Current Obsession

Right now these sets are getting a LOT of love over at our house. I am just in awe of the things that can be created and built! My mom got Sammy the playmags set after I noticed Sammy and his classmates were into them at school. They got them in some sort of contest and the blocks were a hot ticket item ever since. The Tegu blocks are a bit pricer but wooden which we prefer. They also have some nice sets that make good gifts. The playmags set is a bit more affordable and I believe they have some off brand sets as well. I'd personally get the cheapest set because it isn't like playmags are super well made or worth so much more than the others. You probably can combine sets but I don't know that for 100%. 

If you are looking for something that is quiet and can keep kids entertained for a while- this is your best bet!

Holiday Gift Guide #3 Toys

1) Playmags. These are something that Sammy's class at school use and they are obsessed. I confirmed with his teacher that it has been like this for months and the magnetic toys are a total hit. I found these on Amazon and there a few sizes of the sets. If you are a grandparent looking for an educational toy - get this.

2) Balancing Cactus. This is from Plan Toys and can be found on their website or Amazon. This is pretty and made of wood so it is a great unique toy. This really stimulates their creative brains!

3) Melissa and Doug Airplane Set. I love these sets, they hold up really well and make stunning gifts. We're not super fond of plastic things at our house so these are cool and colorful enough for even the most imaginative kiddo.

4) Plan Toys Fire Engine. I like this one because it is simple. And there are not a million small plastic pieces that are going to get totally broken off.

5) Hape Happy Family Car. I got this from Amazon. This is one of Sammy's Christmas presents (don't tell him!) I think this is freaking adorable! Just so cute and I like that he can pretend with it being a family car. Just seems so sweet. Sammy has an affinity for a barbie car so I wanted to get him something all of his own. My husband is evolved but the giant bubble gum pink barbie Beetle is not his favorite thing ever...


These are just a few of the items I really like that I've seen in the natural eco friendly kiddo section. I probably am not the greatest authority on toys since we don't watch TV and I have not seen a commercial in years. But if you're looking for a toy that is natural, sustainable, and really cool consider these. There is nothing at all wrong with plastic toys - we just try to avoid them because they are not always make to be hand me downs. I try to find things that are well made and look great.

Tripp Trapp....

Our highchair journey was pretty intense. We started out having a counter height table and our options were very limited. We ended up first with the Fisher Price Space Saver highchair. It was fine. More than fine. The issue ended up being that my son pushed himself off of the table and landed onto the ground. Anyone that knows Sammy knows that he can be accident prone. We didn't need the stress of another injury.

Even before we purchased the space saver - I just could not find a highchair I really loved. I thought the Stokke would be too expensive and I wasn't sure if the features were really for me. I thought it was cute but not sure it was the best choice. And of course at first we were very limited in what would extend to a tall table. 

To solve this problem I started researching. I moved us over to the smaller table that was normal height. At this point Sammy was nearly two and we really needed something that we could justify purchasing. The highchair we did have did nothing to prevent him pushing back. Relying on a toddler to not hurt himself isn't a go-to plan. After much research we landed on the Tripp Trapp by Stokke. It is a classic and can last Sammy until he's an adult. The features of this high chair directly addressed our two main concerns- will this purchase be worth the money long term? And- will this chair prevent him from tipping back and hurting himself?

First off the chair is rated to 300 lbs. It configures itself in a few ways so that we will be able to use this for a long time.The chair isn't distracting. It blends in with our furniture and Sammy is so proud to be sitting right up at the table. The footrest is very adjustable and we move it around as he grows. It was $150 and worth every penny. It still looks brand new.

There are special feet that prevent tipping. You can see them on the image on the right on the bottom of the chair at the end. Any force that pushes the chair backwards forces the chair to just slide backwards rather than tipping with these little feet placed correctly. I did a little research and all reviews I found with issues, the owner had not correctly installed this attachment.(There were a few ominous YouTube videos where the kid pushes against the table and the dad pushes the child back with his foot... no attachment).

At nearly 4 Sammy cannot undo the buckle himself. He still prefers to be buckled in the chair. He claims it is so he won't chase the cat. Preschoolers are basically hilarious. Most of the time he can buckle himself but sometimes needs assistance.

We plan to get a second one of these after we have another child (whenever that way may be) and have a pair of these chairs. They make baby kits so you can use it earlier than we did. The classic design and function of this high chair remind me why I love Stokke. I just wish their cribs were less expensive.

We did purchase the chair from Albeebaby.com for about $150. We have the natural signature edition and love it. We also purchased a cushion for the chair and have been absolutely pleased with it. Wipes down very easily, stays in place, and is holding up extremely well. It looks brand new.

