Happy Monday & more importantly, a heartfelt THANK YOU for the sweet, thoughtful words on our dining room table. Your support means so much to my husband & I both, I read him every comment & he even read the entire post (not so sure that always happens!). He was humbled, appreciative & perhaps even motivated to start putting some more of his talent to use in our very own Etsy shop?!
I am hoping & trying, stay tuned!
I am hoping & trying, stay tuned!
In the meantime, we are in a toy tornado over here! As much as I tried to keep “santa’s” shopaholic ways to a minimum, I never should have underestimated the power of all the special people that Waverly Maye has in her life. Let’s just say girlfriend was spoiled & even though she is the smallest person that lives in our house, she now has more than the rest of us combined.
And she’s definitely not complaining.
And she’s definitely not complaining.
Since Christmas, Waverly has been busy getting to get to know all of her new toys & her OCD mama has been in an attempt to organize them. It really is a constant battle for me, trying to keep our house looking like a home rather than a daycare … while at the same time, making it a fun place for Waverly with all of her favorite things. While I definitely am still working all that out, what I have found to be most effective for us is two main play areas, our one carpeted “family” room downstairs & a playroom upstairs. Mainly for my sanity, we use gates to keep her in those two areas the majority of the time & use her nursery as just her “sleep” area most of the time. That will obviously change in the future yet for now, it works & keeps us only having to do a major “pick up of the toddler tornado” in two places each night. I am sure you all can relate to that tornado I’m talking about, it’s amazing how those sweet little angels can wreck shop in the matter of minutes, right?! 😉
Now that Waverly is nearing 18 months & it is officially a new year, I have also decided to start a new strategy in our toy routine. While she definitely has her favorites, I have noticed that she gets bored & overwhelmed with all we have. That she tends to go towards the same toys & that others get lost in all the craziness. So the last couple of weeks, I have done a major clean-out, stored some toys she has definitely outgrown away & divided others up in bins. It’s definitely been worth it, she gets excited when a new set of toys comes out each day. I thought it would be fun to share some of her absolute favorites over the next couple of weeks, ones that are her tried & true, no-fail mama’s got to make dinner so we are bringing these in for back-up toys.
Luckily, we have found quite a few so here is the first round of our faves!
1- BlaBla Dolls – Waverly Maye is total baby doll LOVER! She adores her babies & honestly doesn’t choose favorites, she plays with them all pretty equally & on a daily basis. They are the first thing she asks for when we walk through the door & then she immediately lines them up while saying baaaa-beee in the highest-pitch voice. This week, she even took her own headband off to put it on one of the dolls & then fed her a goldfish. I might have died. 😉
2 – Radio Flyer Wagon – We actually got Waverly this last Christmas when she was five months old. I am all about gifts that grow with them & this is definitely one of those. Before she could crawl we would push her around in it, she then used it while learning to walk, & now she basically much runs through the house pushing it as fast as possible … with every single one of her babies piled up inside.
3 – TeePee – Another gift that has stuck around for a while, we got this for Waverly when she turned one. She loves to hide inside it & it doesn’t hurt that it is super adorable. I plan to keep it out until she leaves for college, do you think she will be ok with that?!
4 – Jewelry Box – Everyone always asks how I get Waverly to keep her head accessories on & it actually is not an issue at all, she loves jewelry & will play with it for hours! She will pile on extra necklaces, bracelets & scarves. I obviously love it, yet the only downfall is that any jewelry I attempt to wear myself doesn’t stand a chance. She takes it immediately! My mom got her this jewelry box for Christmas & it is great to store our special favorites & for her to play with.
5 – Latches Puzzle – Tell me your toddler is into buckles?!! I don’t know if it’s a kid thing or just a Waverly Maye thing, my little lady is OBSESSED! Hands down, a buckle will keep her more occupied than any other toy we have, she will focus on one from her stroller, car seat, Target cart … & now, this puzzle! She loves it, LOVES it!
3 – TeePee – Another gift that has stuck around for a while, we got this for Waverly when she turned one. She loves to hide inside it & it doesn’t hurt that it is super adorable. I plan to keep it out until she leaves for college, do you think she will be ok with that?!
