Finally! After ten days of the flu and its symptoms bringing me down, I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
The little guy is also back to his usual smiling and exploring self as has become apparent by the new bruises he is sporting on his legs today. *Sigh* he really MUST climb on everything…
I am super excited because this week, I’ll be reviewing a product I received and will be hosting a giveaway. Woot!
Just as Little Dude has grown out of his sleep sack, I found this awesome one via Etsy. Can’t wait to give it a whirl! It’s going to be in a very cute and bright dinosaur print.
This Friday is going to be an awesome day. First off, it’s my mom’s birthday. Plus, I’ll be posting my group post on the best and worst teething toys and relief options. If you would like to participate, just check out the end of this post and shoot me an email.
Yesterday we had some pretty yummy cod fishcakes and today we are having pasta. What are you eating for supper tonight?
We’ve recently been watching Masterchef Jr. and I am impressed by how well those 8 to 13 year olds cook!
I managed to finish Dan Brown’s Inferno this week and really liked it!
Sadly, NaNoWriMo is a no-go. With the flu that kicked into high gear at the beginning of November, I just didn’t have the energy to give it a go. Amanda, from Writing in White was giving it a go too, though if you want to hop over her blog and encourage her!
Our bath plug mysteriously disappeared a couple of days ago after my son decided to use the washroom as his playroom and the toilet (which had been left open by mistake) became his new favourite object…
Yesterday, we had a family outing…at the medical clinic. It turns out that my partner and I “just” have the flu, but the little guy has an ear infection, an eye infection and would have ended up with pneumonia in a few days.
Of course, this means that he is on antibiotics. So we “torture” him twice a day by shooting salt water up his nose and then using a pump thingy to get the snot out and by rubbing an antibiotic gel in his eyes. The only thing he’ll take willingly, is the banana-flavoured antibiotic.
On top of it all, I’m pretty sure that Little Dude’ left pre-molar is about to cut; he is slobbering like there’s no tomorrow, always has his finger on that side of his mouth, wants to nurse a lot (though, that’s probably due to his cold/infections) and is constantly clenching his teeth while nursing..
On the good side of things, one awesome blogger has already sent me her Musts & Busts with regards to teething. I would love to hear from other awesome bloggers to really build and interesting list. The original post (including my email address) can be found here.
Despite wanting to do NaNoWriMo, I have not written a word yet. Not. A. Single. Word. The month of November has been much too crazy so far.
I am still looking for some bloggers who would be willing to write a guest post for me. You can check out this post for more details.
On Friday, I am going to go buy some educational games with a co-worker for a lunchtime activity we’re planning on starting up. Yay!
I’m really looking forward to watching the first season of Dexter. I’ve heard such great things about the series and my parents have lent us the first season.
I recently started to play Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, but I’m not sure how I like it yet. I personally wouldn’t have added an installment to the series, but hey, who can blame the company for wanting to make more money?
Started reading Dan Brown’s Inferno yesterday. I’m hooked!
As a new parent, it can be quite a daunting task to pick out great toys for our little ones. I mean, we all want the best for our children and the different toy companies put in lots of money to convince us that they have *the* product. But what’s the real deal?
A while back, I asked some of my fellow bloggers to share with me some of the best and worst baby toys out there and now, I want to share that list with you.
By and large though, the best “toys” (and I hesitate to even call them that) are books. [My son] never tires of them. They’re his go-to when he ready to play, tired and wanting to rest, for bedtime, or simply just to sit in mommy’s lap and flip through again and again. To be even more specific, books with real photographs enthrall him. Anything with an actual picture of a baby makes him light up – he will even kiss the pages of his favorites! DK publishing makes the best ones – board books that teach them colors and words, with some versions having the touch and feel option, as well.
2. The Baby Einstein musical turtle
This is a submission from Georgia over at McKinley Milestones and one I was going to suggest as well. Here is why she loves this toy so much:
I have chosen this as a best toy because as we know babies/infants love things that are musical and light up. This toy helps them to create music themselves and associate lights with sounds. There are five buttons that represent different musical instruments. The music played is classical. You can press one button or all five to hear single instruments, or all instruments playing together.
