5 Toys Approved By My Toddler (and Me!)

My toddler is really good at a few keys things- cuddling, nursing, and playing. When it comes to toys we try to keep it simple, traditional, and fun. We really try to help our little guy avoid over-stimulation by keeping his toys organized and spread out throughout the house. We also try to focus on providing quality over quantity when it comes to toys. Quality to us means well-made, durable materials, eco-friendly if possible, engaging, and of course, fun. Of course, we do love a cheap dollar store toy from time to time, too.
I thought I would take a few minutes to share some of our favorite toys that we have found so far. Here's my round-up of our top five favorite toddler toys!

1. The Cozy Coupe. I actually snagged this guy for free!! I know, I know...amazing! The retail value for these runs around $50 and I had wanted to get one of these for Asa but didn't want to shell out the money yet. Then I happened to come across someone at our church who was giving away a barely-used one for free! Asa has had this since he was ten months old and has played with it everyday since. Seriously-this car is still going strong after seven months. I think it definitely gets so much use because we keep it in our living room but since we live in the tundra that is Michigan, for now, that is the only place it will get used.

2. Musical Instruments. For Christmas, Asa received a few different musical instruments and it has been such a joy watching him play them. I actually prefer listening to him play with instruments over any of the musical-battery toys that he has. The two specific toys/sets that he enjoys the most are the Hape Early Mighty Band (pictured above) and the Melissa & Doug Band in a Box. Both are high quality, durable, and even aesthetically pleasing but most important, are very fun to play around with. I also like that they are essentially child-size versions of actual instruments. I feel that this will allow him to learn how to use them but can also give him an opportunity to transition to the real thing if he shows an interest later on. Of course, these could also be a favorite around our house because most of them are percussion based and my husband is a drummer :).

3. Activity Cube. I bought Asa's activity cube right around the time he began treatment for plagiocephaly. One of the things his physical therapist suggested was eliminating anything that constricted movement. We never owned a swing, but we had borrowed a bouncer and had been given an exersaucer as a gift. We ended up giving back the bouncer and selling the exersaucer to purchase his activity cube with the thinking that this was something that he could sit and play at rather than sit in to play. Our thinking proved to be correct in this situation because he actually figured out how to pull himself to standing almost immediately with this thing around six months! The specific one that we own is the Maxim Ever Earth Garden Activity Cube, and while it was a bit more expensive than some of the other ones out there, this one seemed to be of higher quality, it has six sides of activities, and the company that makes it strives to produce eco-friendly products which is important to us as well. His time with this toys has evolved as he has learned new skills and it is fun to watch him discover how each part works.

4. Building Toys. We actually have a few different kinds of building toys but recently, we have found a favorite that stands out from the crowd- the Stack and Scare Block Set from Uncommon Goods. The folks over there connected with me to review a free product of our choice and I was so excited about these blocks. We have truly been loving them since the mail lady dropped them off. I say "we" specifically because both Asa and Josh have had a blast with them. From a mom's perspective, I like that they are made with non-toxic ink and are handmade. They are also handy for sensory development since a lot of the blocks have varied textures and for developing fine motor skills because there are a few parts that fit inside each other. It really feels like someone put genuine time and effort into this block set and I can appreciate the creativity for sure. From a kid's perspective, these blocks are really a riot with their lively colors and fun mix and match monster parts.
Another important thing that I wanted to mention (similar to the companies that made #2 and #3) is that Uncommon Goods has some really good business practices. They focus on providing quality items without harming the environment or people (they pay fair wages too) and connect a lot with artists/designers to give them a platform to sell their items. I can obviously appreciate that since I am the wife of an artist/designer! A portion of each purchase is also donated to the non-profits that they support which fight for causes such as hunger and ending sexual violence. Basically what I am trying to tell you is that these guys are pretty legit. If you are interested you can check out more about them here.

5. Books, books, books. Okay, some people might not consider books a toy but since reading books plays a huge role in my own life, I have a natural desire to see Asa enjoy them as well. We started regular reading with Asa when he was around five months. The first few books that we read were very simple but always had a lively cadence that made them fun to read (Moo, Ba, La-la-la anyone?). Now that Asa is a bit older, reading has become a favorite activity for the whole family. We keep most of his books in baskets on the floor or in locations that he can reach. This has been so helpful because it has allowed him to pick out what he wants to read and also allows him to prompt reading on his own. I can't even begin to tell you how cute it is when he runs up to me with a book, turns around and plops down on my lap. Our current favorites are Go, Dog. Go! by P.D Eastman and Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!. I literally have the latter memorized!
There you have it! Six of our little guy's favorite toys that keep us all very busy. Now that you've heard what's popular at our house, I'm curious to know what are your little one's favorite toys?

Disclaimer: We were given the block set mentioned in #3 free of charge but the opinions are all our own! This post also contains affiliate links. An affiliate link simply means that if you were to purchase an item through that link then I might get a small commission but the price stays exactly the same for you! The products that I link to are all one that I have personal experience with and am happy to give my stamp of approval to! Contact me if you have any questions about this :). Thank you for supporting this little blog and my family.