Bean’s New Toys: Part One
Last week we were in Florida for Christmas. To get all of our presents home, we shipped them with UPS because it was cheaper than trying to check them on the plane. The bummer was that this meant our gifts weren’t going to get to Connecticut until sometime next week. It is absolutely no fun to open Christmas presents one morning and then have to pack them away the next day for a whole week.
And that’s where my parents save the day!
My parents came up to Connecticut last week to spend a few days with us and to have our Christmas with them. Lucky for us, my mom doesn’t know what a “light Christmas” is and she more than made up for all the packages we had shipped and can’t play with for a couple more days.
I would try to make some excuse about the room being really small or something to make it seem like we aren’t as overwhelmed with presents as it looks like we are, but those would be lies. My parents don’t know how to not overwhelm at Christmas. So, if the wrapping paper piles look about 5 feet high, that’s because they are. And if it looks like I’m a spoiled brat, that’s because I am.
But its my parent’s fault. It’s always the parent’s fault.
After Christmas, all of Bean’s toy preferences changed. I think the great thing about gift-giving is when people give things that you normally wouldn’t have picked out, but it turns out that its just the perfect present. That’s how Bean’s Christmas from his grandparents was. Most of the toys I probably would have passed on because they seemed too advanced for Bean, but in actuality, he loved them! So what if he can’t use them for their exact purpose right now, he can still play with them and that will teach him as he grows.
One of my favorite things to read on other people’s blogs is what their kids are playing with. It gives me such good ideas for Beanie. So I thought I’d share with you some of the toys that Bean received for Christmas this year. Maybe it’ll spark some ideas for your Bean, too. Bean did not want for toys, so I’m breaking this up into a couple posts throughout the week. We’ll start this week with the ones that I’ve seen work on Bean’s eye/hand coordination.
He got this little pop-up toy, which I would have never picked out for him. He isn’t able to work the different buttons, so how much fun could it be? The answer? A LOT OF FUN. He can hit that big green button in the middle, so he now knows that those buttons make the animals pop up. This means he’s always fidgeting with the other buttons trying to figure out how they work. I can see his little brain just a workin’ in there. When he gives up on the buttons, he still likes the toy because he can close the animals and then he waits until I make them pop up again and he dies laughing.
He also got this bucket of different shaped hand toys. This was one of the gifts I gave him actually. I knows he’s months, probably at least a year, away from being able to match the shapes to the right hole in the bucket, but for now he really loves chewing on this! He likes chewing on the shapes, but for some reason he loves chewing on the top of the bucket. Not sure why, but he carries that thing around just a sucking on it. But you know what Bean can do with this toy that totally surprised me? He can put the pieces into the bucket (if there’s no lid on it). I dump the shapes out next to the bucket and Bean picks up each shapes, chews on it a while, and then puts it back in the bucket before moving on to the next piece. Clearly, the kid’s a genius.
Bean also got this boy. You put the balls in any of the shoots and they fly out of the bottom and it plays music. This one is a little advanced for him because he can’t follow the balls fast enough to see them come out of the bottom. But he likes the music. And he really likes those little red balls at the top of the dragon’s head. He chews on those. For now, we’ll keep on playing with this one trying to learn where the balls go, but it’ll probably stay a giant teether for a couple months. But at least he has toys he can grow into.
(And can we talk for just a minute about how this toy looks like a bong? I’m having some flash forward moments to about 16 or 17 years from now and I’m not liking them one bit. On second thoughts, maybe this toy isn’t the kind of educational toy that I’m looking for…)
Another toy that Bean got that was unexpectedly a big hit was this spinning toy. As soon as we opened it, I remembered the one that I had growing up. I loved it. Mine was orange and red and yellow with blue balls inside. This one is great for Bean right now because you push that big button on the top just once and it spins for FOREVER! So, Bean can just tap the top and he then watches those little balls inside bounce around for about a minute. Low effort, high rewards. Aim high, Bean. Aim high.
Check back tomorrow when we look at the bigger, more active toys that Bean got for Christmas…
12 Comments
Jordan
My neighbors son, who’s about a month older than Bean, has that popping up animal toy as well. I was babysitting the other day and I was amazed that he could push the easy buttons(the big green one, and the orange one) and push the animals back down after they popped up. I guess it’s good to aim high with toys!
PS. I think babies in footie pajamas is the cutest most snuggly looking thing ever. I may never dress my (future) kid in real clothes…
Beth
My daughter has the pop up toy as well and LOVES to shut the animals back in. She only likes the orange switch right now, but making them go away is the biggest kick of her day. Just wait until Bean gets the push toy to work!
Ella
I love the Fisher Price shape sorters. I can remember my son chewing on the lid as well. We gave him this for his first Christmas – he was 4 months old and he still plays with it 2 years later but he has mastered the shapes now! Love Beanies PJs – so cute!
Amanda
My son has the purple pop-up thingy and the shapes bucket too. He loves them. He also has the same snuggly PJ’s. It’s always so fun to come here and see other people enjoying the same things we do (like the raspberry teether thingy my son likes too) I like that xylophone toy I see in one of the pictures too. I think I may get one for Jack when he turns one (next week!!)
My son didn’t get too many new toys this Christmas, but my sister gave him all of her boys’ old fisher price little people toys. THAT was a ton of toys!!!
Nate's Mom
Nate’s got all of those toys except for the dragon! He hasn’t figured out any of the buttons on the pop up thing, but he has figured out that Mom’s a sucker and will reset the toy after he shoves the animals back in their little boxes! Nate loves his top but he keeps toppling it over and wondering why the balls stop going around. I’m right there with you – love watching those wheels turning in my baby’s head. Next stop, taking over the world!!!
MrsEAM
I love these posts! My daughter is almost 4 months behind the Bean so posts like this (and the food one) help me mentally plan for what I’ll need a few months down the line. Thanks!
Lori @ I Can Grow People
Aaron got Porter that purple pop-up toy for Thanksgiving (yeah, my husband, who constantly says “our kid isn’t going to be one of those kids with toys all over the place”–yeah, right.) Porter loves it too. He is getting better at opening them up, but LOVES closing them. Soon I too will be doing a post about Porter’s Christmas loot–featuring the most annoying toy to date. Stay tuned!
Becca
I love that you parents overwhelm for the holidays. My mother-in-law is the same way and I think that it is great. We all (16 of us) pack into her 3 bedroom condo and open presents for at least 3 hours. This year she cut back. Each of us only received 17 presents each. Just so that you do not have to do the math that is 272 presents… The kids had a blast, the adults got much needed items such as esate lauder make up kits and shark steam mops for our hard wood floors. It is a lot of fun! It seems like Bean is at the age that toys are all exciting.
Becca
Cheryl in Nebraska
Thanks for this post. My 3 month old grandson Marcus is going to benefit from all of your ideas shared. This is my first grandchild and I’m learning much about toys and such from you. I just purchased the mesh feeder for him, I’ve never heard of such a thing. He can’t use it yet, but soon I’m sure. Thank you again!
Emily
You’ll be surprised with the shape match-up toy… my baby got one for his first bday and could already match up the shapes. We were amazed!
colleen
ummmm… Katie, I hate to point this out, but that’s not a dragon, my dear. It’s a giraffe. And yes, it does look a bit like a bong. But so long as the Bean loves it, it can be a giraffe or a dragon or whatever he likes.
Katie
(giggle, giggle)