4 – Jewelry Box – Everyone always asks how I get Waverly to keep her head accessories on & it actually is not an issue at all, she loves jewelry & will play with it for hours! She will pile on extra necklaces, bracelets & scarves. I obviously love it, yet the only downfall is that any jewelry I attempt to wear myself doesn’t stand a chance. She takes it immediately! My mom got her this jewelry box for Christmas & it is great to store our special favorites & for her to play with.
5 – Latches Puzzle – Tell me your toddler is into buckles?!! I don’t know if it’s a kid thing or just a Waverly Maye thing, my little lady is OBSESSED! Hands down, a buckle will keep her more occupied than any other toy we have, she will focus on one from her stroller, car seat, Target cart … & now, this puzzle! She loves it, LOVES it!
I hope that you find this list helpful, there are more to come! Some of my favorite blog posts are ones that talk about toys that work for their little ones, so of course, if you have some that you love, please share with the rest of us!!
*Its so unbelievably backwards, I say that all of the toy madness drives me crazy, then I confess that I research for new ideas & ask you to please direct me in the direction of where I can find more… um, let’s just call it that damn shopaholic gene again.
At that age this was a HUGE hit for my girls! http://www.amazon.com/Lauri-Tall-Stacker-Pegs-Pegboard-Set/dp/B00000J4HK
And also this 🙂 http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/StaplesProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogIdentifier=2&partNumber=178234&langid=-1&cid=PS:GooglePLAs:178234&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=35-153430041-2
That red flyer wagon is adorable! And I totally hear you on the toddler tornado…
Everything on your list is already a favorite over here…except that latch puzzle! Seriously, where has that been my whole life?! I did some searching for toys with buckles months ago and couldn't find anything that seemed purchase-worthy. Sadie would LOVE this! She also has a few Bla Bla dolls and regular baby dolls that are her go-to's. I picks up some super cute little rugs to put in her tee pee, one being a faux sheepskin one and she loves to hide & roll around in there. The radio flyer wagon has been her most played with toy to date too…you can't go wrong with that bad boy….and as an added bonus, I love that it's wood and not obnoxious to look at! Sadie keeps all of her jewelry stuffed inside a few little purses, but she would totally be into a jewelry box…great idea!
http://www.sadieskyboutique.com
Waverly is so cute! I love all the stylish outfits you dress her in! My boys got the same teepee for Christmas. They love it.
Stacy
Ahh the toddler tornado. I've been working on organizing our clutter (that belonging to little and big people) this month, and tackling the toy mania is next on the list. You hit it on the head that they can actually get overwhelmed with too much which makes them not want any of it. I plan on boxing up things too young, regrouping (as you did), donating those we don't adore, and sending some items to Nana's. The less toys I have to haul to grandma's house on a regular basis, the better!! Thanks!
I can't even take the cuteness!!! I can't wait for littles!!! haha -those pics (all of em!) are fram worthy for sure 🙂
Look at those cute little smiles! Waverly is such a sweet little girl! Love your toy picks! My Evie just turned 18 months and likes alot of the same things!! And YES – toddler tornado is brutal! 🙂
http://www.lovemyevie.blogspot.com
While we have trucks & trains over here instead of dolls, the one thing that Jaren gravitates towards everyday is his Magna Doodle and Imaginarium Safari Block Crayons. They fit over his little fingers & stack, which keeps him entertained for at least a solid 10 minutes 🙂
http://www.littlebabyseed.blogspot.com
oh geez…with a December birthday and Christmas we have some serious toy overload! Elyse has that same latch puzzle and LOVES it! Melissa & Doug also makes one that is fasteners (snaps, zipper, belt, etc.) and she loves both of them!
Toddlers certainly have a gift for the mess. I just got all of her Christmas toys sorted and put away today. Sooo much stuff! But, it was all over in minutes. Baskets sound like a good idea, and definitely keeping just a few accessible at a time to keep interests!
I love all of the BlaBla dolls! They are soooooo cute!
look how precious! oh my goodness 🙂 love these pictures – she looks so happy and joyful! so glad I found your blog 🙂 excited to be following along now! come say hi if you get a chance, I love making new friends (especially since we have something in common: cute kids! haha) how old is she?
I am totally into getting toys that are transitional and will last for a long time. I don't want my house to look like a daycare either!!
I have had my eye on that wagon and might need to invest for Ellie's birthday!!
You can find me writing at " Life on the Parsons Farm" : atparsons.blogspot.com hope you stop by!!