Thingamababy

When I was a kid, every year my Grampa asked his grandchildren to mark up a Sears Wish Book with all the toys we wanted for Christmas. A wish list helped him choose gifts.

I have been asked to compile a wish list for 18-month-old Little Miss to assist her Grandma. It was harder than I thought, trying to remember all of the cool stuff I’ve seen in the past year. I know I’ve missed a lot, so I hope you will share your own ideas in the comments section, or on your own blog using the same easy-to-search-for title: Toy Wish List 2005

Here are my rational, and a few irrational, choices…

Toys:

• $13 Finger crayons by ALEX – Grippable crayons which can also be placed over tiny fingers.
• $15 100 wooden painted blocks in a crate by Melissa and Doug.
• $20 Leap Frog Fridge Phonics (sold at Target) – Little Miss played with this toy at a friend’s house. Place magnetic letters onto the toy’s surface to hear the letter’s name and the sound it makes.
• $25 Rocking Horse by Little Tikes – Little Miss has outgrown a second-hand wooden rocker someone built from a Michaels craft kit (outgrown meaning she rocks hard enough she might tip over). The Little Tikes rocker is much lower to the ground. It will only fit Little Miss for one more year, but she really loves to rock.
• $28 Aquadoodle 32" jumbo mat (sold at Costco this month) – Draw on this mat with inkless water markers. The drawings clear themselves away in a short amount of time.
• $125 Star Egg night light by Jim Schatz – It’s a night light which casts stars on the walls and ceiling.
• $130 Kettrike Navigator – Hey, it’s a tricycle which scales for kids 1 to 5 years old.
• $300 Lummelhaus Play House by Haba – A set of sturdy interlocking Cordura walls which allow a parent to build a boat, house, fort or sofa.
• Gift certificate to Amazon.com.

Books:

• $8 Shoes Board Book by Elizabeth Winthrop and William Joyce – A cool rhyming book about shoes.
• $10 Mr. Frumble’s Biggest Hat Flap Book Ever! by Richard Scarry – I grew up with Scarry’s wonderful illustrations.
• $26 Biggest Word Book Ever! (board book) by Richard Scarry – This one is a 2-foot-tall board book.
• $28 Toddler bistro recipe box – We usually feed Little Miss what we are eating. I’d love to see toddler recipes for a bit of variation.

Clothing:

• $16 Silly Kilili duck feet slippers (children’s medium, several pairs) – We have one pair which will soon be too small. The medium size is rated for kids 2 to 5 years. That’s a lot of time spent on our cold hard floors.
• Gift certificate to Children’s Place.

Gear:

• $20 Phil and Teds E3 Single Stroller Storm Cover (for our E3 stroller).
• $30 Phil and Teds E3 Single Stroller Sun/Insect Mesh.
• $30 Tot Tether (panda style) – God forbid we put Little Miss on a leash while we’re out-and-about, but she does tend to sprint down store aisles.
• $36 Rock-a-buddies rocking chair by Levels of Discovery (sold at Costco this month). It’s an artsy, or folksy, wooden rocking chair available in a variety of styles.
• $60 Sling bookshelf (as reviewed by Modern Day Dad). We seriously need to get our book situation under control.
• £70 BT Digital Baby Monitor Plus (plus import fees and a voltage converter).
• Gift certificate to One Step Ahead.

OK, I didn’t pick any luxury items such as a $3,500 Teddy Tudor House. If Grandma seriously considered such a gift, I’d come up with an array of smaller gifts to match that kind of cash outlay. As is, the list above comes out just under $1,000. One can dream…

Wednesday, November 30th, 2005Toys