Tuesday Tattles #8

Tuesday Tattles

It’s been five months since I’ve done a “favorite products” version of Tuesday Tattles. My little man is now ONE!

Five months is a long time in the world of an infant. He has gone from army crawling to hands-and-knees crawling. From pulling up on furniture to full standing. From toddling with support to complete walking. He can squat to pick things up and carries items between rooms.

Saying “dada” has taken a backseat to finally saying “mama” and his first word is “duck” and he says it with enthusiasm when he sees a rubber ducky, a duck on a screen, or the stuffed animal that used to be mine as a child. He will even wave good-bye to the cashiers at the grocery store and says “ba ba” along with it.

With his 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom) he enjoys eating anything off of my plate. His favorite foods though are mushrooms, breakfast foods, black beans, and sweet potatoes. He will hum if something is good enough, too!

Tuesday Tattles 8

Fisher Price Apps

I hate to say it but the phone is one of my sons favorite things – ever. (He has actually chewed my Lifeproof case to the point where I’m not sure it’s “lifeproof” anymore. He’s not allowed to put it in his mouth any longer.) It’s okay though, he will flip through books on his own for ten minutes at a time. IMG_5266My husband found a couple Fisher Price Apps one morning and they’ve been great learning tools – as well as a wonderful distraction when needed. I’m pretty sure it’s through these learning apps that my son learned the word “duck”. On the Animals app he will touch through each animal until the duck appears – he even knows it comes after the pig.

I Love You Through And Through

This book by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak is definitely a favorite. The pages fall somewhere between paper and board book making them the perfect texture and thickness for little fingers to turn on their own. The illustrations are also adorable.

Activity Walker

11393224_10103032385357301_8014185378665337010_nWhen we went to visit friends in D.C. they had this walker for their son when he was learning how to walk. I’d been debating on buying one for my little man and his attachment to this toy had me on Amazon the minute we got home. I feel I was a little late in the game in buying it because he doesn’t get very much use from it now that he can walk independently. He will occasionally still play with the activity toys on the front though.

Play Triangle

Another toy I waited to purchase until I saw him playing with another kid’s is this play triangle. This toy has been well loved and still is. It’s the one I throw in the car if we’re going to someone’s house and I even stuffed it on our suitcase to have on our ten day vacation to the grandparents’. My little man decided this toy would make a good walking assistant and it is now scratched up from him bending over it and pushing it along the concrete on the back patio.

Alphabet Mat

10986993_10102992329559441_2932654624227789841_nWe’ve had the Alphabet Mat for a long time, and it was definitely more for me than him at the time. I went with the one made by B Toys because the color scheme was unique and had all my favorite colors. The abundance of orange and navy made this Auburn girl quite happy, too. Once my son discovered that the letters (and tiles) are removable they quickly became his favorite chew toy.

Blocks

This basic block set is a classic toy that has stood the test of time. My mom had a set in her toy closet from when she used to frequently babysit a friend’s kids over 8 years ago. These colorful shapes have been well loved (aka chewed on). While my son hasn’t yet had the patience or interest in learning how to put the shapes through their corresponding holes on the top he loves clapping them together and throwing them. And it may be coincidental, but he has accurately identified a couple of the shapes/colors when I’ve asked. The blue circle is definitely his favorite. My favorite thing to do with them is to start stacking the blocks. Without fail a little hand comes through to swipe my tower – followed by a giggle. This game was actually the first time my son actually played with me and when he was done demolishing my towers we played “tag” down the hallway.

Empty Water Bottles

I don’t care how many toys you have, the best play thing you can hand my son is a water bottle – full or empty doesn’t matter. Same goes for solo cups. 

Balls

I can’t begin to tell you how happy it makes my husband that our son loves to play with balls. He will throw a ball if you ask him to and can occasionally catch one tossed to him. Granted, it takes a lot of focus and multiple attempts – but it’s exciting every time! Any ball will do – tennis ball, Oball, plastic balls, volleyball, or beach ball; doesn’t matter the size, he’ll try and pick it up.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Tuesday Tattles #5

Tuesday Tattles

Today my little man is seven months old. SEVEN! That’s more than half a year!

Last month I shared our first flying experience so the items shared today span two months worth of life. There’s a lot that’s happened in these two months. My son experienced his first cold, his first airplane ride, his first time in a pool, his first foods, and his first tooth!

tuesday tattles 5

4moms Rockaroo

My mom’s cousins gave us the Rockaroo back in August. While I know of many kids who enjoyed this rocker right away my son was not one of them. It wasn’t until month 4 that he started to like being in the Rockaroo. 4moms RockarooI think he was simply too little and the Rockaroo rocked too fast, but now that he has some weight to him it doesn’t rock too quickly and is now even turned up to speed 3 (of 5). There’s an arm above the seat with removable “balls”. These “balls” once seemed like a distant dream to my son but now he can grab them, pull them off the holder, and stuff them in his mouth (because what else!?). In his teething state he tried to eat the plastic holder – and succeeded. And last week he managed to yank the holder off the arm – I’m still trying to figure out how to reattach it! I’m telling you, he’s getting too big and too strong!!

