12-18 Month Favorites

Haven’t compiled one of these posts in a long time…not since 7-8 months!  I do like going back to my monthly Toby recaps to see what toys he was playing with and things he enjoyed doing during the different stages, so I’m trying to make an effort to do more “Favorites” lists.  Some of these items are from previous favorite lists but it proves they’re worth the money!

Little Tikes Gas n’ Go Mower:  Toby used this later in the summer, both inside and outside, and still loves playing with it in our living room currently.  We’ll ask him to fill it up with gas, and he grabs the gas tank and “pours” it into the little opening while we go “glug, glug, glug”.  It sounds like a real mower when the beads start popping!  Great gift for a birthday present.  I like how this is a toy that doesn’t have songs or musical sound effects.

Bumkins SuperBib 3-Pack: I included this bib on an earlier list but these things are awesome – I highly recommend them!  Get the 3-Pack so that way you don’t have to be constantly washing one over and over.  They are lightweight, easy to pack in a bag, and rarely stain.

Leap Frog My Discovery House: Included this on a previous list…he still loves to play with it now.  He’s figured out what all the different functions do and can also switch settings.  It’s another rare toy that keeps him entertained on his own for more than 5 minutes.

Munchkin Snack Catchers: We’ve been using these since before Toby turned 1 and they’re pretty great.  Do some puffs still manage to sneak out sometimes?  Yes.  But they do a good job for the most part.  He hasn’t figured out how to take the entire top off yet, and the top has never come off while he’s stuck his hand in there to grab something.

Big Red Barn and Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom: These are two of his favorite books. probably have been since he received them for his first birthday. I love Big Red Barn because the rhymes are soothing and it’s a great book to read before naptime. I credit Chicka Chicka for his obsession with the alphabet and learning a lot of the letters.

Radio Flyer – The Ultimate Comfort Wagon: This was Toby’s big gift from Santa for Christmas 2012 as we figured we would start using it in the future summer months.  We splurged to get the canopy, padded seats, built-in cup holders, and storage bag, but it was so worth it.  The canopy was awesome when we had our beach vacation in August and gave Toby great sun coverage as we walked back and forth to the beach and downtown all week.  The storage bag was good to stuff in all the wet towels and sandy extras that needed to be hosed down once we got back to the house.  It looks like the price has increased a LOT since last year, though – almost $100!  Not sure if we got it for a good deal last year, but I do feel it’s a solid investment.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Screen Laptop:  Another toy that Toby’s enjoyed for a long time since he received it for Christmas 2012. It’s been fun to see how he interacts with the laptop now as he understands which buttons cause songs to play.  He’s been into the alphabet letters song lately, of course.  Since this toy has been used so much, the white numbers on the keys are starting to wear off but I guess that’s to be expected.

Halo Sleep Sack Wearable Blanket: Yup, he’s been using these for over a year now. He moves around a lot in his sleep and I’m still nervous to let him sleep with a blanket so these are a great alternative.  Plus, I’m pretty sure he recognizes it as a sleep cue now, so he knows it’s part of the nap or bedtime routine. 

Infant Boy’s Genuine Baby from OshKosh Axel Casual Shoes: We love these shoes so much that we bought them in size 4 and 5 so he’s been wearing them for several months now.  I think he’s just starting to grow out of the 5’s which means we’ll have to look for something else soon.  They’re great for early walkers (that then transition to fast runners) as the sole is thick enough for support but not too heavy – helps to prevent a lot of tripping.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Kitchen: Toby received this for his first birthday and I would say he’s played with it at least once a day since we took it out of the box in June.  He’s figured out what buttons to push to make noise, he loves opening and closing the fridge, and there’s a couple songs he will play over and over again. It’s one of the few toys that he will play with independently for more than 5 minutes.  While I would love for him to have a mini play kitchen, we just don’t have the room for it in our townhouse so this toy is a good compromise for now.  It fits perfectly in one of the squares of our Ikea storage system.