First birthday presents for my DD!

[citymama]

My baby turns one soon! We've already bought and given her her "big" present from us - the RF walker wagon. I'm looking for a few smaller toys and books to give her on her birthday. She has a big sister and pretty much just has hand me down toys and books from DD1. Specifically, I'd love suggestions for:

- favorite board books for 12-18 months - I've read all the ones we have a million times! I'll share my 'must have' book for a one year old - from head to toe by Eric Carle. It's perfect!
- Favorite new music CDs for that age group that parents might enjoy as well
- wheeled or push toys - things that go, especially if she can make them go herself and follow them around the house
- busy box type toys. Dd1 never had one and DD2 is always fascinated by wire mazes and such like when we're in doc waiting rooms. Would prefer no toys with sounds or lights!
- fave new bath toys?
- she loves blocks, musical instruments, toys that you can make do something.

Unlike her sister who loved stuffed animals and was already doing imaginative play by 1, dd2 seems more interested in
how things work than pretending to feed and dress animals!

We already have: walker wagon, trike, rocking horse, sand/water table.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[BabyBearsMom]

DD just turned 1, such a crazy fun time. I can't believe that first year is over already!! Anyway, here are some recommendations:

- Board Books: We love the Sandra Boynton books. Moo Ba Lalala and the Belly Button book are great. We also love anything by Mo Willems. There are 2 of his pigeon books in board format (the Pigeon Likes Things that Go and The Pigeon has Feelings Too) which are great. We also have the original Olivia which I love.
- I really like Peter, Paul & Mommy, which is a CD of children's songs by the folk group Peter, Paul & Mary. It is a lot of my favorites when I was a kid. I also like the soundtrack from the Curious George movie which is a lot of Jack Johnson, who is one of my favorites for non-kids music too.
- We gave DD a PlaySkool Cushy Cruiser (this: http://www.amazon.com/Playskool-Wheel-Cushy-Crusin-School/dp/B0013E3P9K only I know I didn't spend $35 on it) and she loves it. She pushes it around the house and says "vroom". She also has this from Christmas which she just started loving: http://www.amazon.com/Playskool-Step-Start-Walk-Ride/dp/B00004T2WP/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1303827811&sr=1-1 She can walk on her own but she likes pushing it around and has just started riding it. It is fun to take outside as well.
- We don't have a busy box but we do have the M&D bead maze which DD is really into. We thought about getting something like this for her birthday: http://www.amazon.com/B-68603-Zany-Zoo/dp/B002YIX0XA/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1303827902&sr=1-8 but decided that it was more than we wanted to spend with everything else we had already gotten her.
- We only have some squirters for the bath (which I clean meticulously because I fear mold), nothing special but DD likes them, they are by Sassy.
- This is really small but do you have a shake egg? DD loves hers and is always shaking it along to the music.

The other thing we gave DD for her birthday is we signed her up for a music class at our local Gymboree. It is great. DD has a blast and I have met some really nice parents there. It is very active and fun for the kids too.

Good luck with the birthday!!

[goldenpig]

My baby turns one soon! We've already bought and given her her "big" present from us - the RF walker wagon. I'm looking for a few smaller toys and books to give her on her birthday. She has a big sister and pretty much just has hand me down toys and books from DD1. Specifically, I'd love suggestions for:

