V-Tech Sit to Stand Learning Walker

This is one of those wonderful toys that spans multiple stages of development and can be used in numerous ways. The Vtech - Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker is essentially two toys in one. It can be used as a walk behind walker to help young children starting to take steps with stability and confidence. The front portion is also a removable interactive component with songs, buttons, lights and puzzles which can be played with on the walker or by itself.

We first started using this toy when Kira was learning to sit up. The buttons are large and easy for a young infant to press. The music is your typical canned nursery rhyme type, but not too annoying and volume can be controlled. It can also be turned off completely if you so desire. Buttons teach animals, animal sounds, colors, shapes and numbers. There is a pretend phone that was a huge hit in this house, cogs that turn, and shape puzzle pieces held on by springy attachments that need to be placed in the correct place.

When Kira started pulling to stand and taking steps, this walker was great compared to another type that she had because it is so stable. The wide base of the legs and the relative weight of the walker make it great for stability, unlike other similar walkers that tend to run away from the child.

My younger daughter is already starting to become interested in the interactive part of this toy, and I know that she will be off and running with it in no time. This walker is also very reasonably priced for something that can be used for a good period of time.

Step 2 Naturally Playful Sand and Water Center

When the warm weather started to roll in this Spring, I knew that I wanted to get Kira a sand box. After doing a ton of research, I decided that a combined sand and water table would be even better. I liked the fact that I could use it just for sand, just for water, or both if I was not going to worry about a muddy mess! We own a few other Step 2 products and, while they are typically a bit more expensive than other brands, we love their durability, design and functionality.

The Step2 Naturally Playful Sand & Water Center requires some minimal assembly. You need to screw on the four legs and attach the umbrella if you are going to be using it. The umbrella is easily removed so it doesn't have to stay on. Before purchasing, I read some reviews about water leaking through the legs of the table. Sure enough, when I put water in it after it was put together a small amount of water did leak down the legs. It certainly wasn't enough to make a real difference to the water level, but I just put some water sealant around the leg plugs and the problem was solved in a minute.

This table is the perfect height for toddlers and preschoolers. It's also a good size, about 46 inches long and 26 inches wide, so you need to take that into consideration when deciding where to put it. Ours fits perfectly along the side of our small deck, so Kira can play while I am inside cooking, taking care of her little sister etc.

One side of the table is intended for sand, while the other has channels and "roads" designed for water play. This side is also fine for sand too. The table comes with a few accessories such as bridges, molds for sand castles, cars etc., but we bought a few other cheap sand and water toys from the local big box store to add to the fun.

The large umbrella is excellent for shading Kira on those really hot summer days. It provides very good coverage and is easy to set up and take down. It's very light, however, so on a windy day it might not be a safe choice. The lid that comes with the table features roads that can be used on top, and is held down by two bungee cords. The table has been outside all summer with the lid on and has gone through strong storms and winds. Water and bugs have never gotten into the table and the lid has always stayed on tightly.

This table has been a great investment for hours of fun. It's create for imaginative and sensory play, and I can see my girls enjoying it for years to come.

Step 2 Prepare and Share Kitchen

This Step2 Prepare and Share Kitchen Set was Kira's main gift for her first birthday. We knew she was a bit young for it, but we want to foster imaginative play as much as possible and she loves to imitate what we are doing. We also wanted something she could really grow into. There are many play kitchens to choose from, but we chose the Step 2 brand based on the positive reviews about durability, the price and the fact that they look like real kitchens rather than huge pieces of pink plastic in your living room. We settled on the Prepare and Share model because it has a lot of features squeezed into a relatively small footprint, and we don't have a huge amount of space in our play area.

The whole thing took about 40 minutes to put together, with about 10 minutes of that time being devoted to carefully placing sticker decals on the unit. The kitchen comes with a number of play pieces including pots and pans, cups, plates, cutlery, a coffee pot, spice jars, a salt and pepper shaker and a phone. It also has a decent amount of play food included, but we picked up an extra set for less than $10 at Toys R Us to complete the kitchen.

I really like the realistic look of the kitchen and the fact that it makes boiling or frying sounds depending on what is placed on the burner. Kira loves the sounds every time and likes to try out different foods in the pans. Over the last few months we have seen her really start to play imaginatively with the kitchen. She is stirring with the spoon or spatula, pouring into cups from the coffee pot and pretend eating the food. She likes to dump all the food out of the storage baskets or hide it in the oven or fridge. I think she will get a lot more out of it as the months go by, and that's exactly what we were looking for when we bought the toy.

