Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Babies and Toddlers

This past year we received some amazing Christmas and birthday gifts for Judah that he's used all year long. He was 9 months old when he received them and still loves them at 18 months. Great toys that hold his interest and cultivate learning have been key especially since we've had baby #2. I've been recommending these items to friends, so I figured I'd compile them here on the blog! These are perfect for either gender.


1. Beatbo -- Before you run away from this musical toy, give it a chance. It honestly has some legit sounding dance music -- not your average kids' toy tunes! Our son LOVES it. He plays and dances with it for long periods of time and loves for us to join in. It has alphabet, counting, and color songs, and a button you can press to record your own voice that it autotunes and plays back for you. We keep this in his room and it is perfect when he has room time while I feed the baby.




2. Alphabet dog -- This dog sings the alphabet as you walk him. If you press the letter it goes through multiple things: the letter, the sound it makes, and a word that starts with that letter. Judah astonished me one day when I asked if he wanted more and he said, "M, more!" I had no idea how he knew that and then I figured out it was because of this dog. Another great toy that truly holds his attention.




3. VTech Sit to Stand Walker -- Judah loved this before he could stand, then used it to pull up and walk around, and now still plays with it even though he's been walking for half a year. The music can drive me nuts but it has been a versatile toy for multiple age stages.

4. Shape sorter ball -- So this is expensive. But it's the original Tupperware shape sorter ball. The sweet ladies who kept me in the church nursery gifted us this because it was my favorite when I was little. Judah LOVES THIS THING. So much so that I have to hide it or he becomes obsessed. He has learned all the shapes (although he has trouble saying "trapezoid"...but he seriously holds up a hexagon and says "hexagon"...crazy). It was definitely a learning process for him to be able to put the shapes in by himself but we started early and he was hooked. Most shape sorters have lids that can be taken off but this one doesn't so you're forced to actually put them in the specific shape holes.




5. Stacking bowls -- He stacks them. He rolls them. He spins them. He makes them into balls. He hides the small ones in the big ones. He has loved these for at least a year and the love hasn't faded.




6. Counting basketball goal -- This is the updated version of the one we have because I can't find the old one. Ours doesn't have a soccer goal and is less fancy. But besides being such a fun toy, this has truly helped Judah learn to count. And has also made him think that the number 10 is always one to be celebrated.




7. Classic blocks -- Judah will sit and study these blocks for long amounts of time. He loves finding certain letters and looking at the pictures. And then of course they are perfect for building towers and working on fine motor skills!




8. Flash cards -- There is a series of these cards and we have the First Words and the Counting ones. It has helped him learn all the words and he also simply loves taking them out of the box and putting them back in.




9. Bath basketball -- Judah's favorite bath toy!




10. BOOKS! -- This deserves a post of its own because there are SO many that we love. (EDIT: I made a post of our Top 20 Books for Toddlers! Yay!) Last year Jordan and I only got Judah a tote bag (see below) and some books. We knew the grandparents would get him toys! Some of our favorite books off the top of my head are Goodnight Moon, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Go! Go! Go! Stop!, The Going to Bed Book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, any ABC books, Where's Spot?, and goodness if your kid doesn't have the Jesus Storybook Bible go get that RIGHT now. :) Usborne Books is an awesome source for books as well -- you can go to my friend Abby's site to shop there!



*Honorable Mention* -- Lands' End Large Zip Top Canvas tote bag -- I got the idea from Hayley Morgan's post about getting each kid a tote bag for their first Christmas. This is really more for us right now, but will hopefully last a long time for Judah to use for years. I already have Levi's as well!


*Disclaimers* -- I think experiences are amazing gifts as well and I definitely don't want you to fill your house with toys! These are just ones that are tried and true for us and I'm glad we have. Some affiliate links are used, but as always the opinions are totally my own!

Operation Christmas Child.

Tomorrow is the last day to drop off your Operation Christmas Child boxes! 
What is Operation Christmas Child? you may ask. 
Check out the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child website. There's even a video with Scotty McCreery to help you. :)
But basically, it's a Christian organization that collects shoe boxes full of gifts and supplies for needy children around the world. The shoe box that you put together may be the only thing a child gets for Christmas, and is SO worth your time and effort.
Here is their mission statement:The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
How awesome is that? I love getting involved with their organization and have been making Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes since I was little. In high school I got to go to their giant warehouse in Charlotte a few times to help inspect boxes. It's a fantastic Christmas tradition that involves so much more than just eating food or decorating - you're making an impact and showing God's love to others in a practical way. I definitely want to make this a Shelley family tradition.
This past Thursday a couple of us from my Bible study got together with Jordan's Bible study to put together some boxes. We had SO much fun. We all went to the dollar store to pick out our items and then came back to our place to assemble them. Half of Jordan's Bible study is made up of NC State football coaches, so it was adorable to see these big tough guys picking out tiny toys for little kids and playing with them before they put them in the box. :)
I made a box for a 5-9 year old little girl.

