"Christmas is a comin'" and we are feeling festive over here at the Langford Home! We had many of our decorations up before Thanksgiving and got our tree up and decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving. This has been a magical year now that Emme is three and finally understands birthdays and holidays and gets so excited about everything! Rhett is walking and just being incredibly cute, so we are gobbling up every minute with our precious babies.
I have always loved giving and receiving gifts, whether for Christmas, birthdays, or just because. It's my number one love language (if you've ever heard of "The Five Love Languages"). I love to put time and thought into my gifts, whether I'm finding the perfect gift or making it myself. I don't expect gifts from others but I certainly appreciate them, especially when I can tell there was thought and love behind it. Gift-giving is one of those things that not only blesses the receiver but also the giver, which makes it a beautiful exchange. It's been so much fun to teach my kids the joy that there is in gift-giving, too! The kids always get to pick out a small gift for each other (even when they're babies, they get a little help from Mom). This year Emme has been making paintings for her Grandmas for their birthdays. Anyways, you get the picture - I love gift-giving!
I've seen this article going around with the title "Please Don't Give My Kids Toys", or something like that, and I totally understand that idea. Between birthdays, Christmas, Easter, special visits, toys can really add up in a home, especially if you have more than one child! I'm all about practical gifts like clothes, books, athletic toys, "experiences" (zoo pass, Children's Museum pass, dance lessons, etc.), but I also understand that there is a certain joy from giving a child a toy, watching them open it, seeing their surprise and excitement, and then getting to play with it together. I love giving others gifts that I know they'll enjoy, so I don't want to take that joy away from any of my family or friends that want to give my children something they're going to love and enjoy, even if just for a moment. There's a small window in life for them to just be kids and enjoy all the little joys of childhood, and I hope to soak up every second of it while I can.
As I've been talking to my family about gift ideas and planning my own gift list, I thought I would share some of the TOYS that my kids have received over the last few years that they have used and loved the most! These ones have been played with over and over again, now by both Emme and Rhett. And when they seem to start losing interest, I have put it away for a few months and brought it back out - Christmas all over again! Maybe one of these might be perfect gift for your little sweetie that you've been looking for.
I put the list in somewhat of an age order, starting with baby toys:
1. Melissa & Doug Noah's Ark Wooden Shape Sorter Educational Toy
This has been BY FAR the most played with baby toy that we have received. I was given this for Emme at her baby shower (over 3 years ago) and we're still playing with it! It's an adorable wooden boat with Noah and "Mrs. Noah" pieces and a collection of pairs of animals. As younger babies, Emme and Rhett both enjoyed taking the pieces out of the boat and putting them back in - over and over and over again! As they got older, I taught them what the names of the animals are and would use the pieces to quiz them - I think that this game played a huge part in Emme learning her animals and being able to speak their names so early! Sometimes we would even be in another room and I would ask Emme to "go get me the giraffe" and she would run to her room, pull out the pieces, find me the giraffe, and proudly bring it back to me. It's also a fun matching game with the animal pieces. If you've been searching for a toy for a baby shower or a baby of any age, I highly suggest this one! Rhett (16 months) is much more interested in it now than Emme (3 year, 2 months), but even she will still play with it with him.
2. Hohner Kids Musical Toys Baby Band
Emme was given a set of these musical toys as a baby and they're still in our toy box! The kids have loved shaking the shakers and ringing the bells. I love that they're simple and not too large - makes them easy to take places and store. And we love having a variety of music toys for the kids to play and be creative with.
3. Miniland Giantte Déco Moogy Stacking Buckets Set
This tent has been such a hit with the kids! They crawl in and out of it, peek out the windows, roll around, play together, laugh non-stop - it's the best. It folds up and can easily fit behind a couch or in a closet. It's a simple toy that allows for a lot of imaginative play.
5. Family Photo Book
This isn't exactly a "toy", but it's been one of the most precious gifts my kids have ever received! This is something that you could put together in a variety of ways (I was originally inspired by this DIY post on A Beautiful Mess). I made one for my niece when she was 12 months, and then my sister-in-law made books for both of my kids when they were babies. They have LOVED looking through these books over and over again, pointing at the familiar faces and learning to say their names. I love this idea since most kids have at least a few family members that they don't get to see on a regular basis, so this helps them stay familiar! When Emme was little and we would be visiting someone soon, we would get out this book and show her the picture and remind her of their name(s).
I used the procedure on the ABM post to make my book (which wasn't that difficult but did have a lot of steps). My SIL found a simpler way - she glued each picture to construction paper, laminated it, and used a ring to hold all of the pages together. You could even just put a collection of pictures in a photo album. If you're feeling crafty and creative, this would be a fun gift for that special baby/toddler in your family!
6. LeapFrog Shapes and Sharing Picnic Basket
My kids LOVE this picnic basket! Emme received it when she was close to 1 year old and it still probably gets played with every day. The basket makes little sounds or noises when you press the buttons or open and close it, which toddlers love. The different foods teach shapes as you have to fit them in the correct spots on the plates. Emme loves to play picnic with it, or just use the basket to carry around whatever she feels like carrying around. Rhett likes to take out whatever Emme has taken the time to put in it, and they love to play with it together!
7. ThinkFun Roll and Play Game for Toddlers
I think this game is pure genius! A friend gave us this and it has given us hours of learning and entertainment. It's the perfect first game for a toddler, as there are varying degrees of engagement and learning throughout. This game helped Emme to learn colors, animals sounds, following directions, counting, expressions, taking turns - the list goes on! It's a great game for toddlers to play together, or for me as a nursing mom to play with Emme while sitting and feeding Rhett as a newborn. It's recommended from age 18 months+
8. A Backpack!
A backpack isn't really a "toy", but for most of the ways it's used by my daughter, it might as well be. Emme loves her backpack! She has this one and we get so many compliments on it. Kids love bags to put things in! Emme fills up this backpack with RANDOM stuff everyday and takes it wherever she's going, whether it's to the store or just the backyard. Usually she fills it with her glass slippers or jewelry, but sometimes she's slightly more practical. It's obviously helpful for when we go on trips for her to carry her little things. It's also been a fun way for her to be more independent and take responsibility in small tasks, like gathering what she wants/needs for an outing.
8. Disney's Sing With Me Disney Jr. Sing-Along Music Player & 8-Book Set
If you have or know a kid who loves to sing, this is the gift for them! Emme was given this for Christmas and we have spent HOURS singing these songs over and over again. The microphone has four buttons and each song has a 3-button code for the microphone to play that melody. At first she wasn't familiar with all of the characters (the books are based on Disney Junior shows), but it didn't take away from her joy of learning the songs. Over time she memorized the songs and would just press random buttons on the microphone and sing whichever song started playing! This toy has encouraged her love for singing and provided a fun activity for us to all do and enjoy together.
9. Holy Stone RC Cartoon Race Car with Music and Lights Electric Radio Control Toy
This is the cutest remote control car! It's super easy to use - only has two buttons - and the kids love it! It plays a little song that you have the option of playing while you're using it. The kids love to drive it around, or have us drive it around and they chase it. It's been a fun activity for us to play outside together. And it seems pretty resilient, because the kids have thrown it, we've left it outside in the rain, it's landed in the sandbox...and it still drives!
10. Disney Princess Enchanted Cupcake Party Game
*This game is composed of small pieces, so we've had to make it an "after-Brother-goes-to-bed game".
I hope this list has been helpful! We love all of these items, and I never would have known about most of them if they hadn't been given to us as gifts.
Happy Christmas shopping!
Love always,
Caroline
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