The only issue we've had so far is that on one occasion she opened the oven door and stood on it, which made the whole unit tip over towards her. I was sitting right there, so I could catch it. The kitchen is not super heavy, but it probably would have scared her had it landed on her. Otherwise, it's sturdy on our carpet and doesn't wobble. She hasn't tried this little trick again, so hopefully she learned her lesson.

Melissa and Doug First Shapes Jumbo Puzzle

I am a huge fan of puzzles for every age group, so I wanted to introduce them to Kira as soon as possible. They have so many benefits, including cognitive, fine motor and attention, and they are inexpensive compared to so many other toys out there. We've always loved the Melissa and Doug brand for it's durability, bright colors and basic, traditional approach.

This Melissa & Doug First Shapes Jumbo features a house with each shape making up a part of the picture. The circle is the sun, the rectangle is the house door, the square is the window, the oval is a tree and the triangle is part of the roof. Each shape has a large, wooden knob to help little hands manipulate and grasp. Each puzzle piece is chunky and bold.

These puzzles are quite heavy, so I used to have to help Kira if she attempted to carry it by herself. Now she's fine, but it would be painful to drop on little toes! She was initially drawn to the puzzle because of it's bright colors and the fact that it had a door (she's was really into doors around the year mark!). She was starting to become consistent with shape recognition around 14 months, and this puzzle helped a lot. I could ask her to find the circle, for example, and she will pick it up and put it in the puzzle. This made shape learning fun for her. She found the circle and triangle fairly easy to put in, but struggled a bit with the oval. The square and rectangle were hit and miss depending on the day. Sometimes, she got a little frustrated if she couldn't fit the shapes by herself. I wouldn't attempt this puzzle with kids any younger than 13 months, and she probably would have been less frustrated if she was a little older.

Kira has thrown and dropped the pieces multiple times, but they are tough and have even withstood a little chewing here and there. We have bought more puzzles from the Melissa and Doug line as Kira has outgrown this one.

Fisher Price Snap 'n' Style Babies: Naptime for Nikki

Dolls have always been a favorite in this house, but being so little Kira is not able to manipulate the clothes and hats that come along with them. We end up spending a lot of time doing it for her, only for her to rip them right off again! I found the Snap 'n' Style collection of dolls on sale in a local department store and decided to give Fisher-Price Snap 'n Style Baby - Nikki a try. They are recommended for 2+, but the parts are all large enough not to be a choking hazard (although I would still supervise to be safe).

The doll is small enough to be handled by little hands and comes with two hats, two little onsie outfits, a crib and a bear. All pieces are plastic and 'snap' on and off the baby's body. Her arms, legs and head also move around. As soon as I got this out of the box, it was a hit. Kira loved putting the hat on and off and was really excited that she could do this herself. Right now, she's not able to snap the outfit on without help as it needs more precision that she can achieve, but she likes to help me.

These dolls are great for early imaginative play. Kira had fun putting the baby to sleep, giving her the little bear and then waking her up again. The other dolls in the collection are Bathtime for Kira (yay!) and Dinnertime for Dalia, so there's plenty of opportunity to play out different daily scenarios. 

Step 2 Art Easel Desk

Kira has finally entered the phase where crayons can be more than a waxy snack. Since we took out our dining table to make more room for her to play, we were stuck with coloring on the floor which is just not comfortable for anyone. She's still too small for most regular easels, and we wanted something that her little sister could share when she grows a little, so after a bit of research I found the Art Easel Desk .

This little piece of furniture has a regular dry erase easel board on one side and a small little bench and work desk on the other. It's the perfect height for 1-3 year olds and also works great for families with more than one child, since they can both get creative at the same time. The dry erase board has a clip at the top to hold paper, and the work desk features a lift up lid to store paper or coloring books. Crayons can be held in the crayon rack above the desk or the little tray under the dry erase board.

Kira figured out how to climb onto the seat and sit down really quickly...it was the cutest thing! She loves to lift the little desk lid up and down and hide her crayons. The desk area is quite small, so large coloring books are a tight fit, but right now that's not an issue as we just use paper or let her color on the desk itself. It's very easy to clean up crayon with a baby wipe and get the easel looking like new again.

I think this easel will be a great place for the kids to get creative for quite a few years, and for the relatively low price it's well worth it. It took about 30 minutes to put together and, although mainly plastic, is solidly built and can stand up to plenty of abuse.