I included some notepads, markers, headbands, hairbands, stickers, noise makers, Play Doh, a brush, stuffed animal, book, necklace, toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, and candy. Basically everything I would have wanted at that age. (Or maybe even now...) You can fit a lot of stuff in that box. And you better believe a lot of it was Disney Princess. :)
Have you participated in this before? Does anyone do this with their kids?
If you want to put together a box make sure you drop it off by tomorrow! 

Rugrats, Power Rangers, & Harry Potter.

Growing up, I thought I had very strict parents. The scale of strictness, I thought, was what they allowed me to watch on TV or read compared to other kids. Going to a public elementary school for a couple years, and then also in Christian school, I was constantly hearing kids talk about their favorite television shows. A few that stick out in my mind are cartoons such as Power Rangers, Rugrats, and Captain Planet, and live action shows like Salute Your Shorts and Are You Afraid of the Dark. Those were all on the "No" list. Most shows were on the "No" list. Shows that come to mind when I think of the "Yes" list are Gerbert, Under the Umbrella Tree, and Sesame Street. They didn't battle robots on those shows. They didn't play jokes on their parents. They didn't make crude remarks. All of the shows I just mentioned involve puppets. Puppets who wanted me to learn stuff. Puppets who sang and danced about numbers, making friends, and how to tie your shoes. So they may have seemed a little dull and were not in the least bit "mighty" or "morphin'". 

In reality, Blake and I were in the woods more than we were in front of the TV, which is where I find myself in most of my childhood memories. We were blessed to have trees to make tree houses and forts, a pond to go exploring around, and a big yard to play sports in. Sadly, this no longer exists, and you drive through it now on your way into Crossroads. The ever expanding town of Cary took that over. But anyway, it was not a big loss for us to be deprived of the shows the kids talked about. We had plenty of other things to do. I hope it can be like that for my kids someday too.


Now that I look back on those popular TV shows, I totally understand why my parents didn't want me watching them. I wouldn't want my kids watching them either. I'm pretty sure the only reason we had cable back then was to watch sporting events. I even met someone who had many more childhood restrictions than me, and he turned out to be the most fantastic person I know. I married him. (Props to my wonderful in-laws!)


How does this relate to me now? I don't have kids. I can absolutely sit down and watch Power Rangers, Rugrats, or Salute Your Shorts without having my mind corrupted. I think my parents would be okay with that at this point in my life. But every once in a while, I hear about a big commotion to do with some TV show, movie, or book - why they are terrible, should be protested against, boycotted, banned, etc. And because someone heard about it on a Christian website, it becomes as forbidden as He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Which leads me to Harry Potter.


Last Christmas break, I dove into the Harry Potter books for the first time. I had never read any of them or watched any of the movies, so I didn't really have an opinion about them. Blake had the whole set, so I had them right at my fingertips. I flew through the first book and it intrigued me. By the time I was through the second and third, I knew the characters very well. The fourth and fifth got more intense, and the six one had me enthralled. They have provided an excellent escape for me when I want to relax and enter another world. Isn't that what reading for fun is supposed to do?

There have been many times when I mention my involvement with Mr. Potter and I get disapproving looks or a criticizing reaction. That is fine for people to have their own opinions, especially if they've actually read the books. But I think their grudge may be a little off base. I remember the uproar in the Christian community when those books came out, and now that I've read all but the last book (PLEASE don't tell me anything about it!), I understand part of their reasoning, but not all of it. I mean, I am a 22 year old, not a 9 year old.


In my opinion, which is all it is - just an opinion, the Harry Potter series is not for children, but for young adults. Maybe the first two books would be okay, but I'd just go ahead and say the whole series. Yes, it has magic in it, and evil people, and such. But when I think about most animated Disney movies, they have the same thing. And a series like Lord of the Rings. So I'm pretty sure I'd let my high school aged kids read them. And of course I'd talk to them about how it's all imaginative, and how it relates to the problem of evil, and all that. I think what most people miss, is the fact that they can TALK to their kids about what they watch and read, teaching them why things are right or wrong, asking them questions to increase their reading comprehension AND their grasp on moral values. Whether it be Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Barney and Friends, or the Andy Griffith show, I want to someday talk to my kids and help them understand the moral of the story and gather their thoughts about what goes into their minds. At an age suitable for the material. Which means not necessarily banning something for life that may not be right for them at the time. 


When I think back, I remember Blake and I using sticks as wands as we darted through the trees, or as guns as we protected our forts, or as light sabers when we fought the Dark Side. We could have been Harry and Hermione without even knowing about them. I think what was more important to us than our "No" list was the fact that Mom and Dad taught us the truth of the Bible and how it related to our lives.


So what do you think? I know it completely depends on the person, so I'm very open to more opinions on this subject! Especially from people with a lot more experience than me. :)


I was going to post some articles I've read about all of this, but there are just so many and most of them have information about the seventh book that I don't want to know yet! Haha. I'd rather have your opinion anyway. So let me know!