3. The classic Jack in the Box
Why Georgia thinks this is such a great toy:
It is a classic toy for kids under and up to 12 months. It’s pure excitement and joy to watch something pop out of a box. It can also turn into a peek-a-boo game. “Where is it?” …..”there it is!’ They make many different kinds of jack in the box’s now, but the one that McKinley had was a “Very hungry Caterpillar” and the caterpillar popped out. It was nice to have a toy that she could associate to a book that we read.
4. The Crawl Along Snail by Fisher Price
Here’s why this toy makes the musts list according to Georgia
This toy lasted us for a good 7 months! In the beginning it was a great toy because it had a mirror for McKinley to look into and of course the snail lights up and plays songs. As McKinley got older however, the snail would crawl along with her as she pushed it. The reason I am voting this as a best toy is because it lasted the longest.
5. The Fisher Price Discover ‘n Grow Kick and Play Piano Gym
Image borrowed from fisher-price.com
I wrote about this product before and I still think it’s a great one. In a nutshell, it has a good variety of music and it can be used with newborns, infants and toddlers (it is a 3 in 1 toy). For more info, you can check out the post I wrote on it a few months ago.
6. Duplo blocks
Image borrowed from shop.lego.com
My little guy has been playing with these for a couple of months now. At first, he would look at us build and then promptly destroy our creations. Then, he started exploring the blocks, touching the smooth and textured sides, putting them in his mouth. Recently, about a month ago, he started being able to pull two blocks apart and then put them back together. It really is a great learning toy and it will definitely grow with him.
Baby Toy Busts (in no particular order)
1. Plastic toys with noisemakers
When writing about these, Amanda explains that this type of toy becomes quickly overstimulating for her son and puts a dent in his naps. They also have the added benefit disadvantage of driving her nuts. I think the following sentence illustrates well why plastic noisemakers just aren’t wonderful for babies in her experience:
Give the boy a bowl and a spoon and he can make a symphony. Give him a plastic noisemaker and he just may cry.
2. The Fisher Price iPhone Ring Holder
Sounds like a good idea at first glance, right? Georgia explains why this isn’t such a great toy:
This toy I rated the worst because I felt our money was wasted. It literally didn’t serve a purpose. While the idea is great, and you can use the iPhone in the case, it’s annoying to put in and take out. If your baby has actually touched an iPhone prior to using this- then they already know that they are somehow not using it. Kids are to smart! Also, it’s probably not the best for kids to get lots of exposure to screen time anyways.
3. The Baby Einstein Bendy Ball
Though this toy was rated as a top toy, Georgia explains that her daughter just didn’t get it. In fact, she never played with it. Though it could be pushed around or shaken like a rattle, it doesn’t light up or do anything special.
Besides the fact the it only produces the same two sounds over and over and over (and over) again (a “rawwwr” and a giggle) while being pushed, it’s pretty useless. It’s actually rather heavy for an infant (granted, the goal is to push it around, not lift it) and, well, it has pretty much been sleeping in the toy box ever since we received it (despite the fact that I took it out numerous times to try to get Little Dude to play with it).
That’s all for today. A BIG thank you to Amanda and Georgia for their contributions!
The next group post will be posted on November 15th and will be on teething toys and relief (anything from amber necklaces to homeopathic remedies to teething gel and advil). I would love to hear from you again. What were the best teething relief options you’ve used? How about the worst? Just send your suggestions to mommytrainingwheels (at) gmail (dot) com.
They say that two heads are better than one. Following that logic, three, four, ten, etc. heads are better than one too, right?
I’ve been thinking about doing a series of posts called “Musts & Busts” and I need YOUR help to get them done. Each post would address one specific subject and would list some of the great and not-so-great items we have bought/received/used for our children. The goal is to arm new (and not so new) parents with our experience so that they know what to look for when they start shopping for their gear (or pulling their hair out because, y’know, their little one is teething).
Anyone interested?
The first theme I’d like to cover is baby toys. For the sake of this post, I’m talking about toys that are manufactured for those under the age of 12 months.
What is the absolute best toy that you bought or were gifted for your little one. How about the absolute worst?
If you’re feeling up to sharing, just shoot me an email at mommytrainingwheels (at) gmail (dot) com. I plan on posting this on Friday, November 1st so I’ll be accepting submissions until that date.
Oh! And, I’ve also officially been accepted in the Top Mommy Blog directory! So if you like my blog (and if you feel like it) just click on the fancy new button that in my sidebar. One click = one vote.
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