A couple of little tips from me to you. First, after you are done using the chair- slip the buckles over the sides of the chair so you can easily use them again. They do have a tendency to get tucked in and under your kiddo. Secondly- the bottom buckle is long and will get tucked under your child's bum. Just make sure it is hanging down before they sit down completely.

Preschool Table Favorites

Here are some of our favorite items for Sammy to use while eating & drinking. No secret that I love baby gear, I have sussed out some things I love and I will share some of the brands that just didn't work out for us. 

Starting with plates. Most plates will work fine. I love the skip hop zoo line. (1)We have a few of these. You can't microwave them and I do handwash. They've held up for almost three years now and the colors look great. I think it helps with serving sizes and they are pretty durable. I haven't had many issues with it sliding around. I also really like the Tommee Tippee (6) line. These are great for travel and I never feel bad sticking one of these in the microwave. I tend to like the divided plates because Sammy is such a picky eater and often he'll really want a ton of ketchup and this way I can make it look like he has more than he actually does.

Sippy Cups and Drinking Cups were some of the most bought items in my home. Mostly because they get used all of the time. Sammy ended his love affair with the bottle at 12 months. My husband was determined he was getting his son off of the bottle before it became too difficult. Same with the pacifier. Tommee Tippee (3) has always been our first go to line. They are durable and tended to be leak proof for us. Sammy can throw a sippy. The seals were also pretty easy to clean. Now that Sammy is nearing four we use the coffee cup like version pictured. I didn't care too much for the straw model though because it was a bear to clean. The avent is pretty nice and I really like it. We use it for water on the go and is a nice trainer. (2)

The Ikea sippy cups are so loved they inspired this post. The are the Smaska line by Ikea (7) is a favorite of mine. They are not leak proof. We use them to sort of work towards completely regular glasses. We do sometimes use a small child size glass at dinner- but more often than not it is spilled. This is nice because Sammy can get a small serving of milk in the cup and we're talking more like 4 oz than 16 which the larger sippy cups can  hold. It is much easier to say drink your cup of milk and we're moving on to water. While I do believe dairy is a good part of our balanced diet, we try to consume whole foods and the vitamin D milk contains a good amount of calories. For a child that doesn't eat a balanced meal - that can be good and bad. I just don't want him drinking 16 oz of milk and there is no desire left for some veggies. 

Lastly silverware. Skip the skip hop brand. (hehe) We have never put them in the dishwasher and only use method detergent and the designs wipe right off. We have a LOT of this silverware because skip hop actually sent us replacements for the three sets we purchased and the replacements did the same thing. Now I just use them as travel silverware. I purchased the Ikea set (4) of silverware because I really wanted a set I could hang onto that would last. Sort of one day I will be a grandparent and hope to have little kiddos eating a meal at my house and having the honor of telling them that their dad used these when he was little. The plastic ones I used were totally not going to work for that purpose. These were very inexpensive and I plan to go back and maybe get a second set. The sugarbooger sets are pretty nice.(5) They have held up far better than any other plastic brand.  They look great and are a nice size. I really recommend them for day to day use.

Inside Winter Essentials

 

 

Here are some things that have been fun to have around this week as we've been homebound with the roads too icy to travel. Sammy has been holding up remarkably well. He's currently napping so I thought I would do a quick update on our winter storm. 

 

We've had a lot of snow. The roads are solid ice. Usually with snow it isn't too cold so things don't really shut down. The ice melt won't help so here we are - at home. It has been pretty fun overall. 

 

 

1) Bubbles! If it is freezing out, you can blow them and they freeze. Cool science experiment and fun outside activity. It is good to get out for a little bit when you've been inside for days. 

2) Robe! Sammy and I wear robes inside because we just get cold. Target has great mom and kiddo ones ones on sale. It really helps as my husband doesn't love it very warm.

3) Thomas movies. I use netflix and prime mostly. Its nice to have a spare and a portable DVD in case you lose power or need to entertain the kids for a bit. 

4) Good reading material. I like to read Sammy a lot of books to help with his vocab. I try to get a new book on my bi-weekly shopping trips.

5) Good fleece jammies. I love the ones from Carters. I do not size up- these fit very true to size for us. Its nice to put snow boots over and he is a little warmer. He can't really stay outside long but just a few minutes here and there to break up the cabin fever. 

6) Glass Water Bottle. These are so handy. They do not leak and hold a good deal of water. I noticed we have a hard time keeping hydrated when we're basically confined to smaller spaces. 

7) "New" toys. I generally keep back several of his birthday and Christmas toys to reintroduce when we're stuck indoors. It keeps him better at playing with what he has and its nice not to have as much floating around.