed it when she was really young, and still loves them!