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by Shelly on October 6, 2015 6 Comments

Birthday Present Ideas for Two Year Olds

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Yesterday was my little Sophie’s second birthday! That day in history will be marked as my favorite and least favorite day back in 2013. Physically it was the worst but nothing could exceed it emotionally. I wanted to do a roundup of cool birthday present ideas for two year olds because I know it can be tough to buy for kids. In our society, kids often have everything they need so it’s difficult to buy a birthday present that will be used often. Sophie is one of those children who is fortunate to have everything she needs as well as a ton of other cool toys. I’m always torn between wanting to buy her more stuff and trying to sell her toys because she has so many.

Birthday Present Ideas for Two Year Olds

These birthday presents for two year olds were selected based on their ability to help a child learn. The Disney Frozen Sparkle Anna of Arendelle Doll would be a huge birthday present success in our family, however, I wanted to choose toys that would be fun and entertaining for boys and girls. We’ve been introducing ‘real world’ toys lately where Sophie can learn to be like Mommy and Daddy by mimicking with tools that are her size.

Mega Bloks First Builders Big Building Bag– Building blocks are one of the best ways to improve a toddler’s motor skills and hand eye coordination. This bright colorful set comes with a sturdy carrying bag for easy clean up.
Little Helper Broom Set– I was always more of a vaccuum person when it came to my hard floors but I’ve noticed the broom does a much better job. Sophie always wants to help so I got her a Little Helper Broom set and she helps sweep up crumbs after her meals (win win for both of us).
Little Tikes TotSports T-Ball Set– T-ball sets are great for long term fun. Using hand eye coordination to hit the ball, chasing the ball and replacing it on the T is an activity that takes a good amount of time to master. Once they do, they’re so proud and can then hit it to you while you toss it back.
Schoenhut 25-Key My First Piano– Forbes quotes a study where students who play piano have a higher IQ by three points. Introducing music at a young age may help that child to be interested in learning an instrument later on in life.
My First Touch & Feel Picture Cards: First Words– These flash cards are one of Sophie’s favorite toys. Each flash card has a touch and feel image on the front with the name written below. The back side of the flash card has questions you can ask your toddler about the item on the front. The Animals version is a big hit in our family
Joie Fruit And Vegetable Wavy Chopper Knife– Nothing makes a toddler more confident and therefore happy than being independent. This wavy chopper knife is a perfect way to get your toddler to help prepare dinner or their lunch for the next day. Apples, bananas and cucumbers are some of the snacks Sophie cuts for herself after school.
Guidecraft 1 to 5 Ring Counter– A great way to introduce colors as well as numbers. As the child uses this toy they start associating the number of pegs/rings with the written number. It also is a great toy for color sorting.
Toysmith Big Kids Garden Tool Set– Food will be in your child’s world for their entire life. A great way to help them understand where food grows is to plant a garden with them having them help you with their own tools. A small plot of land or even soil in a container can grow several plants. These tools help them with motor skills, learn about plant growth and may encourage them to try more foods.
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel– Art is major in a toddler’s development. The delux standing easel has a chalk board encourages creative expression and fine motor skills. The amount of awesomeness i ncluded in this easel is huge! Includes: dry-erase board, chalkboard, locking paper-roll holder, child-safe paper cutter, 4 easy-clip grips and 2 large plastic trays, that can be removed for easy cleaning. Two kids (or parent and child) can be creating together easily at the same time.
Melissa & Doug Easel Accessory Set– The easel set goes along with the easel, obviously, but I love the products included that are specially made for little hands. The no-spill paint cups with lids are a life saver when toddlers are just starting to be creative in painting.
Minnie Mouse Over-the-Ear Headphones with Volume Control– Headphones are another toy that make your child more independent. There are read along books that have audio CDs at our library that Sophie loves to check out. These headphones are also great on airplanes to help replace the noise of the loud engine with music or a movie.

It was hard to narrow our top favorite toys and tools down to eleven. Do you have any go to birthday present ideas for two year olds? I also love giving books but you never know if they already have that book at home. Gift certificates to fun places like Sky Zone or a museum are always great to fall back on as well (especially in the winter months). What is/was your toddler’s favorite toy?

