These past few weeks I’ve been a shopping fool picking up new baby toys for Monkey. So what that Monkey will only be 6 months at Christmas… He’ll have a lot of presents to open… well, make that a lot of presents that Tarzan and I will be opening for him. :) It’s his first Christmas & I want to make it memorable, if nothing else but to put a smile on my face (& Tarzan’s too)!
I know that Monkey won’t be able to open his presents, but I’m excited about the endless photo ops that will be present. I know that I’ll be wrapping all of these gifts & then unwrapping them as well, but it doesn’t matter. I’m over the moon about Christmas this year & it’s all because of my son. You only have your first Christmas once!
This is just the start of many Christmas traditions that will take place each year from now on. I’m so excited!
Many of you have asked what we’ve bought for Monkey for Christmas, so I’m going to post everything that we’ve gotten here. I’ll admit that I went into the room that I’ve been storing all of these gifts the other day & I was slightly amazed (& maybe a little embarrassed) at the amount of toys that I’ve bought so far. I know that we’ve gone overboard, but it makes me so happy to know Monkey will have a TON of new toys for him all of us to play with. (I often wonder if Tarzan is more excited about the new toys! I have to keep him away from them!)
Of course we got mostly toys that Monkey can grow into so that we can wait until his birthday to get older things (that’s the plan anyways). Along with toys, I’ve also got him some BabyLegs for his stocking, a duck that quacks, squirts water, & lights up, & a scuba swimmer that kicks, both for bath time. I also made him a “Baby ABC Book” from Shutterfly too.
So, here’s what I’ve bought for Monkey for Christmas after a TON of research….
Monkey’s New Baby Toys
1. Vtech Move and Crawl Ball – This colorful playmate keeps baby on the move and teaches with lessons that mom will love! This ball’s captivating light-up buttons introduce numbers and shapes to curious fingers.
Busy babies will also learn animal names and sounds from six, cute animal buttons. Just as the little one’s got it all figured out, this self-rolling ball gets baby moving.
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2. Take-Along TV Toy – Toteable TV is perfect for toddlers on the go. It plays “Old Mac Donald”. Wind up the TV and watch the farm scene gently roll around.
On/off switch puts little ones in control. No batteries required. Ages 9 months and up.
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3. Winkel – Engage and amuse your baby with the fascinating Winkel.
Babies will have a ball playing with this tangle of bright colors and fun textures; or parents can refrigerate the Winkel to turn it into a cooling and soothing teether. Measures 4.5″.
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4. Playskool Busy Basics: Busy Poppin’ Pals – This hands-on, pop-up activity toy introduces your child to different shapes, animals and cause-and-effect play, and rewards discovery with colorful critters! A lever, beeper, key and switches are easy for little hands to activate. As your child presses, turns and twists, she’ll be building fine motor skills and having fun as the colorful animals pop up to the corresponding action. There’s even a built-in carry handle for on-the-go play.
5. Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks – Ten bright blocks are ready for baby to drop into the open bucket or through the shape-sorting lid. Baby will love filling the bucket with blocks, dumping them out, then starting over again. Great for eye-hand coordination and other early skills. Then baby can move on to sorting and stacking and learning about identifying and matching shapes. Includes plastic shape-sorting box with take-anywhere handle and ten colorful blocks.
6. Fisher-Price Go Baby Go Crawl and Cruise Musical Jungle – This durable, plastic play station is set up as an arc, with a slide for balls wrapping around the center support and a bright orange monkey sitting above the slide. The monkey’s hands are cupped so that kids can practice balancing balls in them, and his arms move. Each time your child uses a ball or their hand to move one of his arms, he breaks out in song and stimulating, colored lights on the front of the jungle flash.
7. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Farm – Crawl through the barn door to start the fun on the farm – feed the friendly cow, flip the light switch, and meet all the farm animals. In the Learning Mode, baby learns early academics through each activity. In the Music Mode these same activities play music and encourage baby to play along. And in the Imagination Mode these activities teach baby experiential learning through fun role play and realistic sound effects. The alphabet, counting, opposites, animals, colors and more will be provided through this two sided role play toy. Farm comes with 3 shaped pieces for shape sorting and 3 eggs for chicken coop drop.
8. Push Around Buggy – Perfect for walks around the neighborhood or park, the Push Around Buggy is a colorful, comfortable ride-on for your little one. Parents control this cute coupe with a sturdy handle that can be removed and conveniently stored underneath the buggy. Beginner drivers “start” this buggy with a pretend click-start ignition key. Store additional supplies or goodies in a special compartment under the front hood. Includes a seat belt for extra security and a steering wheel with honking horn.
9. LeapFrog Alphabet Pal – Alphabet Pal has a silly giggle, flashing antennae and comical walk and he’s sure to tickle your child’s funny bone Four learning modes introduce letter names, letter sounds, colors and music. Pull Alphabet Pal’s string to hear the ABC song Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning.
