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By Mom Unplugged, November 8, 2007 8:29 pm

None of my children has ever had a favorite lovey until my youngest. She has “Doudou” (baby French for “lovey”). This cute little green bunny in the photo. Other colors and animals are available, but I chose to feature my daughter’s special “Doudou.”

Santa brought Doudou for Christmas last year when she was nearly one. Pretty much from the start, she has loved him.

Now she is 22 months and takes every nap with Doudou, and of course sleeps with him at night. In the morning I ask her if she slept well. If I forget to ask her how “Doudou” slept, she will say to me “Doudou? Doudou?” Until I ask. (He always seems to have slept well thank you.)

He is very soft and comes in a lovely little round box that you will certainly want to keep (he is sitting on it in the photo). He is made in France (not China) by French company Kaloo.

I can tell you that my daughter’s Doudou has met with all manner of natural biological calamities and has been machine washed and tumbled dry numerous times. He always comes out of his bathing experience soft and intact.

My daughter and I cannot recommend him highly enough!

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By Mom Unplugged, October 18, 2007 7:53 pm

Open doors, close doors, open doors, close doors, etc. etc. etc. Toddler heaven!

These doors hide farm themed magnets that your little one can move around from door to door. I found this to be a great travel toy. There are magnets that could get lost, however they are not overly small and there are not many of them to keep track of.

The best age for this seems to be 2 to 3 (recommended for over 3 due to possibility of choking, so be careful). Ours has been on several plane and car trips and is still going strong. By the way, this is from Melissa and Doug Toys, so it is sturdy, wooden, and wonderful!

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By Mom Unplugged, October 12, 2007 10:37 am

I have always thought that those little Magnetix were a fun toy, but unfortunately they can cause a fatal intestinal injury should the magnets be swallowed.

My friend Wishy (thanks again Wishy!) told me about these Guidecraft toys. They are giant magnetic rods and balls. Kids can make cool structures without danger of choking on or swallowing little rods and balls like those found in the sets for older kids.

This seems like a great construction toy for younger children, or for households with a baby who constantly seeks out tiny objects.

There sets with different numbers of pieces to fit different budgets. I have shown here the set for ages 3 and up. But there is also a toddler set, and a slightly smaller-sized set (but not choking-sized small) for older children, ages 4 and up.

For more variety, you can even get curvy Magneatos and glow-in-the-dark sets too!

A 2006 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winner.

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By Mom Unplugged, October 3, 2007 7:16 pm

While searching for a new unplugged toy to feature this week, I stumbled upon the Filino Pull Toy by German toy manufacturer Selecta. I have already written about our much loved wooden stacking mouse pull toy by French manufacturer Boikido, but this one looks just as cute.

Selecta makes wonderful, high quality wooden toys that are very durable. We have a few of their toys and they have lasted through three children and are still going strong. Plus, all Selecta’s toys are actually made in Germany and conform to European toy safety standards, so no lead paint. I am so sorry that this has had to become a consideration for parents nowadays.

This toy is fun because it is really several toys in one. Not only can children pull the cute dog and mouse around, but they can disassemble and stack the pieces too. I found that my little one first enjoyed taking our mouse toy apart, but couldn’t stack or pull. Now, at twenty months she loves giving the mouse family a ride, but still can’t stack it well.

If you want a multipurpose baby toy that can accommodate your child as she grows and develops, then I recommend the durable, heirloom-quality Filino Pull Toy.

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By Mom Unplugged, September 19, 2007 6:04 pm

This is a simple, classic wooden toy that teaches the concepts of size, shape, color, and sequence! I first saw one of these in my children’s Montessori classroom and was pleased to be able to find one to have at home too.

The idea is simple. There are four sets of five blocks. Each set is a different color and shape. The wooden board has a hole for each block. Children must arrange the blocks in the rows of holes sequence from shortest to tallest.

As with all good toys, children can actually play with this multiple ways. Sometimes they simply like to use the twenty colorful shapes as building blocks, other times they sequence them on the board as they are “supposed” to do.

Here’s another idea: Put the blocks in a bag and have your child (by touch alone) pull out all the triangular shaped ones for example. Or just put in one set and have your child try to pull them out from smallest to largest!

This block board is very durable since is ours is now on child number three without so much as a chip in the paint. At $8.99, I personally think the price is great for such a long lasting and educational wooden toy.