Toys That Grow With You

A friend of mine, Kimber, who has the most adorable little girl, asked that I give her a little list of some of my favorite toys for 6+ months, so I decided to share it here. Because I am a big advocate of less is more, especially when you live in tight spaces with little storage, I love toys that grow with your kids and don't end up in storage after a few months. Here is a list of some pretty small toys that provide hours and years of play. Check out the links in the subheadings below to find out all of the product specs and prices.

Melissa & Doug Caterpillar Puzzle

This puzzle is for 18-month-olds, but Audette has had it since she was around 8 months. Most puzzles are wood, which is great, but for little babies who love to suck on everything, plastic is the way to go! These little puzzle pieces are sturdy, have an interesting shape, and solid colors, perfect for a little one who loves to grab on to everything. Now that Audette is big enough to understand putting puzzles together she is learning to match up the colored pieces with the colored knobs and can even make the caterpillar spin. One of my favorite things about this puzzle is that it is pretty small, compared to other wooden puzzles, so we tend to take this one in the car or even pack it in a bag to take to church.

Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack & Roll Cups

These cups are awesome! This is a 6-36 month toy and has so many fun elements that you can help your little one discover at different ages. The cups are stackable and when you fit them together, you can roll them around. Plus there is a little jingle ball that fits inside and sets on top. From the beginning, Audette has loved the little yellow ball, but she quickly learned that the cups are perfect bowls and hats! She loves to carry them around the house and put them on everyone's heads. We also love putting things in the cups, a favorite activity for kids 6 months and older. I love the bright colors because they make for good matching games now that she is older. There are also numbers on the sides of every cup, so as Audette starts to learn her numbers we will be able to use these for number practice!

Sassy Rock and Roll Ring Stacker

These toys have been around forever, for good reason! The plastic rings are the perfect size for little fingers to grab ahold of and as Audette has been getting older she is loving playing with the different colors and fitting them on the base. The great thing about this stacking set is that the top clips in place to secure the rings. For little ones who are learning to sit up and play, you can roll the entire stack back and forth.

B. Toys YouTurn Steering Wheel

This toy is made for kids ages 1-5 years, but Audette has loved playing with this for quite some time. It is a perfect sized steering wheel with plenty of buttons and sounds. The horn in the middle is clearly Audette's favorite, but even when she couldn't pick out all of the buttons on her own, she loved all of the sounds the car would make as you start the ignition, put it in drive or reverse, and turn on the radio. Now that she is older she can set it up on her lap and turn the steering wheel from side to side to make the turning signal flash and click. There are three song options too, for the music "radio" button, and Eric and I always fight over the country song vs. the jazzy number. Audette doesn't care, she just loves to dance to all of them. B. Toys is a great company and really encourages curiosity and imaginative play.

Rhino Toys Oball Roller

You probably remember toys like this from when you were younger that made popcorn sounds. Those are still around and great, but the reason we love this Oball Roller is because the ball on the end pops off and is a great play toy for any age. I don't know what it is about the rubber and how flexible it is, but babies sure love to roll the balls around and squish them or just shake them so the rattle inside jingles. Now that Audette is older she loves pushing this toy around. You can see her excited face below. She likes to run around our house pushing and shouting along with the noisy ball. Good way to wear a kid out!

I love having a list of a few favorite toys too, especially when it comes time to shop for birthday gifts or special occasions. Any of these toys would make a perfect addition to any baby or toddler's toy chest. If you have any toys you want to recommend to moms who are on the lookout for toys, please share! Or if you have seen anything in any of our pictures, I am always happy to share what I think about the products we use in our home. Most of the things we have are because of the brilliant advice of others, so I am happy to keep passing along the knowledge and fun.

Feeding the Ducks & Geese

Here's another simple activity from our weekend with Grandma Laird. Even though everyone thought they just wanted to take a Sunday afternoon nap, Grandma Laird insisted we take the leftover hamburger rolls to the river and feed the ducks. We were all glad she made us load up in the car and go!

This may be an activity that requires a few extra adults around, especially if you have a group of little ones. It took a team of two to keep some of the little cousins from jumping straight into the river.

Audette liked feeding the birds, but felt it was only fair to test the bread before she gave it away. "One for you, two for me."

And I'm pretty sure, no matter where you live, you can find some sort of bird who would love a snack. Even at my aunt's house in Tucson, Arizona, she leaves bird seed out for the animal life and she gets to spot some pretty exciting creatures from her back porch. Her pictures are always incredible! If you have fun wild life around near your home that your kids love to feed, let us know and please share!

Cousin Love

Most of you probably get to experience this type of love and play all the time, but for us, cousin time is a rare experience. Here's a little look at our cousin love from Memorial Day weekend. Audette love her cousins, Madison, Delaney and Halle.

