Toddler years - if you could "register"

[Uno-Mom]

Most of us dutifully created our infant registries.
Well, it happened: Sprog is suddenly a toddler, both in body and attitude! We're fairly frugal but we are realizing that toddlerhood requires its own set of new products.

Imagine you created a wishlist or "registery" of those amazingly awesome and/or useful items for those toddler years. What would be on it? What would NOT be on it?

I have my own ideas but I'm curious. :) We're just starting this grand adventure!

[larig]

FUN! really, I think a lot of what is on my list is stuff for a kiddo to do/play with. I'll come back and add more when I think of other stuff.

-yookidoo (DS actually uses this in the kitchen sink--one suction cup holds it well enough)
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3539963
-easel (we have the ikea)
-kitchen (we have the ikea)
-snow pants (if it's cold where you live)
-membership to children's museum or science museum
-books and books
-sand or water table
-toddler table & chair or desk
-book shelf or toy box--you know, more toddler furniture
-good camera to capture fast motion--this was my BEST and most important purchase.
ETA: puzzles & tupperware shape sorter (I love this thing)


on my wish list
-folding wagon (this is the wagon I want, it's too $$ right now: http://www.amazon.com/Edge-900124-Folding-Utility-Handle/dp/B001QGUFDO)
-tricycle or balance bike
-in a year or so we'll want a Frontier (car seat)
-train table/lego table

ETA: I'd second so many of the GREAT recs down thread--letters, blocks, duplos, instruments--esp. percussion first, magnadoodle...

[ett]

I will add unit blocks, duplos, and musical instruments to PP's list.

[blue]

:popc1: good idea...

[smiles33]

Love PP's suggestions. I would add a walker wagon and/or ride-on toy like a Cozy Coupe, which are both really great for toddlers, too. DD2 was only 13 months old when she started crawling into DD1's Cozy Coupe. She started climbing onto her Kettler trike several months later.

Also a Learning Tower, but much more so now that we have 2 kids as DD2 has to be/do whatever her older sister is doing and it isn't safe for 2 kids to stand on a kitchen chair/ regular stool.

[blue]

-membership to children's museum or science museum


:yeahthat: Our membership to our town children's museum is defiantly my 19 month old ds favorite thing at the moment.

- Toy Vacuum cleaner

[MoJo]

Jelly Bean loves her books, her ride-on truck, her play kitchen (thanks for the recommendation, BBB!), her Doodle Pro, and especially her baby doll (but I think that's mostly because she has a baby sister). Since about age 2, she gravitates to anything that's like mine.

I'd also agree with the snow gear and camera recommendations, and the toy vacuum.

Jelly Bean has 4 or 5 different kinds of blocks and won't play with any of them.

Since maybe 2 1/4, she's been into letters. So bathtub letters and now FridgeWords are big hits.

[Melaine]

*If you didn't invest in one yet, a Tripp Trapp. We didn't get our two until the girls were 2.5 and it has still been totally worth it.

*Learning Tower, for sure. The best toddler item we have and still going strong through the preschool years. Love the easels too.

*Hanna Andersson unders after potty training. Love these and thrilled to have ended the "underwear wars" at my house. Now, to face the "sock wars" again.

*Klean Kanteen sippys, we still use these every day for bedtime. They don't leak or leach anything nasty and are easy to clean and very durable. We also use funtainers but I have mixed feelings about them.

*Magnadoodle-2nd birthday gifts that get used all the time---great for car rides

*Pretty much any Play Kitchen-Definitely a toy that gets fairly constant play, along with all the M&D playfood.

*Flip Camera-love "pulling" shots out of video. It's been so much easier for me to catch both girls looking or to capture some funny moments. I don't have a DSLR, which would be better but hey...I do what I can

*Wheely Bugs-I think it's really important to get the right size of these. At first I was really disappointed because the girls didn't really use them at 2. But around 3 they took off and they became a favorite. We have the large size for age 3-5 so I really think that they just weren't perfect until the girls hit 3. It's so cute and the size is perfect even for a fairly small space. Lots of fun.

*Finally, we have really enjoyed our playstands from Little Colorado. Sadly, we are selling them tomorrow. We just don't have room to keep them since the girls have to move into big kid beds. But they are great and if you have a large playroom space, I highly recommend them.

We never got playsilks but the way my girls play with scarves and stuff like that, I am sure they would be enjoyed.


ETA: So true about memberships. We have absolutely loved having a membership to the local zoo and a kids' museum. Ditto the kids' classes available at the YMCA.

[GvilleGirl]

I do have an Amazon wishlist set up for both of my kids. Then when the grandparents want to send some random gift or birthday gift they know what the kids want and we don't get duplicates. Things we have received from the list were:
Children's Museum Membership
Easel
Fridge Phonics
Kitchen and food
Gymnastics Classes
Backpack
Potty seat
Books

Now on her list:
Wagon
Pattern Blocks
Clothes
Headphones
Strider balance bike

[Uno-Mom]

Is there any Learning Tower type thing that would work for a TINY kitchen?

