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Next week our sweet baby girl will be turning 2! While we cannot wait to see her continue to learn and grown, it is crazy to think that we have a toddler. She is full of energy and so sweet. She recently has learned how to whisper and we will go back and forth whispering nonsense in each other's ears. The other day when we were having fun giggling she leaned in to whisper in my ear and planted a big smooch on my cheek. My heart exploded with happiness and most days I wish I could bottle that feeling and keep my not so little baby a... baby a little bit longer.
Picture from Lillian's 1st Birthday
As Lillian gets older I can see that she is starting to understand so much more than I realized. She is learning and developing so fast and we want to try and find ways to keep up with her. With her birthday and Christmas coming up we thought it was a perfect time to go through some of her old baby toys and put them in storage while at the same time finding new toys and books that will help encourage her brain growth! Here are a few of my top gifts for a 2 year old-
At Lillian's daycare they have the absolutely cutest dress up set. Not only is it durable and washer friendly, they also are so easy to put on. Most costumes have so many elaborate parts, zippers, or they velcro up the back, but these are easy and accessible for all ages and abilities. They are hooded capes with a small piece of velcro at the top to keep them secured. Lillian has so much fun playing pretend and I love seeing her be so independent when playing!
Another favorite toddler gift that was inspired by Lillian's daycare is this super cute puppet set. I swear Lillian would play with these 24/7 if she could. She thinks they are so funny too. I will frequently use the bunny to tickle her neck which sends her spiraling into a fit of laughter. She even tries to mimic my silly voices I use when playing with her.
These books are so fun and easy to use. Lillian's speaking ability has grown tremendously since we have started using these toddler busy books with her. She is now able to even point to the different colors and objects when I ask her to. Lillian is so smart and picks up on things quickly so I knew these would be perfect for her.
We recently got a toddler kitchen stool that allows her to stand up at the counter and safely help us while cooking dinner. We just didn't have any toddler safe cooking utensils... other that the ones that came with the toy kitchen my mom got for Lillian last year. We decided it was time to upgrade to some actual kitchen utensils that are toddler safe.
I don't know what it is, but Lillian absolutely loves to clean. Every time Jacob and I are doing the dishes, wiping the counters, or vacuuming you will find her right there cleaning along with us. We have adapted many of our cleaning products and routines so it is safe for her to help us, but the hardest one to adapt for her was certainly the vacuum. Of course there are the cute old school toy vacuums that pop as you roll them, but Lillian didn't want anything to do with them. It wasn't until I found this Dyson Ball vacuum replica for kids. It makes all of the sounds a standard vacuum would and even has slight suction. It comes with a small pack of mini pom-poms that you can put on the floor for your child to vacuum up!
While this new toy hasn't technically arrived yet... I still wanted to include it on my list. My grandparents had one of these for us while we were growing up and I cannot wait to see Lillian's face light up when she uses it. She already loves to spin... to the point that my mom came up with a spinning song for Lillian. She will continue to spin to the point that she will topple over then she gets right back up and keeps going. That is why I knew that this would be another perfect toy for her to let out some of her fun and crazy toddler energy! If only I was able to spin on it myself that would make it PERFECT!
Do you have any favorite toddler toys either for learning or just for fun? Let me know!