A Few of our Favorite Things

I thought I would share some of Kyler's favorite toys and things in case you are ever wondering what to get a one- or two-year-old boy as a gift. As you will soon see, our boy loves vehicles and things with wheels, so this may not be suited for all kids. :)

Matchbox Cars

(My aunt just brought over about 100 used Matchbox cars from her boys. This along with an old piece of trim to use as a ramp has kept Kyler busy for days and days, as well as whenever he goes over to my grandma's house most afternoons for a couple of hours.)

Plain Matching Toddler Socks

(I know this seems ridiculous, but it is hard to find just plain matching toddler socks. We have lots of character socks, and I even bought a pack of plain socks but they all had different variations of a stripe at the top. The problem is that socks go missing, and more so when they are tiny socks. So it's nice to have a package of socks that are all the same that you don't have to find the match to. That, and besides Grandma Tammy, I have always had to boy socks. Something you don't normally receive as a gift like all the other clothes. Who knew?)

Small Plastic Open Face Cups

(We have finally successfully weaned Kyler off of the sippy cup. He now enjoys his colorful little "big boy" cups - not the exact ones pictured. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a few reasonably priced cups for kids.)

Books

(Kyler has been a book lover since Day 1. We have been spending more time out and about so haven't had as much time to read, but he still loves his books. His favorites are about tractors and trucks of course. He also likes Green Eggs and Ham, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Go Dog Go, The Little Engine that Could, Curious George, and Clifford.

Toy Trucks with Trailers

(We don't have this exact set-up, but Ky loves attaching trailers to trucks and loading them up with other vehicles, animals or whatever he can find.)

Two-Piece Pajamas

(At around 20 months, Kyler started to refuse to wear the zip-up onsie pajamas. The kid is weird about his clothes. I don't know about you other parents, but it seems like I am always needing to go buy pajamas and especially cooler summer pajamas for my sweaty boy. I guess it's just something that people normally don'g give as a gift like other clothes.)

Melissa & Doug Puzzles with Sound

(Although these can be annoying when the puzzle pieces are left out and you hear noises randomly as the light dims and brightens, these are great toys. Kyler was able to start putting these together before he was even a year old. He still loves them. He has one that's a little more difficult too where it's all one puzzle but the picture is on the board to help.)

Fisher Price Garage

(We have this older model that I purchased used, but Ky loves pushing his cars up and down the ramps/slides on this toy.)

Pillow Pet

(Ky got this pillow pet for Christmas, right around the time when he started liking to have a pillow to rest his head on. How he sleeps with this in his crib every night, and we take it with us when we sleep elsewhere, along with his stuffed giraffe and favorite Cars blanket, so that his bed seems familiar.)

Step Stool

(A must-have when your kid is over 30 pounds and needs his/her hands washed. Also good for little boys who want to potty on the big potty like Daddy. I just went out and bought a plastic adult step stool, but this extra step would be nice since our bathroom vanity is higher.)

Chalk

(Kyler loves to write on his chalkboard-painted closet doors or the sidewalk outside with chalk. And he really loves it when someone else draws things with him. Plus, it's nice because it's not going to ruin anything if he writes on something he's not supposed to, unlike crayon or marker.)

Fisher Price Cozy Coupe

(Kyler got this on his first birthday and has got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Right now it is at my parents garage for him to play with when he is over there. But it still gets some use when his little friends come over there.)

Wagon

(We love our all-terrain wagon that Kyler got for his first birthday. It is heavy duty and easy to pull anywhere - on the streets, in the grass, or on rock or dirt when we're out camping. And the best part is that Ky LOVES going for a walk in his wagon.)

Commercial Tricycle

(This one is called the Commercial Trike Road Rider I. The quality of these tricycles is not even comparable to the retail versions. Kyler was able to figure out how to pedal one of these with ease. The price tag is hefty though, so we would probably have just used a regular trike if my mom didn't have these at daycare.)

Strider

(We have only had one for a couple of days but Kyler does not like to get off of this bike. It is tiny and lightweight so we can manage it easily. It doesn't have pedals either - the idea is for kids to learn to balance and then pedal. And there is no traumatic experience of removing pedals. They recommend starting with these about as soon as the child can walk.)