November Older Toddlers and Preschoolers

[gertdog]

I have an ulterior motive in starting the thread this month- looking for holiday gift ideas! Anyone have any recent hits or recommendations for 3-year-old-ish kids? I can offer a few that have been hits at our house:

Melissa and Doug's Slice and Bake Cookie set- has a tube of "cookie dough" that velcros together; comes with a wood knife for slicing the dough, a baking sheet with velcro dots for placing the cookies, a spatula, icing that velcros to the cookies, and a little oven mitt. Ryan LOVES this.

Melissa and Doug's Clay Tools- just a crate with some textured rolling pins and stuff; the dough that comes with it is miniscule in amount, but the rolling pins and stampers work fine with PlayDoh and clay too.

iPlay Little Doctor Kit- lots of fun pretend play with this one, too. I have been receiving shots on a daily basis, lucky me.

Cranium Cariboo- have had this one since last Christmas and he is still not tired of it.

Big plastic dinosaurs- he likes playing with these in the sandbox as well as indoors.

All's well here. After the discussion of the mischief our kids can get into with their scissors last week- Ryan managed to get his bowl of Halloween candy down from the top of the fridge yesterday and proceeded to snip the wrappers off various mini candy bars and eat them, the stinker!!

[Megan James]

My suggestions for gifts:

Fischer Price's Little People are a HUGE hit in our house. We now have a bunch of them and Rebecca will play by herself for long periods of time with them.

Patrick the Pup Vet Kit by FAO Schwarz - Rebecca got this for her birthday and really likes it. It's a dog in a pet carrier with a medical kit.

Then there is playdough & Accessories. We are really into that right now but of course there is the mess factor.

Those of you who have easels what kind do you have and what do you like/dislike about it?

We are fighting illness in our house. Rebecca just got off anti-biotics, I'm on them and DH is supposed to be heading for the Dr today. I'm guessing he'll be coming home with the sinus infection diagnosis and a prescription too. Fortunately baby Will hasn't been nailed by it (yet?). I'm hoping the advice to nurse your baby while you are sick to keep them healthy works.

[gertdog]

We have this Step2 easel (http://www.amazon.com/Step-2-Easel-For-Two/dp/B001BSBYAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1225748389&sr=8-1). Like: two-sided, with magnetic/dry-erase board and a chalkboard, tray underneath for supplies, fairly sturdy. Dislike: magnetic letters that come with it are flimsy and a major choking hazard, no place to attach a roll of paper (I knew this when I bought it but now wish it took rolls of paper). Ryan loves it.

[DanaSD]

I'll pop in for this month. Just the usual crazyiness of raising a toddler and running a business (and the past 2 months have been the best yet for business, if it was a great economy, I would be beyond swamped). In general Brendan is such a sweet and caring kid. BUT those toddler moments do arise daily and this past Sunday, he was a challenge the entire day. We're thankful today is Monday and he's off to school, :)

Brendan moved up to the primary class at school a few weeks ago (its a 3-6 year class so equivelent to preschool and kindegarten). For Brendan the mixed age class is great for him and he's thriving with a new learning explosion. But this also means learning from the older boys so he's all about chasing the bad guys, transformers and powerrangers (even though he's never seen the shows). He's potty trained at school but won't poop on hte potty so he saves that for when he gets home - so we mostly keep him in pullups. Any advice on this one? I"m not pushing it because last week he didn't poop for 4 days and ended up not feeling well.

Gift ideas:
Big hits when we traveled (and would work anytime but I got the ideas from this group) was the viewmaster and wikkisticks.

Dinosaurs (and we have this awesome playmat that folds up into a storage box)

blocks - legos, Thomas duplos, wooden blocks

Playdo kits

Dress up (I picked up a bunch of things during Halloween sales - pirate, fireman, etc).

doctor kit - we've have the mickey mouse one which is kind of junky - Parents has a nicer one.

