Tools of the Trade (part 3)

The past week has been a bit busy.  Doctor's appointments took up one day; Thumper has his 12-month vaccinations, including MMR!  This is an exciting event because I apparently live in a measles area (and don't we all, nowadays), and I'd like to take him out in public without that being in the back of my mind.  Other days have been spent reading; 12 months is apparently a time where we get all the frustrated meltdowns of toddlerhood with even less reasoning skills and self-control, so I've been spending naptimes with The Happiest Toddler on the Block.  I'll let you know how that one goes, but I've at least finished the book now so I can return to chatting about toys.

And oh, the toys.  Remember, we live in a one-bedroom, open-floorplan apartment.  This means there is currently no bedroom to stash all of Thumper's stuff (though we're working on cleaning out/eliminating the office area to do just that).  In the meantime, everything lives out in the living room, so it definitely resembles a daycare center.  But let's be honest: it was never that fashionable or clean in the first place, so it's not like my world has been upended - though maybe my retinas could use a break from the rainbow every now and then.

All this to say that the Yeti regularly says "He has too many toys!" and I regularly say "He really doesn't have that many - we're just looking at all of them!"  I'm not actually sure which one of us is right; I'm near the bottom of several siblings, so I probably had way too many hand-me-downs and my perception is skewed.  Either way, here are some of the major players in the living room menagerie.  Most of them are only a few months old, so nothing's really stood the test of time yet, but still, there are some definite favorites.

One Year (Early Toddler)

Tolo Toys Rolling Shape Sorter - This was one of the first "toddler"-type toys we purchased.  I wanted a simple shape sorter, and this fit the bill.  As a bonus, the individual shapes rattle (each shape with its own distinctive sound) and the entire drum rolls.  

Honestly, I just wanted to have the developmental basics covered.  I didn't actually expect that this would become a favorite, but it really has.  Out of all Thumper's toys, this one is probably a) the easiest to distract him and b) the one most likely to hold his attention for some time.  He's definitely the right age for it, too; when I bought it back in November, he could pretty much only get the circle in, and that still seemed more like luck (though he still found the whole thing fascinating).  Nowadays, he can get all six shapes in, but some are clearly easier than others, and he still might occasionally get frustrated and move on to something else.  

Thumper's also branched out into trying to cram other objects through the holes (and jam the shapes into other toys).  It's adorable, if occasionally annoying, like when they get stuck in the ball chute of the activity table.  Anyway, it's clearly a classic for a reason. 

Either before or after he wedged the remote sideways into the drum

Green Toys Fire Truck - These toys seem to pop up everywhere around here; I've seen them at Whole Foods, and the local drugstore, for example.  Whole Foods loves them because they're made from recycled plastic milk jugs and are 100%... I don't know, cruelty free.  I like them for that, too, but mostly because they're super durable and hardy.  

They first caught my eye because I was looking at bath toys and the wide range of vehicles includes a ferry and a seaplane.  I really like the idea of having vehicles that are actually in the neighborhood - unlike, say, tractors.  We bought a seaplane and Thumper likes it more out of the bath, but I knew the quality was awesome, so when I saw the fire truck on sale for half off, I snatched it up.  And I was surprised at how much Thumper likes driving it back and forth!  I, personally, was always the type who would look at a Hot Wheels and think, "You know what would make this even better?  Little people to go in it" but Thumper doesn't seem to care.  He happily drives it around with his seaplane and his Doug and Melissa wooden safari truck (which is almost the same size).  

So basically this is an endorsement for any Green Toys vehicle.  I know I intend to at least get him the rocket ship (which, ahem, does have little people) when he's old enough (it says 2 and up).  There's also the ferry, the train, a smaller tugboat... let's just say we'll probably see more of these in the future. 

Hape Pound and Tap Bench With Slide-Out Xylophone - This is the newest toy of the bunch, given on Thumper's birthday.  Once again, I was trying to cover the developmental bases and wanted to get him something like a peg and hammer toy.  This one grabbed me because it's wooden, and instead of pegs, you hammer little balls that then slide down a xylophone.  Even better, the xylophone is removable; I seem to like toys that can multitask.  

To clarify, the one criticism anyone has of this toy is that the xylophone is not a true, in-tune octave scale.  And that is true.  I can plunk out the most warped and sinister-sounding "Three Blind Mice" you've ever heard.  However, as a musician, I can state that it doesn't bother me that it's not a true scale; it's intended to be used more like a set of chimes, and it functions perfectly fine in that regard.  Also as a musician I can state that this will not be the last musical instrument Thumper handles and his sense of Western tonality will be quite secure, I'm sure. 

Right now Thumper likes to pull the xylophone out and play with both parts separately.  He likes to push the balls through with his hand instead of the mallet, and use the mallet for beating on the xylophone.  I don't know that this is a true favorite yet, but I wanted to include it because I am floored at the solid construction.  It's hard to tell, from a picture, what the quality would be, but I'd say I like this even better than the wooden Doug and Melissa stuff we've gotten.  I am going to be looking more into Hape, that's for sure. 

Phew!  I can still think of a few random, non-toy items I'd recommend, so that'll be coming up, as well as a return to the everyday as well.  The weather has been remarkably good, so I expect we'll be having more adventures as we get through winter!