1. Stroller. Her stroller is by far the best "walker" she has and she actually learned to walk from it more than any other toy. She received an actual toy walker as a gift but the wheels would go so fast it would get away from her and thus she was learning how to run in a stretched out horizontal position vs. actually walk. Plus that toy had me on edge that she was going to fall flat on her face on the tile because it rolled so quick. She got behind the stroller one day and started pushing it and we discovered this was the perfect walker for her! She was able to push the stroller at a good pace while keeping her balance while I can walk behind her holding onto the stroller handle to keep her speed steady. Now that she is becoming more steady and sure of herself she pushes the stroller around the house on her own. She is much better at parallel parking a stroller than mommy is at parking a car. I chalk it up to beginners luck!
2. Magazines. Any old magazines, especially copies of Parents Magazine are a big hit around here. Mostly because the Parents magazines have babies, kids and bright colors that she enjoys looking at. She will turn the pages, tear them into pieces, put it on her head, crinkle it up, crawl over it and basically anything that makes it unusable again. She loves this kind of reading time where there are no rules and no worries if she ruins a page or two. We have many wonderful keepsake books that have to be looked at carefully so they don't get torn or damaged. She needed something to read however she deemed appropriate.
3. Key Fobs. It never fails that anywhere we go my Lil' Spoon's favorite toy are my keys. The fake kid keys only work for so long and she knows and wants the real deal when she sees them! I never thought I would be that parent that gave into a fit and gave the kid what they wanted. Well while out one night it had already been a full day of activities, mama was worn out, daddy was beat, baby was cranky and we were at Babies R Us and nothing was working to calm the cranky kiddo. When the squeals wouldn't stop I gave in and handed her the car keys. Bam, instant happiness and instant drool factory was in production! After that episode the hubs had the idea to get on ebay and buy some extra random fobs to have a decoy set for her. Can we say genius!? Money well spent on real "fake" Fobs.
4. Muffin Tins and Dominoes. This idea was a friends and may I say she came up with a home run of an idea! This buys me time when making dinner, like when I am cutting raw chicken and literally CAN'T pick up the kiddo as she tugs on my leg. This little game allows her to be close to mom but still play. She loves to put the dominoes in the muffin slots and then take them out and repeat again and again. The dominos are the perfect size for little hands to grab, crawl with and put into things. We sometimes use blocks with the tins as well.
5. Diaper Boxes. Cardboard boxes big, small, wide or tall. They are all perfect for drumming on, riding in, climbing on, pushing across the floor, putting other toys in and pulling toys out of. I have found the diaper boxes are the best because they seem to be sturdy and take the most wear and tear.
6. Paper Towel Rolls. We get quite a bit of use out of our empty paper towel rolls. We use them to drum on boxes, the floor, and occasionally the dog (hey the girl is creative!). We use them to sing into and to look through as well. Lil' Spoon loves to sing into them to hear how different her voice sounds. Fun for all!
7. Water Bottles. I can't tell you how many days we have spent pushing a water bottle around, turning it upside down, chewing on it, squeezing it, rolling it, and now our latest thing..walking with the water bottle. Any plastic bottle will do but the ones that crinkle more seem to be the most fun. As we know anything that makes noise produces the most smiles!
8. Rocks and a Plastic Cup. Yes, I know rocks depending on their size can be a choking hazard but this kid loves to sit in a pile of rocks and move them around, put them in the cup, empty the cup, hold as many as she can, and yes occasionally try to put them in her mouth. The way I see it is that she has to explore and she is learning what it means when mama says "out of your mouth" compared to the overused "no no". She has so much fun looking at their shape, feeling their texture and trying to walk with as many as her little hands can hold. We usually do this activity before bath time so that we can get dirty, mama can toss the cup in the trash and then hop in the tub before bed.
9. Laundry Basket. My kid is just like her mama when it comes to laundry. She doesn't mind taking the dirty clothes out of the hamper, sorting the clothes, or even pulling them out of the dryer. But ask her to fold them and she just won't do it. Do we just learn from an early age that folding is no fun and that we rather leave them in a pile that actually organize them nicely?! She has such a good eye she lets me know which items need to be rewashed by dragging them across the floor and rubbing them around the dog bed.
10. Remote Control. This use to be a favorite in our house but lately it seems to be losing out to the all mighty smart phone. Again, the baby remotes were worthless and our kid knew it was a fake out. She wanted the real deal and our remote quickly became the item mama cleaned the most and dada cursed the most because the clicker couldn't click when full of drool! It was totally worth our time to buy some real "fake" remotes to stash around the real one. We learned some pretty sweet remote maneuvers out of fear she would spot the real one in action. Turns out throw pillows do have a purpose besides looking pretty! They hide remotes and smart phones very quickly and easy.
11. Dog's Water Bowl. This is not mama's favorite toy for her to play with at all. I mean gross. If she had it her way we would have a dog dish in every room filled with water. This kid loves to splash in any amount of water. I pick this bowl up so many times a day it may count towards my squat workout. This is the face I get when she gets just close enough to it and looks up to see if I am watching her. Yes baby I see you!!
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