Brendan isn't into the little people (and we have a bunch of them) but loves his Weebelot Castle.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414XQW4YREL._SS400_.jpg

I'm mostly done with Christmas shopping for Brendan - its a lot of little stuff like books, dinosaur puzzle, dinosaurs (schleich brand), DVDs, Thomas stuff. I also ordered a bunch of stuff from a montesorri catalog - garden gloves, rake, tool box. He'd rather be a helper around the house than playing with toys. But we're thinking about getting him the 2 seater jeep so that would be a big purchase (but he also has a late Dec birthday so we need ideas for that too).

jeep (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GZO7G2)

[DanaSD]

We have this Step2 easel (http://www.amazon.com/Step-2-Easel-For-Two/dp/B001BSBYAU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1225748389&sr=8-1). Like: two-sided, with magnetic/dry-erase board and a chalkboard, tray underneath for supplies, fairly sturdy. Dislike: magnetic letters that come with it are flimsy and a major choking hazard, no place to attach a roll of paper (I knew this when I bought it but now wish it took rolls of paper). Ryan loves it.

We have the Parents brand magnetic letters - they're made very nicely but on the large size. We also have some that came with a Melissa and Doug chalk board. I always throw out those cheap ones because I'm worried about the magnets.

[Couperine]

Stephanie, I picked up an easel from IKEA that has paper rolls for it. It was $30 ish?, and I also purchased 4 rolls of paper so I didn't have to go back soon. Ethan uses it often, but we're still on the first roll of paper. It's not magnetic, but that's not a deal-breaker for me. Makes the fridge more exciting!

Ethan's 3 1/2 now, and he just got a bicycle. He adored his tricycle, but now he's giving his "slow" bike to his little brother (from reading "Sally Jean the Bicycle Queen"). He had a helmet on the trike, but I'm going to get him a new green one for Christmas. My dad wants to get him the automated vehicle, but I'd rather Ethan burn off some of his energy on the bike.

If you're still in thrall to Cariboo as we are, other hits in our house are Hi-Ho Cherry-O, slapjack, go fish, war, Old Maid, Zingo, regular bingo, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland (but that's even younger than Cariboo), and I have Sequence for Kids to try out next.

He loves his My First Leap-Pad (the orange one) and uses it in the car all the time. We're debating an upgrade since he's so good with what he has, but I remember Val mentioning that her kids didn't like the older one as much at this age.

He has cars and trucks galore - most of his play involves his matchbox cars doing things; they look lovely covered in Play-doh.

I saw a toolbench in a little store in Boston that I'm trying to find. It used a screw driver and a socket driver to screw and unscrew plastic bolts in a board. You could also make designs if you wanted, but that's not Ethan's thing. I liked that the tool size was more realistic.

Debating on upgrading Lego size - we still have tons of the huge kind, but with David and another on the way, I may pass a while longer. My feet will thank me I'm sure.

Ethan likes Transformers - they have them for different ages, and the 4 year old one was just right for him. I may get him another one so he can have one per hand.

I'm done rambling - hopefully this gives you ideas for a boy like mine. :)

[mst]

Nancy- Holy smokes! Congratulations!

Ilyssa is very into playing HiHo Cherry-O. Still loves her toy kitchen. Loves puzzles. She likes to role-play.

Her birthday is coming up, and I can't decide if we should get her a dollhouse. She never, ever, ever played with her Little People one. But, I wonder if a cooler one would interest her. She loves so much to play "baby", and play with her kitchen, so it seems like she would like it, but I don't understand why she never liked the other one.

[DanaSD]

How could I forget - this is Brendan's favorite toy and last years xmas present.

Back to Basics Toys workbench (http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/item/productid/4785/txt/Deluxe_Workbench_and_Toolbox)

Its very nicely made though they did raise the price a good bit since last year. He also has the iplay brand tools and a construction hat from the dollar store.

