Toys and More Toys

Within the last week I realized that my living room is being eaten alive by toys! It began at Christmas when we went so overboard with the amount of toys that Santa brought. Well, when Robert & I split up, some went with him, but... there are still too many! In fact, I realize that most of the toys are not being played with.

So, Monday I took out a full laundry basket of toys! I am going to put them into a garbage bag and either keep them or yard sale them this summer. I also threw away some junk toys.

Then, I came up with a system because most of her toys were not being played with and, to me, it feels as if I wasted my money buying toys that she doesn't play with!
Here is her beautiful toy box that she got as a Christmas present from Pap Rich & Grandma Nancy.
At night after she goes to bed, I clean up toys. It only takes an extra few moments, but I pull toys from the bottom of the toy box and put them on the top. Caelyn is way too young to think of digging for toys at the bottom, so I help her. I do keep the bag of wooden blocks within her reach, but otherwise, all toys are rotated.
This way, every morning she opens her box of toys, she pulls out a different toy that wasn't on top yesterday. I feel so much better because this system is already working and it honestly doesn't take me anymore extra time than I was using before.

This girl also has a lot of books. These are just the ones that she hasn't
a) destroy or
b) are paperback and are kept in my room until she is old enough not to destroy them or when I want to read them to her.

So, my new system? As I am gathering them up off the floor, I pick a few from the floor and a few out of the bin and put them into this little basket she got on Easter.
It goes in the middle of the bookshelf. These are the books for the day. It helps! She does pull out the bottom box, but she goes right for this little basket, she can carry it out into the middle of the room, unlike the other bin. She loves to read! So, this works great for us.
I find that toys end up being a pain in parents' butts.

I got a lot of inspiration for my toy situation from a book for Catholic mothers by Tami Kiser.

I also have been encouraging Caelyn periodically throughout the day to clean up her toys, yes at almost 16months! It takes me showing her and helping her, but she does catch on. For example, today she played with her wooden blocks but after breakfast, she lost interest. I grabbed the bag that they go in and said, lets clean up these blocks and put them in the bag and she watched me and helped. She was so pleased with herself and I thanked her for her help. Oh the look on her face - priceless!

Toys for an 11 Month Old

When Christmas time came around recently, I was really confused as to what to get Caelyn for Christmas. She is 11 months old and I didn't want to buy toys that are way too advanced for her and, at the same time, I didn't want to get toys that she would get sick of in a month

I spent a lot of time looking in the stores, comparing toys and now, I am so glad with the selection thats I made.

First is the VTech Alphabet Train. Caelyn loves this thing! It can be rode on, pushed, etc. She loves the blocks and I like that it is an educational toy, teaching letters and the alphabet.
Next is the Maxim EverEarth Activity Walker. She loves this toy! I love that it is totally simple, its wood after all, but its very interactive for her. She plays with it frequently throughout the day as well as pushing it around and there is a little basket in the back.

Books! They were a huge hit this Christmas. This one happens to be her favorite. Its pretty large, the pages are easy for her to turn, and the pictures and colors are very interesting to her.

These are one of my favorite toys we got this year. Melissa & Doug peg puzzles. The pegs make it very easy for her to lift the pieces and to put them back. This is a perfect developmental toy for babies at this age. It develops motor skills and memory, as they remember where to put it and try to put it back into the correct slot. We spend a lot of time laughing and encouraging her to try. She claps after each time, she loves the feedback we give her.

Last, but not least, Caelyn loves baby dolls! She has a little stroller that I need to bring out again. She also puts them in her grocery cart. She has a few, but Baby Alive is her favorite. She loves to hold and kiss them.

I think these are some excellent toy suggestions for kids at this age group!