I also have a great hand-made gift guide for one year olds that we used last year.

by Shelly on August 6, 2015 5 Comments

Taking Your Toddler to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Our morning did not start out well. Sophie has been getting very sad in the mornings when everyone leaves for work and school. She first has to say goodbye to her Daddy, then her uncle and cousin followed by her aunt and other cousin. There’s a lot of crying to start her day and it continued with every task we’d done for our morning routine. I’d planned on doing a ‘fun’ day since we’ll be busy closing on our home and moving this week, but was starting to regret my decision.

Thankfully I’d put my doubts and fears aside to take Sophie to the The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. She was in complete awe of everything we saw, starting with Bumblebee in the atrium to the music room in the Playscape. I threw the map in the stroller and let Sophie decide everything we did. It was fun not having an agenda and exploring the museum through her eyes.

Our first stop was the Dinosphere because she was so excited about the massive dinosaurs coming in through the window at the front of the museum. She held tight to me as we walked through learning about the dinosaur skeletons but roared back every time she heard a different dinosaur. Sophie ran straight up to watch the paleontologist work on the fossils. He talked to us about the newest dinosaur they’re working on called Dracorex Hogwartsia which was found in South Dakota but donated to The Children’s Museum.

Chihuly is one of my favorite artists so I was sure to stop by to gaze at the beautiful ceiling. There’s also a fun ‘make your own Chihuly instillation’ that Sophie loved working on with the other kids. I loved watching her figure out how to put the sculpture together and share with her fellow artists.

We went to check out the water clock when I’d heard the intro music to Jurassic Park. We headed towards the music to see a small crowd of people gathered for the Bucky Lives show. Boy were we in for a surprise! The show begins with a paleontologist describing her job as an intern at The Children’s Museum. The next thing you know, fog is rolling out from behind the curtain where the fossils are and out emerges Bucky the teen age T-Rex. Sophie and the other kids were scared and extremely excited at the same time when Bucky roared loudly as he emerged. Bucky’s mannerism is very much like a dog so he’s relateable and not scary to the children. She was so thrilled that we stopped in the museum store to get a dinosaur friend, of which she has not stopped carrying around since our trip.

Across from the museum store was the cafeteria that is currently under construction. There were cold sandwiches, fruit, juice and milk in the refrigerator. They also had a hot sandwich combo meal that they change every day (BBQ Pulled Pork, coleslaw, chips and a drink). The meal pictured above was $20, which I thought was overpriced but it was to be expected. Next time we will definitely bring our own lunch to save money. I also saw a family who brought in Jimmy Johns which I thought was a good idea if you didn’t want to pack a lunch.

The Playscape was a new addition from the last time I’d visited. It’s a wonderful area dedicated to babies and toddlers. The large area consisted of water play, sand play, a climbing sculpture, a music room, an art room, a building room and more. I thought it was a perfect spot to take your younger child while your older child sees a show at the planetarium or plays in the ScienceWorks exhibit.

We were able to visit almost every exhibit between the hours of 10a-1p because she didn’t have the attention span to delve into each topic. It was perfect for me as well so I could get a glimpse at everything the Children’s Museum has changed since the last time I’d visited. Some of her other favorite attractions were the Hot Wheels, Take Me There: China and All Aboard exhibits. I’m so happy with how much of the Children’s Museum Sophie was able to experience. We’ll be getting a membership next year because it is so affordable compared to buying the tickets individually. Do you have a children’s museum where you live? Have you ever had those frustrating days turn completely around by taking your toddler somewhere fun? I’m keeping this experience in mind for the next time she’s having a bad day.

by Shelly on July 29, 2015 6 Comments

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

I love experiencing baseball games, despite not being interested in the sport of baseball one bit. It’s one of my favorite activities to do in Indianapolis and I wanted to share my love of seeing the Indians with Jeffrey and Sophie. Getting a hot dog as a kid at the ballpark with my family is such a special memory. I remember getting a baseball signed by Rowdie (the Indian’s mascot) and looking up to him as a celebrity. We took Sophie to her first baseball game last year on our vacation to Oklahoma and it was the highlight of our trip. She absolutely loved it so I was curious to see how she’d like it this year!