[Couperine]

mst - Thank you for the grats - life will get more interesting next summer (and I'm praying no bedrest this time). :) Some of the independent toy stores around Houston have different doll houses and play sets on display for kids to use - perhaps you can take Ilyssa to see some of those? Ethan won't touch little people anymore either. He wants his manly dolls like Superman. :)

Dana - thanks for the recommendation on the tool bench. I'm still not sure about bringing anything large into the house since David's about to get into all the bulky crawler/walker toys. Ethan sure does like tools though.

[gertdog]

Wow, Nancy, you just slipped that comment in there! I didn't even catch it- took Meredith's eagle eye. ;) Congratulations!

Too funny, Dana- I was coming back to post about Ryan's toolbench! It's very similar to the one from Back to Basics; I think my mom got it at Land of Nod (which has a very nice selection of toys, all of which you can buy for less elsewhere). Ryan loves it. It's very well made and kid-friendly- lots to keep him busy and he is always asking us to come do "projects" with him.

[lisas3575]

Congratulations, Nancy!! :)

Dana, sorry I don't have any words of wisdom for you on the #2 issue. Owen went through a couple weeks of not wanting to go, but he'd go in his pullup instead. As we tapered off the potty treats (lollipops), he'd get one when he went #2 but not #1.

Thanks for the great ideas for gifts-- I need to start putting together a list. I'm not super excited about the prospect because Owen just isn't a toy kid, so there's nothing that's a must have. The one thing that he does enjoy is the little kid sized basketball hoop at daycare, so I'll suggest one of the relatives gift him one of those. My mom has bought him a Radio Flyer wheelbarrow for either his birthday or Christmas, and I think he'll enjoy that. He loves helping DH in the yard and follows him around with his bubble mower while dad mows. So cute. :)

The new helmet is a great idea, hadn't thought of that one. We bought him a Plan Toys trike, he likes his Radio Flyer one really well, so that one can go to Grandma's house.

[buffygirl]

Hi all,

Just a quick fly by...Thanks for the recs on toys. We are starting to do our Santa shopping.

Please do not read this next part if you are pregnant!
We had a real tragedy with some friends last month that has just grounded me in terms of "priorities". Our close friends in the neighborhood lost their full term, supposedly healthy newborn baby girl.:(We've been pitching in with their 2 boys, one is Rex's neighborhood buddy, the other is a cuddly 18 month old. :) It has been just tragic and just reminds us all to just love on our kids. The mom is doing as well as anyone possilby could in this situation. They have incredible faith. We hung out with them for days on end during the hurricane adn just talked and talked about this sweet little girl that was coming. It is surreal that she won't be coming home. Sorry, but I just felt the need to share.:(

Rex is finally adjusting to Pre-K, but it has been tough. I think it is more structure than he wants right now. He's only in 3 days a week, but even so it has been a tough transition.

More later,
Kim

[MinEaston]

Thanks for getting us started Stephanie!

Let's see.
Toys & gifts: I haven't even started to really think about it! Anna LOVES pretend play these days. She "cooks" in her little kitchen and cuts apart her velcro-connected veggies with gusto. I wish she'd eat real ones but that's another story. She can even cut soft things with a small paring knife, safely and under my supervision. She loves to peel garlic, too. We might get her some accessories for her dollhouse or some play food items. She is also getting lots of use out of her IKEA easel now, too (both the chalkboard side and the side w/the paper roll).

Dana, re #2 - we went through a few weeks of Anna doing #2 in her pullups at home, while being trained during the day. Eventually she just started going in the toilet; I don't think there was anything that we did specifically.

Here are some Halloween pictures. I'm proud to post the one w/my parents; you can't even tell dad had an incision in the middle of his forehead and around to his right ear!

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/sailinggal71/halloween2008a.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff86/sailinggal71/halloween2008b.jpg

[lisas3575]

MinEaston, how is your dad doing? You all are still in my thoughts.

Hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to pop in and ask for any suggestions for flying with DS-- we're going to Kauai in a couple weeks and we haven't flown with him in recent memory. After discussing the pros and cons with DH, we're going to schlep our carseat on the plane and not borrow a friend's CARES harness, in hopes that he'll be high enough to look out the window and, with the Marathon's headrests, maybe he'll nap (hardee har har).

