Toys. It's a love/hate relationship. I feel like a buy so many toys for Marlowe, just so she can decide to play with a cotton ball instead. On the other hand, there were some toys that literally saved my sanity that she would play with often, and that would hold her attention. 0 months to 12 months is a huge range for toys, since babies change so much in that time span, but honestly when I thought of toys throughout the year, there were only a handful worth sharing! Here were our favs!
Marlowe played with this constantly during her first 5 months of life. She loved kicking the keyboard to play songs, and I think "Little Bunny FooFoo" is stuck in my head forever because of it. I also would switch out the hanging things every few weeks with new ones to keep her entertained. This one is pink, but there's also more of a gender neutral one!
This obviously has multiple uses, to soothe and play. It's a pacifier with a stuffed animal attached to it and it couldn't be more genius. Like, I wish I had thought of this myself. I love these paci's because your baby can hold on to them, they don't get lost, and as they get older they enjoy playing with the stuffed animal part. Marlowe stopped taking a pacifier really quickly, but she continued to play with all of her little "friends" (elephant, red dog, brown dog, giraffe, dinosaur...). Bonus - we now use them for teething! I have a couple of these little guys in the freezer...fill the pacifier part with water and put it in the freezer for an awesome teether.
The simplest music toy that's easy for a young baby to hold. This was our go-to toy for the car because the music would always soothe her. Plus it's super cheap!
Someone got Marlowe a pull-along toy around 5 months and the box said 18+ months so originally I was like ok cool we will have something for later. BUT, turns out Marlowe loved the toy BECAUSE of the string! At the time, she couldn't walk and pull the toy (she can now), but she was obsessed with the little string on the end. A super cheap toy, that kept her occupied. Win.
5. Tupperware
Yup, I put tupperware on here. I think we had a good month where I'd open the cabinets and pull out all the tupperware bowls and lids and Marlowe would just go to town stacking them, covering her face with the lids, trying to see through the containers, and hitting them together. I'd say this was around 7 months! You don't even have to buy this one because you already own it! Add your silicone cooking utensils and you're good to go!
I stumbled upon these books accidentally (my mom put one in her easter basket!) I'm telling you these are the BEST books for babies for a couple reasons. They are super cheap! Like anywhere from $3 to $6! The pictures are colorful, the words are repetitive (Where is baby's belly button? Where is baby's mouth? Where are baby's hands? etc...) which makes it easy for your little one to learn what phrases mean, and there is a lift up flap on every page. Seriously this is why Marlowe knew and could say the word "baby" so young. We own like 5 of these and she makes me read them a million times a day. Still.
This was given to Marlowe on Christmas around 5 months old, and I'd say she really got into it from 6-9 months. She LOVED jumping in this thing and the sounds that it made. I loved that it didn't hang from the door. It was a great toy to set her in when I needed to go to the bathroom, or get ready.
Marlowe has gotten a ton of use out of this little cube! Each side does something different, it makes sounds, plays music, and Marlowe particularly likes putting stuff inside of it. This was given to us as a gift, and I'm soooo glad because it was a lifesaver for awhile when I needed to take a shower!
There's all kinds of these push walkers out there, and they are all great! Marlowe got one before she could even crawl and she would just sit and push all the buttons which kept her entertained for a bit. Then, once she was wanting to walk she loved pushing this thing around our loft. This is definitely a must!
This thing is the cutest toy that encouraged Marlowe's dancing! Once baby is able to stand, this is perfect for them. It basically has this smart touch technology and lights up when a baby puts their hand on any part of the bar. Marlowe has made some serious dance moves on this thing although it was a PAIN to put together haha.
Again, another toy that plays music. You can't have enough of these. This toy plays all kinds of music, they can sit or stand and press the buttons, and it has 3 languages. We kept this one at grandma's house and Marlowe still loves it!
12. Baby Doll
We introduced a baby doll to Marlowe around 10 months, not expecting much out of it. Turns out, it's her favorite thing ever. She treats it like a real baby, pats its back, feeds it the bottle, and even has tried to give her a bath by putting her in the toilet. The urge to "mother" something was completely natural for her and it's so stinking adorable.
Other toys that are worth noting:
Balls - Only if I would sit and roll it back and forth with her.
Wallet with gift cards - Let your little one have a purse or wallet and they just enjoy taking everything out (make sure to take out the change though!)
Xylophone - Marlowe is super musical and loved banging on her xylophone
A Wet Wash Cloth - I would wet a wash cloth, and she would go crazy playing with it, putting it on her face, chewing on it, and talking to it. Weird.
Baskets of Dollar Tree Stuff - Go to the dollar store, the dollar section at Target, ikea etc. and just buy "stuff" (stacking cups, hair ties, brushes, stuffed animals). I have a basket in every room of the house filled with random things, and she likes to take everything out and put it back in. The key to this though is rotating the toys and the baskets!
Favorite places to buy toys:
I already stated the Dollar Store above, but HOME GOODS! They always have a ton of random things for reasonable prices in their baby section. Also, Amazon is cheaper than Babies R' Us, and Ikea has random baby toys too!
Hope this helps some mamas out there!
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