Indianapolis has made the games so accessible by making the tickets affordable and the field downtown by museums, restaurants and the canal. The tickets are only $10 in the outfield and you can bring your own blanket and picnic to save even more money. On Friday nights there is a steller firework show after the game and they’re always running promotions on discounts and kids eating free.

We could not have asked for a more perfect summer night. Hot dogs and soft pretzels are our favorite foods so we only packed a couple snacks for Sophie and a blanket. Next time we will also bring pom poms for Sophie to cheer on her team! Having my sister’s family meet us at the game was a blast! We’re currently living with them for three weeks while we close on our new home. I wanted to be sure to take advantage of doing fun events with them while we’re staying at their home and knew a baseball game would be fun for all three girls (1, almost 2 and 5 years old). Even though it was a Thursday night game, I’m glad we got there an hour early to lay out our blanket. The outfield filled up quick with families with kids that Sophie loved playing with. The little girls spent their time dancing to the music, standing at the fence to watch the baseball players and running through the misters to keep cool.

We could not have asked for a better ‘Welcome back to Indy’ event than a summer baseball game with our family. We’ll definitely be going again this summer and taking advantage of a night stroll along the canal. What’s on your summer bucket list?

by Shelly on June 25, 2015 7 Comments

Taking Your Toddler to the Waterpark

We have an amazing waterpark in our town that I love visiting with Sophie. I was nervous the first time we went because I’d never taken her to such a large area with so much water and running/screaming children. Now, I feel completely confident in taking her for several hours in the afternoon. There’s no better way to ensure a good night’s sleep than a trip to the waterpark for a toddler. Taking your toddler to the waterpark can be intimidating so here are my top 5 tips to ensure less stress.
Tip 1: Hydrate. If I know I’m taking Soph to the waterpark (or any day of extensive outdoor play) I’ll make sure she’s drinking a ton starting the day prior. It’s hard to remember to make sure everyone is drinking plenty when you’re having so much fun.

Tip 2: Safety. Although there are lifeguards every 10 feet, they have a ton of people to watch. Your child is your responsibility, so stay within reach at all times. Many toddlers have no fear and will want to go on the bigger slides. Be there to help them if they need it as well as monitoring bigger kids if they’re getting too aggressive around your toddler.

Tip 3: Let them try. I think safety is most important but I also think a child’s independence and satisfaction at mastering a skill is close behind. Soph wasn’t interested in the kiddie pool as much as the big slides and playground. She would have gone on the adult waterslide if she were tall enough. If they are safe, let them try everything!

Tip 4: Bring snacks. Their little bodies will need food for energy if you’re going for more than an hour. It’s also a good way to force them to take a breather and calm down from the sensory overload. We usually bring goldfish, fruit, gummy snacks and a protein bar.

Tip 5: Take a break. Snacks are a great way to take a break but Soph is constantly dancing and wanting to go back to the pool while she eats. I take her in the lazy river every time we go to let her sit back and chill. We’ll spin and do waves but the main reason we float is for both of us to calm down.

You’ll be more likely to continue taking your toddler to the waterpark if you do these 5 steps. I think taking a toddler to the waterpark alone can be overwhelming but can also be so fun for the both of you. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends!

by Shelly on May 19, 2015 6 Comments

Don’t forget to play

On Sundays I try to schedule my week ahead. I meal plan, get the groceries, prep food and add tasks I want to get done for the week. My planner has an area for the top three things I want to accomplish each day, which I love. There’s also an area for more to-do. This is the area that I’m very bad at filling. I know that I have one hour between 8-6:30 to work on a project. I have one hour that I KNOW she won’t wake up and I don’t have Jeffrey to spend time with. Sometimes I get frustrated that I get so little done. I want to create more for this blog, write for other blogs, sew a quilt, paint, garden and plan for Disney all during that hour. Sometimes I sigh when I hear her stirring from her nap wishing I had ‘just five more minutes’. In the end, I don’t want those five more minutes. I want every single minute I have with her to play, explore, dance, giggle and learn! She is my work and play and I’m beyond lucky to spend my days with her. I must remember: don’t forget to play.

Birthday Present Ideas for Two Year Olds

Birthday Present Ideas for Two Year Olds

Taking Your Toddler to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Taking Your Toddler to the Waterpark

Don’t forget to play

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