Ingenuity Baby Base 2-in-1 Booster Seat

booster seatAt my son’s 4 month doctor appointment it was recommended he start sitting upright – supported in a Bumbo-type seat. My mother-in-law’s quilting friends gifted us with this booster seat at our baby shower. I love that it has a tray and we use this for meal time. Our house is small and our dining table has been put in storage to have room for the little man to play. We don’t really have room for a real highchair so this booster seat is a perfect alternative.

Fisher-Price Space Saver Jumperoo

jumparooThe bouncer was the “life saver” baby containment gadget back in month 3 and now that my son is older the jumperoo is the must-have item! He has always loved bouncing – whether in my arms or on my lap. As soon as he could “stand” he’d bounce. Some sort of jumperoo was a mandatory item according to my in-laws. We don’t have any doorframes that would work for the classic jumper that was my husband’s must-have item when he was a baby. When I saw this jumperoo I knew I had to have it. Not only did the woodland friends fit perfectly with my son’s bedroom theme but this version was a “space saver.” Compared to other jumperoos I’ve seen this one is small. But it’s also the reason we don’t have a dining table right now. This jumparoo plays music and sound effects with lights whenever my son bounces, it has dangling toys for him to bat at, and even a teething friendly toy that he just loves.

The World of Eric Carle Toy

Eric Carle wrote the very famous The Very Hungry Caterpillar children’s book. There are now developmental toys that accompany his books. A coworker gave us the Mr. Seahorse toy and we just love it! We bought the board book to go with it. My son enjoys the toy so much that for Christmas I got him the firefly toy and book. The pack-rat OCD side of me now wants each toy and book combination!

The Day the Crayons Quit

And speaking of books, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt is my husband’s favorite! It’s a very fun and clever way to teach children about colors. The different colors write letters to their child explaining their feelings. Whether they’re angry at being “overworked” or “under utilized” or happy to be the favorite color, they’re describing what animals or objects are what color. I urge you to buy this book for your child’s collection.

Baby Einstein Discover and Play Piano

It’s crazy to think that my little man is old enough to have a favorite toy. Maybe what’s crazy is that I can understand what that toy is! This Baby Einstein piano is that toy. My son loves to bang on it and make it light up and play music. Baby Einstein pianoIt’s this toy that is getting him close to being able to crawl – as he plays with it and it gets out of his reach he figures out ways to get it back. And the best part might be that it plays more than one song. With three settings and three different instruments to select there’s a wide range of music and noises that play from this toy. Sure, I know them all and hear them in my dreams, but at least it’s not only one melody. Variety in sounds is important for parents to keep their sanity.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Tuesday Tattles #2

Tuesday Tattles

It’s hard to believe that my little man is over 3 months old already! I imagine I’ll be saying that at every month and every milestone. But it’s true! It’s amazing how much he changes every day. I feel like a lot has happened during this month, and it seems that my son’s happy days now outnumber his fussy ones.

Here are a list of the things that helped make this month so special.

Tuesday Tattles #2

10685502_10102438510986301_1797669741868615293_nMusical Mobile

When we put together my son’s room, it was complete with a traditional mobile over the crib. This one has a woodland theme to match his bedding. If the purpose of mobiles is to help lull babies to sleep then it doesn’t do it’s job. But what it does do is entertain my son and helps work on his tracking skills. He gets really excited when I turn it on and it’s beyond adorable to watch. I benefit from it’s distraction when I need to empty his diaper bin. (Cue Friends quote when Rachel is at her baby shower and doesn’t understand a diaper genie.)

Burp Rags and/or Bibs

I can’t stress this one enough! My son has turned into a slobber monster, what I call a “slobberpuss”. We are constantly wiping at his mouth fighting a never ending battle to keep his onesies dry. The doctor assured me that this is completely normal and will only get worse!

Bouncer

My mom bought a bouncer seat during a trip to Target because it was on sale. I was hesitant. I’m always nervous to spend money on something to find that my son hates it. At $22 my mom went for it. And I am so glad that she did! My little man loves sitting in his “big boy seat” as Stuart calls it. These seats come with removable visual toys and thank goodness they’re removable. I don’t know if my son is afraid of cartoon lady bugs and snails, but he hates having these toys in front of his face. Maybe they’re just too close for comfort. I’ll give them another try soon – maybe when he can reach them they’ll be fun and not scary.

IMG_0306Activity Gym

Activity gyms are a popular purchase for new moms and it’s obvious why. With different toys hanging down there’s always something “new” to look at. There’s even a mirror that can be attached to the gym. My son loves to look in the mirror and smile and coo at his “friend.” My favorite thing about this play mat is that it works his hand-eye coordination. As he gets older and learns how to use his hands he can grab the fox that hangs lowest and shake and rattle it, or simply bat at it to make noise. The hedgehog has a little device that plays an excerpt of “Rock-a-Bye-Baby” and the rabbit has a squeaky toy in it, when I squeeze them he looks towards the source of the noise. I love watching him grow and learn!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.