I've just ordered a few of those Dover little activity/sticker books, and bought a Viewmaster and a few reels yesterday. I plan to hit the used bookstore and load up on small toddler paperback books. Crayons and paper. I'm on the hunt for some of those magnetic wand games-- the ones where you make hair on the face or, if I can find it, a magnetic marble maze with a wand. Different snacks than our usual stuff. Headphones for the inflight music. Dramamine. ;) Anything else?

[gertdog]

Hi all- for some reason I didn't get email notifications about Kim and Mariana's posts, but I did for Lisa's. :confused:

Kim- I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's loss- that's awful. :(

Mariana- cute pics of Anna, and your dad looks great too!

Lisa- I'm so jealous of your Kauai trip. DH and I honeymooned there. It is easily my favorite of the islands.

Well, the paci fairy FINALLY visited our house :rolleyes: and I'd have asked her to come sooner had I known how painless it would be. The fairy left Ryan a card explaining that she was taking his pacis, but leaving him a new stuffed pink bunny to hug when he missed them. His sweet little face just crumpled when he realized what had happened, but after a few tears he got right into the idea of the bunny, and we've had no issues with falling asleep sans paci. He has mentioned the possibility of a "blankie fairy" with some worry, and we've tried to reassure him that he can take his blankie to college if he wants...

On to potty training- hopefully soon.

[mst]

Min- your dad looks great!

Lisa- Kuaui? Is it wrong that I am so jealous? We did that on our honeymoon and it was *amazing*. Wonderful and fabulous. Definitely jealous.

Steph- yay on paci fairy. We are here to listen for potty training!

As for us, this was the week of Ilyssa's birthday. Her party was beyond amazing. And, it was crazy to look around the room and realize that we met most of these people in the last three years. Ilyssa was delirious with happiness. Everything was perfect. The next day was her actual birthday. It hit me hard. I was weepy most of the day (I let her stay at daycare the whole day so she would nap). I just can't believe how fast this is going, and I am not ready to have her be so old. Then, I tried to snuggle with Shayna (6 months) and she wanted none of it. It is just so fast and I am overwhelmed by how big they are getting. I think that I am done having kids, but this made me doubt that I am done. (FWIW, DH wants one more...)

[MinEaston]

MinEaston, how is your dad doing? You all are still in my thoughts.

I know I should be posting about Anna, but I have to post about Dad. He had an MRI yesterday and today my brother (an internist, who's been the second doctor on Dad's case, essentially) had a conversation with the oncologist. The oncologist apparently told his residents that they should take a note - he'd only seen this happen twice in the 20 years he's been practicing - but the MRI showed NOTHING. Nada. I think that means the cancerous stuff is ALL GONE. I don't think they'll declare him cancer-free given the type, but...

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when my brother called me. My mother is beside herself. I think Dad's pretty psyched, too.

He still faces ongoing chemo (once per month, in pill form, for 5 days), and we're sure that he'll face additional treatment.

BUT. I'm sitting here with tears rolling down my face.

Thanks to everyone for their support!

[Couperine]

Min, that is absolutely glorious news!

[mst]

Woo Hoo!!!! That is the greatest news. Amazing. Truly. Thank you for sharing it with us. I have a huge smile.

And, please feel free to always share non-Anna things. I kind of view our group as a playgroup. Sometimes we talk about kids, sometimes we can talk about manicures!

Kim- sorry about your friend. So sad. There is just nothing to say when something like that happens.

[gertdog]

Mariana, that's just incredible news! So happy for you and your family- hope the additional treatments continue to yield such good results!

[buffygirl]

Min, what great news!!! Your family must be ecstatic!

All is well here. We had dinner with our friends (mentioned above) tonight and they are doing well despite their circumstances. I'm amazed by their strength and am so happy that we've been able to be there for them during this time. It is weird, but I feel so useful...hard to explain.

Rexie is doing well. No big challenges, except eating as usual.:o

Kim