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!
Melissa and Doug, Toy Recommendations, brands, travel activity, wood
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hide and seek game, Melissa and Doug, toddler toys, Toy Recommendations, Toy Recommendations, travel toys, wooden toys
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.
Selecta, Toy Recommendations, baby, brands, pull/push toy, stacking toy, wood
| Filino, German toys, pull toys, Selecta, stacking toys, toddler toys, Toy Recommendations, Toy Recommendations, wooden toys
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.
Melissa and Doug, Toy Recommendations, brands, classic toy, educational, puzzle, wood
| educational toys, Melissa and Doug, Montessori, sorting toy, Toy Recommendations, Toy Recommendations, wooden toys
Varialand is not really a puzzle, I would call it more of a collage. It consists of 80 wooden picture tiles that can be combined any way a child wants to make different scenes. Some tiles are parts of houses, some are clouds in the sky, many are animals or trees.
This is the ultimate in creativity for children. I guarantee that kids will never make the same scene twice!
Plus it is made out of very durable wood. The images are printed on the tiles, not glued on. All in all, this is a toy that should last for generations to come.
Selecta, Toy Recommendations, brands, puzzle, wood
| collage, European toys, German toys, puzzles, Selecta, Toy Recommendations, Toy Recommendations, Varialand, wooden toys
Maggy The Cow, by French toy manufacturer Djeco, wins my award for cutest shape-sorter!
Colorful, wooden cow is a nice baby size (about 4″ x 7″). Her head bobbles up and down on a spring and she sports a stylish red string tail. The six bright blocks fit in holes in the top and sides.
My 19 month-old loves it, but at this stage she just opens the top and drops in the blocks. Why mess with stuffing shapes into strangely-shaped holes when you can do it the easy way, right?
This toy makes me wish I were a baby again!
Djeco, Toy Recommendations, baby, brands, wood
| Djeco, European toys, Maggy The Cow, shape sorter, sorting toys, Toy Recommendations, Toy Recommendations, wooden toys
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