- favorite board books for 12-18 months - I've read all the ones we have a million times! I'll share my 'must have' book for a one year old - from head to toe by Eric Carle. It's perfect!
My Friends (http://www.amazon.com/My-Friends-Taro-Gomi/dp/0811847861/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303829019&sr=1-1) by Taro Gomi
Spring is Here (http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Here-Taro-Gomi/dp/0811823318/ref=tmm_other_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1303828954&sr=8-1) by Taro Gomi
- Favorite new music CDs for that age group that parents might enjoy as well
any CD by Elizabeth Mitchell
Sesame Street Music Player (http://www.amazon.com/Sesame-Street-Player-Anniversary-Collectors/dp/0794419135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303828299&sr=8-1)
- wheeled or push toys - things that go, especially if she can make them go herself and follow them around the house
Plan Toys Walk N Roll (http://www.amazon.com/PlanToys-Plan-Preschool-Walk-Roll/dp/B000RMPQKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303829083&sr=1-1-catcorr)
- busy box type toys. Dd1 never had one and DD2 is always fascinated by wire mazes and such like when we're in doc waiting rooms. Would prefer no toys with sounds or lights!
Educo has a bunch of bead mazes. We have one that looks like a farm (I can't find the link).
- fave new bath toys?
Yookidoo Fill N Flow Spout (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3539963&prodFindSrc=search)
- she loves blocks, musical instruments, toys that you can make do something.
Magnatiles
Parents Kitty Keyboard (http://www.amazon.com/B-68612-Meowsic-Keyboard/dp/B002YIRKBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303829198&sr=8-1)
Vtech Alphabet Apple (http://www.amazon.com/Vtech-Preschool-Learning-Alphabet-Apple/dp/B0027CS7OK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1303828390&sr=8-8) (we don't have this, but we have a similar electronic ABC toy and both DC LOVE to press all the buttons--most fought over toy in the car)

Unlike her sister who loved stuffed animals and was already doing imaginative play by 1, dd2 seems more interested in
how things work than pretending to feed and dress animals!

We already have: walker wagon, trike, rocking horse, sand/water table.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Happy 1st birthday baby!

[chozen]

at that age our dd really liked the laugh and learn talking pink tea pot she still plays with it often and it has been over 2yrs.

[elbenn]

Sandra Boynton books are great--Blue Hat, Green Hat is really cute. This book is not a board book, but it has great art and is really sweet: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Loves-Metropolitan-Museum-Art/dp/0689853408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303829080&sr=8-1

If you DD likes music, the mozart musical cube is really great. http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-3106-Mozart-Magic-Cube/dp/B00004TFLB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1303839122&sr=8-1

[mikala]

Happy birthday to your little one! Here are a few of our favorites:

- favorite board books for 12-18 months - anything Sandra Boynton esp Barnyard Dance, Spot books, Priddy books, I-spy type books. This (http://www.amazon.com/Can-Eat-Rainbow-Annabel-Karmel/dp/1405339063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303840115&sr=1-1) veggie book was also an unexpected favorite.

- Favorite new music CDs for that age group that parents might enjoy as well--Sandra Boynton (Rhinocerous Tap, Philidelphia Chickens), Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants kids CDs
- wheeled or push toys - Alligator (http://www.amazon.com/Plan-Toys-0510502-Dancing-Alligator/dp/B000I8SMZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1303839736&sr=8-1)
- fave new bath toys? The Yookidoo spout is also a hit at our house.

This cake stacker (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Stack-Count-Layer/dp/B0015TI1UG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303839893&sr=1-1-catcorr) is also great.

If you don't already have one a toy kitchen+Ikea accessories and fabric food is also great.

[Seitvonzu]

we have "i can eat a rainbow" that our friends gave lucy and she did really love it-- it was super cute :) we also had 'eating the alphabet" (lois ehlert) which we've enjoyed since that age and continue to enjoy. my child definitely knows the name of lots of different fruit and veg, which makes mama happy :) I really like "the very busy spider" by eric carle, "a child's goodnight book" by margaret wise brown, and "one is one " by tasha tudor, for getting kids to relax at that age. these along with goodnight moon & goodnight gorilla are our most worn down board books ;)

we also LOVELOVE elizabeth mitchell (i think she's great for younger kids , but still nice for mellow car time,etc), and i'm a big fan of lauri berkner for more active times.

my child really likes "foamies" for the bath (i picked up a set at pottery barn for a friends child and then ended up giving them something else- it has houses and people...)--but she was like your older daughter-- really into imaginative sorts of play from early on. she is also a kid that LOVES to figure out how stuff works and she really enjoys her "pump" (the fill and flow spout)-- i wish we'd had that earlier... iknow she would have loved it from one forward-- all that wonderful dumping/filling (and we'd have wasted less water keeping the faucet on-- she LOVES the constant water flow) recently i bought blow up beach toys at michaels (a dollar a piece) for the bathtub-- octopus and fish. your older daughter might like that ;)

we have the "bead roller coaster" from IKEA and i'd say that's a "your mileage will vary" type of thing. i'm often surprised, because older kids will gravitate back to it when they are over for playdates. it's simple , but cheap enough that if it's not a hit, no big deal.

happy first birthday!

