Our top ten toys and tools...

I'm no Child Developmet Specialist but I've been asked what we've used over the year to aid in reaching developmental milestones. So I thought I'd share a few of our faves with you. 

Initially I thought I needed to go out and spend a whole ton of money on toys that would help focus on learning new skills...skills that I never paid much attention to with my "typical" kiddos. Rest assured the following items are not a must have, they are simply what we found helpful...and they didn't break the bank. 

We used the puppy piano by Fisher Price in just about everything we did. This was one of Lennox's faves! It also was a hit with big bro too;)

Used in combination with a tumbling mat from Ikea stacked as a table encouraged kneeling, which was a tricky milestone for the longest time for us. Also came in handy for tumbling with the older brother...and Fort building and may or may not have been used as a barricade after Mr. Mister became mobile;)

Stacking blocks is something Lennox has just recently learned. I never had anything like this for my other kids as they just kinda learned this skill as time went on. But as we know any kind of fine motor skill learned can never hurt...hence stacking blocks from Infantino were a perfect choice for us. They're a rubber material so slipping once stacked is minimal. We LOVE them and it's fun to see how high he can stack them!

El cheapo stacking cups from Ikea are also fun. Lennox tries stacking them but usually just likes nesting them instead:)

The Fisher Price shape sorter has yet to be used as a sorter. When Lennox was just learning to sit unassisted, we'd fill the bucket with links or anything else to encourage putting in and taking out. A recommendation made by our Child Development Specialist. The shapes are also narrow enough to encourage pincer grasping. Not to mention the added bonus of it being a sorter as skills develop. The sorting is still a developing skill for us...Lennox just can't be bothered at the moment but his interests change by the day...so you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Another neat toy to aid with fine motor is the Fisher Price gum ball machine. Roll around balls are perfect for little hands and go in the top teaching cause and effect with the touch of a lever releasing the balls back down. Lennox especially loved the balls and would chase them or bang them together once the novelty of the machine wore off! Lol

Sitting and sitting to stand with assistance...we used the mat and also the toddler stool from Ikea. Cheap and did the trick. We used as a seat in combination with the activity table(below) and now...it's a stool...Ta-Da!! A multi purpose purchase fo sho;)

Once able to stand for short periods, we loved the Activity Table by Fisher Price. The music still brings back happy memories and I may or may not know the tunes by heart;)

When we were working on crawling I tried the Catch me Kitty by V-Tech. It has a sensor that causes the toy to move when your child comes too close, encouraging them to move to catch it. His first few shuffles were with chasing this obnoxious cat but hey, it was something I was willing to put up with if it meant mobility. I tried to get him to chase it today while walking and well, he's now just too darn fast and caught it every time! 

His all time favourite was his Rocktivity ball which he would roll and chase once he was crawling. He had no interest in it when it was opened but as a ball it was a huge hit...and still is!

There you have it folks. Our list of go to's that we loved over the past year. I wonder what our faves will be this year...