Audette must be a Laird because she LOVES throwing stuff off bridges into water, just like her daddy.

Nothing better than roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a camp fire.

Road Trip Warrior

You may be an expert at road trips, especially if you have multiple kids, but for those of you who are new to the baby thing and are gearing up for some summer travel, here is a quick look at our weekend trip that could have easily resulted in disaster!

We decided pretty last minute to surprise Eric's parents by driving 13+ hours to Idaho for the Memorial Day weekend. Yes, we realize three days is only 72 hours and we realized it would take us 24+ hours just to get to and from the fun. We are crazy.

Packing

Step one is the prep. Just a little thinking ahead can solve some big problems once you get on the road. A favorite travel source of mine, Happy Family Travels blog, has great recommendations for planning your trips and I love what Ronnie says about packing:

When traveling with kids, you already have so much stuff you need to bring, don't add extra stuff that isn't necessary.

Less is more! We definitely agree. We brought along a simple Graco pack n play, our favorite Chicco umbrella stroller and a small portable hook on high chair. We recommend the Phil & Ted's Lobster.

Besides the basics for the trunk, we also packed our travel bag full of goodies. I let Audi help out with the packing process, which provided a little entertainment during the busy morning before we left town. Here are a couple of suggestions for your goodie bag:

• A couple of simple fabric bibs that can easily be washed, or tossed in the trash (if necessary). Since your little one may be sitting in the car for hours on end, they don't want to be messy or wet the entire time. This also helps avoid extra clothing changes.
• A cuddly blanket that can be washed because it is almost inevitable that it will be stomped on or may fall out of the car door at some point.
• A bag of baby wipes. We love Kirkland wipes from Costco, especially for travel, because they are so big.
• One or two little stuffed animals. Again, easy to wash is the key. (Maybe I'm a little too paranoid about dirt and food messes.)
• For toys, we packed the Ikea abacus, See n Say the Farmer Says, Vtech Slide and Talk Smart Phone, B. Fun Keys, B. Okideoke Microphone and our favorite Melissa & Doug puzzle. All pretty small and easy to pack, but full of buttons and easy to play with from a seat.
• And what is a long road trip without Disney movies! Audette picked out a few, a few too many, but they are small, so they don't take up too much space. (We actually didn't even use them because we ended up on the road for part of the night. Instead of watching movies, she just slept, but they are always good back up.)
• I also love our L.L. Bean Personalized Canvas Tote. It is just big enough for everything we need for road trip, beach or other travel adventures, plus it is unbelievably sturdy. Someone gave it to us as a baby gift and all the reviews say they last for 20+ years. This is something I would definitely give to anyone with a little one!

Clothing

If your road trip is as long as ours was, make sure your little one is in comfortable clothing. Layers are great too, so you can peel them off or put them on as you change elevation and climate. We love the little cotton dresses from Baby Gap that are as soft as pajamas. That way, if your little one falls asleep for the night, you don't feel bad about putting them straight to bed upon arrival.

Food

Snacks are essential. Don't be hesitant to pack fresh fruits and vegetables too. Even if you don't pack a cooler, it is likely you will eat through everything pretty quickly. Audette is a super good eater, but any kid will spend a decent amount of time eating and that can help "eat" away at the time you have to keep them contained to their car seat.

Also, make meal time an escape from the car. Pack a picnic or stop at a restaurant and eat. Drive-thrus are awesome when you are in a rush, but it is okay to add an hour or two on to the trip if it means letting your little one get out of the car and shake their wiggles out. Plus, you can enjoy those pretty scenic landscapes that you would typically cruise by and you'll probably eat healthier.

Take time to play

You will be surprised what you find along the road while you travel. We stopped for dinner in Coeur d'Alene and found the most darling toy store amongst a bunch of restaurants called Shenanigan's. They had the best retro toys and Audette walked around the store looking at everything with such wonder, saying "wow" to every shelf, like she had never seen a toy in her life. We just happened to stumble upon this treasure, but you can easily do a quick search for a toy or pet store as you drive through a town and spend 20 extra minutes letting your child play.

Short walks are another great form of play on road trips. Coeur d'Alene also features interesting moose and mouse statues around town and we found a few of them on our walk down to the lake.

To our complete surprise the trip was actually very delightful. No, we're not ready to jump in the car for another 24 hour driving adventure, especially Eric because I forced him to drive 99% of the way. But we have already planned our next road trip to Idaho and we are going to spend one of our nights camping in our new favorite town Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Audette voted to visit the moose again. Plus, any grouchy moments or cramped legs were all worth it when we saw Grandma's surprised face upon arrival.

I know we missed a lot, so whether you have tips on nursing moms or must-have car items we didn't list, please leave a comment and share!