[sariana]

Does Lego still make Quattro blocks? Those are great for a little engineer.

What about puzzles? One of those puzzles that spell out her name might be fun (since it would be all hers, not a hand-down from her sister).

What about a MagnaDoodle or something similar? I know she's a bit young, but my DD loved to play with DS's "drawing toys" right from the start.

A tool set. Both DS and DD always have loved to play with tools.

[citymama]

Thanks for the fantastic suggestions, everyone. We have a lot of the books mentioned, many favorites here as well. Here's what I have in my amazon cart:
-- both Taro Gomi books recommended here
--that's not my Baby (we have 5 of these but this one looks adorable)
--fisher price toy phone (but I'd love a recc for another baby phone bc none of us has a flip phone like this!)
--plan toys alligator

I'm intrigued by the Magnadoodle recc and will try and see it IRL since DD1 says she wants to get her sister a "baby art kit" (when she isn't being insanely jealous of her upcoming birthday).

I'm trying to figure out why some reviewers are saying that the Yookidoo spout contains unsafe/ toxic chemicals? Or that it breaks really easily?

I'm also going to get some kind of bubble maker for the backyard! The DDs love playing with their sand and water table and wading pool, and I think we'll be spending a lot of time outdoors this spring and summer. Thanks again for the great suggestions!

[lizzywednesday]

We have the "Zany Zoo" because DD always plays with the one my nephew has when my sister watches DD while I'm at rehearsals. It was her one-and-only "big gift" thing for her birthday from DH and I.

As for board books, I know that Amazon rates them for 3 and up, but we like the "In My ..." books by Sarah Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich. They are board books with collage-like illustrations and attached finger puppets in the middle. You wiggle the finger puppet while reading the book ... this ensures that my very busy DD will sit still for the whole story. We have In My Tree (the puppet is a baby owl) and In My Flower (the puppet is a little butterfly) and gave In My Meadow to my nephew for Easter.

We are also big fans of Laurie Berkner (got the "Best of" CD for Christmas because DD loves to dance to the songs on Nick Jr.) but I am also partial to TMBG's kids' CDs (also mentioned already), have heard some of the Barenaked Ladies' kids' stuff on the "Toddler Tunes" channel on TV (digital cable) and I've got a copy of Peter, Paul & Mommy Too because I am a folk music junkie. For bedtime, we have the Rockabye Baby! Beatles and Bob Marley CDs and I want to get Queen & AC/DC. We also have 'Mozart at Midnight' from Target (IDK if they still carry it) and an assortment of showtunes. DD really seemed to enjoy Into the Woods and the "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" number from Sweeney Todd, but there are plenty of other musicals out there with age-appropriate songs in them. (Most of Sweeney is really disturbing, so I wouldn't recommend playing it with a kid in the car.)

For the bath, DD is fine with the Munchkin "hot" duckies and the astronaut duckie DH and I bought her in Cape May. She also likes to splash in her hair-rinse bucket (I have a basin from the hospital that I use for clean water to rinse her hair) and has shown interest in the washcloth as a potential splashing toy. She also likes to play with the suction-cup non-slip fishies I recently installed in the tub. But, then again, she loves the bath so I don't usually have to distract her to get her clean.

