Baby Toys :: 1 Year Old

I should preface this list with a few things.  First, an apology for the over-abundance of lists.  Lazy blogging, maybe.  Favorite form of blogging (for me)? Definitely.  I love lists.  Maybe you love them too.  In which case, I do not apologize.  In fact, I take that apology back altogether.  I am actually developing running list in my head called "Things for which I refuse to apologize", and my love for lists is now on it.  Right alongside the fact that I made my husband watch Frozen with me, despite him going "Really?  Reeeally?" every 15 minutes or so.  I just kept saying to him, what I say to you re: my lists and my love for email shorthand > I do not apologize.

However, since I'm not prefacing this post with any apologies, I am going to preface it by saying that I have a somewhat immobile 1yo.  She has a few push-behind toys that basically seem like preparation for grocery carts, and she L-is-for-the-way-you-look-at-me -OVES them.  But my list today is for the sitting-down, standing-at-a-coffee-table, chillin'-like-a-villian times.  

1. Stacking Dolls

I love these little dolls!  And the best part is, so does Riley!  I ordered the dolls plain off of ebay (I think I typed "blank Russian Nesting Dolls").  They come in sets of 3 & 5, mostly.  But then I did something clever. I had them mailed to my SIL so that she, the one with the painting skillz, could personalize them for me.  I told her to "go wild" and she took me seriously, painting these cute little wild animals!  My favorite thing is the  detail on each of these.  The fox?  There are little fish jumping in the background.  Riley has just gotten to where she can take them apart AND put them back together.  If you keep up on Instagram, you know that made me one proud mama :)

2. The classic Sorter.

We mostly roll the wooden toy train in this house (not a real train, she's too young for that), but a friend got RG this classic sorter box, and she loves it.  She's played with it for about 4 months now, but she's just getting good with putting the pieces in.  Maybe that's behind what other babies do, I have no idea and I'm not concerned.  I'm excited for her to be able to keep playing and growing with this toy for a while yet!

3.  Stacking Rings

There once was a set of stacking rings.  The rings, they lived like kings.  Kings of the workshop in California, where they were made and boxed and had no dings.  But the King of the rings, they went one day to the house of a little girl with one swing.  That girl, she loved the rings, although she did not know they were kings, and she gave them many bumps and dings, until 3 of the rings grew wings and got flinged and then there were three left.  The end.

4. The anti-toy

AKA - My wallet.  Riley loves my wallet.  She loves to pull out all of the cards, then hold the cards, and show them to people, and cause them to exclaim that "Isn't she starting early!" and "Thats what girls do, spend money" and a million and four other sexist comments to which her long-suffering mama smiles and nods and then leaves and thinks of a great comeback.  But really.  This one?  In the car?  Best. Toy. Eva.

So that's our list.  They're mostly non-interactive toys.  Because we're descended from communists, yes, but also because I heard/read/dreamt somewhere that the more interactive the toy, the more passive the child; the more passive the toy, the more interactive the child.  Which made sense to me.  And I detest passivity.  So we've gone mostly that route.  Plus, I hate noise. SO. DANG. MUCH.  So I tend to shy away from electronic noise machines.

(whoa!  sorry to get all negative there at the end.  who knew I had such strong feelings in me on a Wednesday!?)

What does/did you 1yo play with most?

<3 M.

Things My Baby Doesn't Need :: Etsy Edition

I might have mentioned that my baby girl's birthday is coming up.  In 8 days.  I've got a puzzle stashed away for her big day, but that's it.  And I'm not worried.  Because she doesn't need anything.  She doesn't know to want anything.  AND, in true after-christmas-baby fashion, she's just not gonna get a whole lot.  When she's older, and her current toys aren't new to her every morning, and she can't be kept happy for hours with a mylar balloon, perhaps then we'll actually buy her presents.  But until then... 

We could be called counter-cultural, choosing not to buy and buy and lavish and lavish on our 52-week-old.   (don't mind me with the weeks, I'm having more trouble than I thought with the whole "letting her grow up" thing).  Handsome prefers the term "cheap".  Maybe its a combination (but its mostly cheap).  Whatever.  All I know is that we make the rules around here, and around here, 1-year-olds don't get a ton of toys.  They just don't.  

She will get a smash cake.  Oh yes, she will.  And she will get both grandmas here to visit and kiss and cuddle with.  And there will be some decorations, and friends over to play, and music and a party.  There will be a gift or two.  But unless someone ignores the "Please, come and celebrate, but don't bring a gift" line on the party invitation facebook event e-vite, that's it.

And I'm A-okay with it.  BUT.  But.  That doesn't stop me from dreaming.  I still want to nab all of these sweet toys for my girl, and I want her to love them and play with them and appreciate them and have memories of them.  So I'm storing them here, and perhaps throughout the year we'll get her one or two.  Unless you buy them up, in which case I will cut you be sad.

So here's the things I'd get for Riley Girl if I was a getting girl in a getting mood.  

Note: This is not a "please get Riley a present" list.  It's not.  We really do not need anything more in our house.  We've got toys spread out across 3 levels, just so she's not overwhelmed.  We have PLENTY.  I just like to window shop.  Just for the record.  Okay, resume the listing.

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I think this fabric doll is sweet.
She'll have a doll eventually, when she's old enough.

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I love hedgehogs!
RG has a "touch & feel" book where the hedgehog is made of velcro.
I'd put a string on this and when she decides to walk, she could pull it around!

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Girlfriend loves phones.
She picks everything up, holds it to the side of her head, and say "Heeey!"
Except play that back in your head sounding less like a valley girl, and more like Don Corleone.

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It's a pull-along, it's a wagon, it's a puzzle...
It's WONDER TOY!

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I'm really kind of stuck on the dolls.
I wasn't a big "doll" girl, but I'm super excited to hook my girl up with some!
Richard, what's happening to me!?!

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Now, this might not seem like a toy a parent would buy.
More like something an aunt or uncle buys, and gives, and then leaves for the quiet of their own home.
But baby girl loves her some percussion instruments.
And I don't mind 'em, as long as they don't have batteries.
Not a big battery-operated noise-maker fan.
Nope.

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Although maybe I'll go with this version instead.
I could say its the colors, but I'd be lying if I said the "ships from Italy" wasn't a swaying point for me
#iloveitalians

So, that's the list.  Oh!  I just remembered, she does have another gift coming.  I ordered a set of blank nesting dolls, through this Russian connection, and my sister-in-law is hand painting them for Riley!  I believe she's doing woodland creatures, and I really hope there's a squirrel, or chipmunk in there.  Which is crazy, given  my irrational fear of those rodents.  Got any baby-gifting stories for me?  Anything you're loving lately from Etsy/Storenvy?  

<3 M.