I know your lists must be cool because I don't know what half those things are!

[larig]

Is there any Learning Tower type thing that would work for a TINY kitchen?

I know your lists must be cool because I don't know what half those things are!

Honestly I have the smallest kitchen in the world. If it doesn't fold up, it can't be there. So, I just let DS use a step stool, and I stood behind him, before I was confident he wouldn't fall. Now that he's 2.5 I just let him climb up and down it himself and he's fine. He just proved to me over time that he was ready. I am always arm's length from him when he is on. There are some that are better than others for this, I think some have a railing that doesn't let you stand on the step well.

Oh, and I'd add to my list a step stool for the bathroom--I have one like this, because I have a tiny bathroom too.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=safari&rls=en&q=folding+step+stool&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=1297602970906626627&ei=HM1WTZXVI5GesQPc9pijDA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=3&ved=0CDwQ8gIwAg#

[elephantmeg]

some of these are for older kids but I'll throw them in. Mine are 3 and 5 now (almost)
the first stuff we got were the pop up activity things and block sorter, chunky cars (DS) and dolls (DD)


climber thing (kangaroo climber, small slide)
play kitchen/playfood
doll/doll accessories
puzzles (we started with M+D 3 peice puzzles and have moved up)
blocks of some sort
ride on toys-we have a tractor and a horse
push toys-we started with the radio flyer walker wagon and then strollers and lawn mowers
playdough

[ourbabygirl]

You could also get a Kitchen Helper, which is smaller than a Learning Tower.

Has anyone mentioned a sand & water table? We have a green & brown step 2 one, and DD loved it.
Also a swing to hang from the deck/ a tree/ wherever.
BALLS! (the big bouncy ones you can get from Target, any size & color- DD loves balls)
DD loves the Calico Critters play food (teeny, tiny) and animals like the Toob of Animals you can get at Michael's
Magnatiles
Play food, but also dishes, tea pot, etc. She loves to play tea party with her stuffed animals.
Leapfrog Laptop
Megablocks
Dress-up clothes, especially hats (you can get cheap stuff in the dollar section at Target) & beads- DD and her cousins are obsessed with the Mardi Gras beads! ;)
Stickers, Play doh, crayons & markers, beads, foam stickers, basically any art supply
Candyland!
Doctor's kit
Kitty keyboard (we got it from Target)
Pillow pet
and BOOKS! Esp. Eric Carle, Sandra Boynton, counting ones (10 little ...., etc.), good bedtime books, pop-up, and musical ones


These are DD's favorites. :thumbsup:

[blue]

:BUMP: Uno-Mom I hope your don't mind me bumping you thread
(if its not proper let me know) :)

I am just curious if any one else has something to add the great things already posted.

[DrSally]

Britax FR
Cooshie booster seat
2-100 sets of clear magnatiles
contigo mugs/frogo straw cups
LE gift certificates for clothes
balance bike
Leapster

ETA: I will second recommendations for unit blocks, play kitchen, and Children's (and/or Zoo) museum membership

[charmcitymom]

In keeping with a PP, an excellent addition to toddler furniture is the anywhere chair from PBK or other similar chair. DS loves this. Then he also recently took to his pull along toy. I got him Plan Toys dancing alligator and was so disappointed that he didn't like it then, but he's really picked it up now. He loves pulling it around.

I would love to get him a train/play table but alas we don't have the space. We have a smaller table and a couple of chairs and he seems to like that, but I know ... a train table would be better.

[AnnieW625]

Honestly I have the smallest kitchen in the world. If it doesn't fold up, it can't be there. So, I just let DS use a step stool, and I stood behind him, before I was confident he wouldn't fall. Now that he's 2.5 I just let him climb up and down it himself and he's fine. He just proved to me over time that he was ready. I am always arm's length from him when he is on. There are some that are better than others for this, I think some have a railing that doesn't let you stand on the step well.


We have always just used a step stool too. My dare devil DD1 started climbing it at 14 mos. old before she could walk. We have this one from Cosco (http://www.amazon.com/Cosco-11-135CLGG4-Folding-Stool-2-Step/dp/B002AAZGQG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1297745114&sr=8-5).

List of toddler favorites:
Plasma Car (or Skitter, same thing, prices are sometimes cheaper on one or the other)
Bjorn potty seat
Bjorn step stool
diapers instead of pull ups until pretty much potty trained
play shopping cart
tents
blow up swimming pool
Lego Duplos
little table and chairs

List of things we still want
play kitchen
anywhere chair
push car (we never had one of these for DD1, but she loved them at play dates)

[smiles33]

Just wanted to add we didn't need the learning tower until DD2 was old enough to climb up herself. If you only have 1 kid, it isn't worth it unless you can get it under $50.