Toys We Love

Today I'm linking up again for the Kid Tested Mother Approved link up party. Julie at Girl in the Red Shoes is hosting today and we're talking about tried and true toys. The number one thing I look for in toys is educational value. I love toys that teach letters, numbers, colors, building skills, etc. I know at this age pretty much everything is teaching them something, but I love when their toys pull double duty as fun and educational. The thing H and B play with most often is books. I could write a whole post on their favorite books, but today I'm sticking with toys.

Elmo's Count Along Crayons - Quite possibly the most annoying toy ever. Quite possibly their favorite toy ever. They love Elmo and they love this toy. It was a birthday gift, and it took them about a day to figure out the buttons. They haven't stopped pushing them since. They love it because it's fun, makes noise and lights up.  I love it because it helps teach colors and numbers.

Ernie's Alphabet Notepad - Ernie comes in a close second on the annoying toy scale. It's also a close second for their favorite toy.  Ernie has four modes. He will create a story if you choose any three letters. He sings the ABC song and plays other songs in music mode. There's a find mode where Ernie asks you to find a letter. In the main mode Ernie says what sound the letters makes and what starts with each letter pressed. Definitely a winner when it comes to toys that help teach the alphabet.

Shape Sorter - We have three shape sorters and the kids favorite one is from a garage sale. It has four shapes, lights up and makes noise. I think what they enjoy most about this particular one is that they don't have to take anything apart to get the shapes back after putting them in. The Fisher Price one I linked to seems to be the most similar to the one they have. I recommend avoiding ones that have a lid that has to come on and off. The kids take it off, and it doesn't go back on until I put it on.  They then take it right back off.

B. H2-Whoa Water Drawing Board - This was an impulse buy while on a Target trip. My nephew has water coloring pads that he uses and loves, he's two years older than H and B, so when I saw this drawing board I knew we had to have it. They still try to eat every marker or crayon I give to them, so we don't use them often. I love that I don't need to worry if they put a water crayon in their mouth. One of my favorite features, it has snaps where all four water crayons fit, so they don't get lost and they're always with the board when the kids want to use it.

Fisher Price See and Say - My mom has a few old See and Says, the kind with the pull string, floating about her house.  The kids love them, but they're hard to understand.  The Disney one she has sounds like Mickey has been smoking 3 packs a day. When we saw this one, we were all over it. It has pretty much every farm animal noise you could ask for. It also plays Old McDonald and Farmer in the Dell. The kids are just now getting to the point where they can pull the handle on their own. Thankfully that means I don't have to pull it 487 times per day.

Duplo Legos - I'm pretty sure every kid born in the last 4 decades has played with Legos while growing up. There's a reason they're so popular, they're awesome. The kids are just now starting to put pieces together on their own, but they've been pros at tearing apart what I build for months. Brooke drags out the tub of Legos within 5 minutes of being up each morning. She loves to dump them out and play with them. If I sit with them and build them things to tear apart, they will happily play with their Legos for at least 20 minutes.

We share things we love every couple of months. A lot of the toys that made the list in previous months are still ones they use regularly. To see some of our favorite toys from past months, follow the links below.

Twelve and Thirteen Months
Ten and Eleven Months



Make sure you stop by the link up party and see what toys some of the other mommies recommend for their little ones. I'm hoping to find a few ideas from mommies with older kids. I'm already thinking Christmas presents.