[goldenpig]

Thanks for the fantastic suggestions, everyone. We have a lot of the books mentioned, many favorites here as well. Here's what I have in my amazon cart:
-- both Taro Gomi books recommended here
--that's not my Baby (we have 5 of these but this one looks adorable)
--fisher price toy phone (but I'd love a recc for another baby phone bc none of us has a flip phone like this!)
--plan toys alligator

I'm intrigued by the Magnadoodle recc and will try and see it IRL since DD1 says she wants to get her sister a "baby art kit" (when she isn't being insanely jealous of her upcoming birthday).

I'm trying to figure out why some reviewers are saying that the Yookidoo spout contains unsafe/ toxic chemicals? Or that it breaks really easily?

I'm also going to get some kind of bubble maker for the backyard! The DDs love playing with their sand and water table and wading pool, and I think we'll be spending a lot of time outdoors this spring and summer. Thanks again for the great suggestions!

We have this Magnadoodle type toy:
Toulouse Lap-trec (http://www.amazon.com/B-Toulouse-Lap-Trec-Magnetic-Sketcher/dp/B002YIK42K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1304355275&sr=8-1)
http://justb-byou.com/media/uploads/products/main_images/mosaic_Toulouse-LapTrec_png_325x325_crop_upscale_q100.jpg
It has four magnetic animal stamps and a cushion for their lap. DD has played with it for a long time (fortunately we haven't lost any of the stamps) and now DS is just getting into scribbling.

We haven't had any issues with the Yookidoo spout so far (using it pretty much every day since Christmas). Did the people that complained have battery leakage issues or something? We make sure that the toy stays dry in between uses and that the battery compartment doesn't stay submerged underwater.

[crl]

http://www.amazon.com/Tails-Matthew-Van-Fleet/dp/0152167730

Catherine

[elbenn]

Two other books that are really cute:

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Bed-Mem-Fox/dp/0152010661/ref=tmm_other_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1304371400&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Boat-Board-Books-Babies/dp/0859536580/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304371499&sr=1-3

[sunnyside]

Citymama, We have been having a lot of fun with this drum set.

http://www.target.com/BX1007-B-Parum-Pum-Drum/dp/B002YIRKOK

It includes a few other percussion instruments (2 egg shakers, jingle bells, drumsticks which can also be used against each other for noise, shaker/clacker, and a tambourine). Everything stores inside of the drum and there is room in there for additions in case you find other musical instruments you'd like to add.

Also have been considering a wooden activity cube. There is one on amazon called B. Zany Zoo that looks fun. I think that one is $50 at Target...
Chloe loves the one at her friends house. We got a huge bead maze (just like at the doctor's office) for $10 at a used children's store. That has been a lot of fun.

She also loves her My Pal Scout doggie from Leapfrog. That one always gets a smile.

I will try to think of more, but that is just off the top of my head. We also got the Bla Bla Lola Rocker doll in the mini and the regular size to get her to maybe attach to the doll to help with separation etc. (especially now that she's in day care part time).

Sorry for the lack of links!

[citymama]

As for board books, I know that Amazon rates them for 3 and up, but we like the "In My ..." books by Sarah Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich. They are board books with collage-like illustrations and attached finger puppets in the middle. You wiggle the finger puppet while reading the book ... this ensures that my very busy DD will sit still for the whole story. We have In My Tree (the puppet is a baby owl) and In My Flower (the puppet is a little butterfly) and gave In My Meadow to my nephew for Easter.



We have two of these (the one with the fish "In my Pond" and the one with the bear "in my den") and she/we love these books! I might look for the owl one, because she loves owls and hoots when she sees a pic of one. :) I remember DD1 had read some owl books she liked at that age (from the library...) hmm...

[lizzywednesday]

...

Also have been considering a wooden activity cube. There is one on amazon called B. Zany Zoo that looks fun. I think that one is $50 at Target...
Chloe loves the one at her friends house. We got a huge bead maze (just like at the doctor's office) for $10 at a used children's store. That has been a lot of fun.
...

That's the exact one my DD and my nephew have.

They LOVE it, but IDK if it's duplicative if you've already got the bead maze?