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2020, the year that will be remembered as the COVID-19 quarantine year. Starting in China in December 2019 the Coronavirus quickly spread through the world causing the World Health Organization to declare the virus outbreak a pandemic. Due to the pandemic, most countries went into lockdown. Non-essential businesses were closed, public gatherings and spaces were shut down and everyone was told to stay home as much as possible.
Staying at home can be very tough for little ones, they are full of energy, curious about the world around them and get bored quite quickly. Luckily for us, Celine’s first birthday had just passed just before the pandemic hit and she had gotten some great gifts from friends and family to keep her engaged. Listed below are her top 10 toys that she seems to play with and enjoy the most.
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Battat – Sort & Stack – Educational Stacking Cups with Numbers and Shapes for Toddlers
Quite a simple yet engaging toy. The sort and stack comes with 10 buckets that nest in each other, like a Matryoshka, as well as stack nicely on top of each other. The buckets are numbered making them great for teaching numbers. The sort and stack also comes with 4 sets of shapes, a square, a circle, a triangle and a star, each in a different colour.
Also, the lid of the largest bucket has cutouts of each of the shapes, helping Celine learn her shapes and improve her hand-eye coordination.
PicassoTiles 100 piece set Magnet Building Tiles Clear 3D colour Magnetic Building Tiles
The PicassoTiles were actually Celine’s favourites from the Early-On centre, of all the toys they had at the centre, she this was one she always came back to. So we were quite ecstatic when someone gave her, her own set for her birthday.
The PicassoTiles multicoloured plastic tiles that come in different size squares and triangles. The edges of the tiles have magnets in them making it easy for children to build 2D and 3D structures. They’re a great way for toddlers to learn their colours and shapes. We loved watching Celine as she couldn’t figure out why the tiles would stick on the fridge, but not on the walls or cupboards.
SQUISHMALLOWS Large Yellow Aimee Chick 16 Inch with Wings
To say that Celine loves her stuffed animals would be an understatement, she spends each morning waving hi to each of her toys, eventually picking one to hug and be her companion for the morning. One of her favourite places is her stuffed animals box, she always asks for it to be opened and squeals with delight when we oblige. That being said, one toy stands out in particular. Given to her early on Amiee the Squishmallow is like an old friend she hasn’t seen for a while.
Maybe it’s the size of the doll or maybe it’s the soft plushy feel, but Celine loves hugging Amiee. We’ve tried luring her away with other toys when she’s with Amiee, but she always picks Amiee over any of her other toys.
VTech Musical Rhymes Book
Reading to your little one can be trying at times, we’ve lost a few pages along the way, as Celine has tried to grab or turn the pages on her own. A great solution to this has been her VTech Musical Rhymes book, the book is made of brightly coloured plastic and virtually indestructible. The book comes with a story mode and a musical mode. The interactive book sings or reads to you depending on which mode you pick.
Celine loves dancing along to the songs in musical mode. Additionally, there are interactive pieces on each page, musical buttons on the side and a light-up star along the spine. So many great features to keep your little one engaged!
VTech Brilliant Baby Laptop
Trying to get work done on the laptop while Celine is around is extremely tough. Celine loves the glowing screen and multitude of buttons, she will do whatever it takes to play with it. She even harassed my younger sister, when she was visiting from out of town trying to get work done. So what better of a toy than a laptop of her own?
The Vtech laptop has its own buttons and a light-up screen. The laptop has several modes to help your little one learn about colours, numbers, shapes and even animals. The laptop comes with tons of melodies that Celine really enjoys. There’s even a “mouse” that can be used to move the cursor around the screen.
Fisher Price Little People Music Parade Ride-on
One of Celine’s favourite gifts from her birthday, Celine loves all the buttons and music that comes with the car. She especially loves the storage under the seat, where she can hide all sorts of things. The music parade has grown well with Celine, from initially needing to be pushed around to eventually riding all on her own.
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Table
The Fisher-Price learning table has definitely been one of Celine’s favourite toys. As she’s made the transition from crawling to walking, there was a long period where she would walk or stand while holding onto things.
The learning table was perfect for this transitional period with its wide stable base and tons of interactive features. Celine loved walking around the table and dancing along to the music.
Vibrant Village Reversible Waterproof Foam Baby Play Mat
This entry onto the list is one of our favourites. As Celine has grown from a tiny infant to a rambunctious toddler and started learning to walk or climb up and down furniture, she has had her fair share of tumbles and falls. The waterproof playmat has become an essential addition to our living room, it has provided a soft cushiony area for Celine to safely play and experiment climbing or walking.
Additionally, the mat is covered with bright colours, letters and shapes to encourage interaction and learning. Lastly, the mat is BPA Free and non-toxic, making it a completely safe environment for your baby to play.
Little Tikes Light ‘n Go – 3-in-1 Activity Walker
This Activity walker has been a huge contributor to Celine being able to walk. As she transitioned from crawling to walking, she loved holding onto and pushing around things like chairs, so having a toy she could hold onto and push was a natural choice. The walker is very stable and projects a light show onto the ground ahead that encourages your baby to walk. Additionally, the activity centre folds flat for easy storage and floor play. With tons of great features like gears, slider and peekaboo panels that keep your little one engaged.
Bright Starts Ringing Phone Baby Toy
“Ring ring! Hello? Grandma? You’d like to speak to Celine? Yes, hold on” another instance of Monkey see, Monkey do. Always seeing her parents on their phones, Celine loves making calls to all her friends and relatives on her Banana phone. This toddler toy has 10 buttons that activate the lights and music to teach your little one to learn their numbers. The Banana phone even “peels” open and close.
The phone also has the option to switch to French and Spanish as well as English, in case you want to teach your child another language. We just love getting “calls” on the phone, then having Celine take the phone and have a conversation with whoever is on the other side.
Ikea MULA Abacus
Another simple yet engaging toy. Just a multi-coloured wooden abacus, the colours seem to really grab Celine’s attention. A great tool to teach your little one about numbers and colours, this abacus is a great toy.