Thursday, June 20, 2013

Things We Love @ Twelve and Thirteen Months



V-Tech LapPup - We have two of these, Violet and Scout, and they are lifesavers.  They are easy to hold onto, the noises aren't too annoying, the puppy face lights up, and it teaches colors and numbers. It's a great interactive toy and perfect for in the car.  When we load up into the car they get two things, their sippy cup and their LapPup.

BabyGanics Sunscreen - I know I've raved about this sunscreen before, but it's amazing.  Last summer we tried Burt's Bees and California Baby sunscreen.  They are both great, natural products, but they both leave a chalky residue.  The BabyGanics is chemical free, rubs in well leaving no residue and it's priced really well.  If you receive the Target Baby coupons there is a coupon for BabyGanics in this month's booklet. Last week we used Neutogena Kids sunscreen and it was a big fail. Brooke's poor skin was all red and splotchy. BabyGanics all the way.

Corolle Calin Doll - We love our baby dolls.  They were a birthday gift and they both adore them, especially Brooke.  She will carry them both around at the same time, one in each arm.  She also likes to do this with her stuffed animals.  I really like these particular dolls because of the boy doll.  A lot of the boy dolls are somewhat creepy looking.  The Corolle doll is cute in both the pink and blue, plus the size is perfect.

Footless Pajamas - Thank you Baby Gap for making super soft cotton footless pajamas.  I really love Carter's fleece footed sleepers, but they are difficult for kids learning to walk, at least for my kids they are.  They wind up with their feet in the legs, and then they step on the extra foot fabric.  Maybe we're just at an awkward in between size, but these are the perfect solution.  No stepping on extra fabric, they're a perfect weight for the summer months, and you can pair them with a pair of socks if you're worried about their feet getting cold.  We may wind up stocking up on these before they go out of season.

Little Tikes Cozy Truck - These were another birthday gift.  They adore these.  They will push them around in the garage, crawl into them on their own, basically do anything they can to entice me to take them for a spin.  There are cup holders, a fun horn, and a trunk for storage space.  Even though the suggested age on them is 18 months+, I think one year is the perfect time to introduce a ride on toy.  An added bonus to these is that there is a foot tray you can keep in place until they're old enough to Fred Flinstone it on their own. As a side note, these are a bitch to put together and they require a power drill.  They are worth it in the end, but plan an hour and a beer per truck.

Nuby Straw Sippy Cup - We tried lots of sippy cups before we found these.  First we tried the Avent soft spout cup, next was the Munchkin straw sippy, we tried traditional hard plastic sippy cups, finally I bought the Nuby brand. They were able to use them right away with no issues.  They can use the Munchkin ones now too, but they leak.  The Nuby ones never leak unless I didn't assemble them properly.  They drink water nonstop.  It's like there's a water shortage I don't know about and they want to drink as much as they can before there's none left. Having good sippy cups is essential.

Little Tikes Kitchen - This is probably their most used toy right now.  This was their other big bithday gift from us, aside from the trucks. There are constantly spoons, pizza slices, a hot dog bun, and maybe a cupcake or two littered around the house.  It's the perfect height for them to stand at and it's wide enough that there's room for them both.  It converts to a taller, more slender kitchen as they get older. I am looking forward to the day they serve me a slice of plastic pizza on a little white plate during a pretend picnic.

Both the kitchen and the trucks are usually available at garage sales and on Craigslist in  late spring. The first big garage sale weekend here was the weekend before their birthday, so I didn't have time to find used ones. Not that they're super expensive toys, but they clean up easily and they aren't too hard to find used.

If you follow me on Instagram (@justjm03) then you've already seen these pictures.

Brooke strutting her stuff at the pool with her Nuby sippy cup in hand.  She often carries around both hers and her brothers'.

 Going for a ride in their trucks the first time. Brooke of course has the pink and purple one.

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