Don’t you hate it when you or your kids get a gift that turns out to be a dud? Maybe something you thought you’d like/use but turns out you didn’t? I thought I’d take a few minutes to list the toys and other items our family loves. For reference, my kids are 3.5, 2, and 2 months:
- Fuji Cameras– I don’t have a super fancy camera- just a point and shoot but after purchasing and returning camera after camera I’ve found that Fuji is the best when it comes to “lag time”. You have to be quick when taking pictures of active children. When I say “lag” I mean the time it takes from pushing the button to actually capturing the picture. I cannot believe how slow some supposedly high quality cameras are. I’ve found Fuji cameras to be the quickest and I’ve owned several.
- Flip Camcorder– There are lots of different models of these. I’ve owned the Ultra and the MinoHD. They all operate the same and cannot get any simpler to use. I love that the USB connector is built right in so you never have to worry about finding a lost cord.
- Fisher-Price School Bus– We’ve had this for a few years and it STILL gets played with.
- Step 2 Climber– My mother-in-law buys the first born of each family one of these for their first birthday. It can be used indoors or out. We’ve kept ours indoors so far and the kids play on it daily. Just yesterday my oldest was pretending it was Santa’s sleigh and loaded it up with toys. We have the one similar to the Woodland Climber.
- Play Kitchen– I think this is pretty universal. Play kitchens ALWAYS get played with!
- Manhattan Toy Baby Stella Doll- My daugther just got this for her birthday but she loves it! It has a magnetic pacifier which I think is what appeals to her since my 2 month old uses a pacifier too. Just be careful not to lose it!
- Wooden Puzzles– My kids have just developed an interest in these.
- Apple iPhones– I don’t know how my husband and I ever lived without these! ha, ha! Okay, okay…not a necessity but we love them! Ditto for my Macbook! It’s a million times better than any other laptop I’ve owned.
- PS3– The best gaming console for multi-purpose use. We mainly use ours as a Blu Ray player but love that we can also use it to play our favorite game- Sing Star when the urge arises or use it for wireless internet. We are also known to break out Rock Band from time to time.
- Nintendo Wii– This is the best gaming console for families. With workout “games” for mom to educational games for preschools to sports games for the entire family, the Wii has something for everyone. My grandfather who is in his 80’s has a Wii and “goes bowling” almost every day! Yes, we have the Wii AND the PS3. We also have an Xbox 360 but it’s my least favorite but if we had the Kinect to go with it, it might get used a lot more. That thing looks so cool!
- VTech MobiGo– This is great first handheld video game for preschoolers. The games are not only fun, but educational too. We love thetouch screen feature! And with games that include Toy Story, Dora and Cars, they really appeal to kids.
- Little People Nativity– We just got this this year but the kids LOVE it and even though it was a bit pricey even on sale (in my opinion) it was a purchase I do not regret at all!