10. LeapFrog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo – Animals go ’round and ’round while little tots learn their names and sounds. Whizzing motions, sparkling lights and cheerful songs introduce kids to the alphabet, from “alligator” to “zebra.” Three engaging modes help them learn: Letter, Animal and Music. In Letter Mode, the wheel stops on a letter and sounds out its name. Animal Mode lets little one discover 26 animals, along with their names and noises. Music Mode plays the alphabet song while little ones spin and play.
11. LeapFrog Learn and Groove Counting Maracas – Shake it up,1-2-3! With these LeapFrog Learn and Groove Counting Maracas, little movers and shakers can move to a learning groove. Sing, dance and count with these colorful maracas that engage your child and encourage interaction. Lights, sounds and music accompany your child as she learns counting, colors and music in both English and Spanish. Requires 3 “AAA” batteries, included. Each maraca measures 7″ long.
12. LeapFrog Learn and Groove Musical Table – Provide a world of learning and musical fun for your child with the LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table. Designed for children ages six months to three years, this innovative toy is chock full of learning and musical activities designed to provide visual and auditory stimulation and motor skill development, as well as opportunities to learn about colors, the alphabet, and opposites for older children — and much more.
13. Playskool Busy Ball Popper – Get silly with poppin’, droppin’ colored balls! Pump the plunger and drop the balls onto the spiral track. When they reach the bottom, look out – the balls pop out the top! Giggles are guaranteed with wacky sound effects and 8 lively songs to help keep the fun rolling along. The Playskool Busy Ball Popper has won numerous toy awards, including American Baby’s Best Toy, Child Magazine’s Best Toy, and the NAPPA Gold Award.
14. Vtech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker – With a barnyard of friends to cheer baby on, your little one will love learning to walk with the Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker. Start her out with the easy-to-remove play panel for floor play or fun on the run. Then step it up with the fun-to-maneuver walker. A medley of fun awaits — with 3 spinning flowers, 5 piano keys, colorful rollers, 3 light-up shape sorters and a telephone handset. And the Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker keeps baby on track teaching shapes, colors, animals, music and more!
15. Baby Einstein Bendy Ball – Brightly colored ball is easy to grasp and roll. The soft, flexible plastic makes this ball easy for little fingers to bend and squeeze. It has recognizable Baby Einstein caterpillar character on center band. This has colorful rattle ball inside for additional sounds and visual stimulation. lay, rattle and roll! The colorful Baby Einstein Bendy Ball is flexible and includes sections that allow you to mix and match red, blue, yellow and green.
16. Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes – Promote music appreciation by introducing your little one to baby-friendly versions of classical masterpieces by Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and Rossini with the Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes! A large, easy-to-press button allows your baby to toggle through 7 high quality and enjoyable classical melodies at home or on-the-go! This baby’s version of an ”MP3 player” has colorful lights that dance across the screen to enhance each entertaining melody. Imported. . 7 baby-friendly classical melodies. Volume control. The colorful and easy to grasp caterpillar handle ensures that baby can ”takealong tunes” anywhere!
17. Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube – Fun, creative, and inspiring, the Magic Cube teaches how sounds combine to create eight Mozart masterpieces. With a touch of a button, this interactive cube lets your child add or subtract from any combination of five different instruments, including harp, French horn, piano, flute, and violin. Each selected instrument button flashes along to the beat of the music. An orchestra button even plays all the instruments at once.
18. A Hatful of Seuss – This collection of five complete, illustrated Dr. Seuss classics is a “hatful,” but you’d have to have a Cat-in-the-Hat-sized chapeau to contain all the treasures in this hefty book. Within its pages you’ll find Theodor Seuss Geisel’s exuberant creations Bartholomew and the Oobleck (1949), If I Ran the Zoo (1950), Horton Hears a Who! (1954), The Sneetches and Other Stories (1961), and Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book (1962). In Bartholomew and the Oobleck, a non-rhyming Seuss story, prepare for an eyeful of green goo.
Whew! It looks like I have some wrapping to do! But I’m excited about wrapping presents, listening to Christmas music, writing in our Christmas cards, decorating… this is my favorite time of year!
And I have a feeling that it’ll be Monkey’s too. :)
So I’m wondering, which of these toys did you get your little one? Also do any of you own any of the above? How does your child like it?
You might also want to read:
- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Jolly End of December
- Ho, Ho, Ho: Christmas Traditions
- Furniture shopping on Christmas Eve: A tale of two monkeys
- Cloud B Sleep Sheep Review: The ultimate toy that puts Baby Monkey right to sleep every time!
- Want more free baby stuff? We’re giving away baby products (totally free) until Christmas!
Fisher-Price Go Baby Go Sit-To-Stand Giraffe…
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