
Susan asks…
christmas present for toddler with everything?
does anyone have any good gift ideas for little boys age 1 and 2? their mom claims they have too many toys and probably wouldn’t be happy with more in the house (and i don’t want to buy them clothes)
thanks! the potty would be awesome but a super cool one’s a little out of my price range
you guys all have awesome ideas thank you

Marlene McClure answers:
I know it’s no fun but you could always invest the money in a cd or savings bond? They will love it when they go to college or start there own family. I have a 2 yr old and he has EVERYTHING so my sister in laws started putting money into an account for him for Christmases and Birthdays. So they have something to open you could get them coloring books or books for their age level. My son cannot get enough of them. Good luck and I am sure they will like anything you give them.

Daniel asks…
Any recommendations: either plastic or wooden toy kitchen for toddlers xmas gift? ?
We are getting my 18 month old a toy kitchen for christmas this year. I actually have already purchased one; because it was on a great sale. I got her the LifeStyle dream kitchen. I love how real it seems and all the noises it makes ect. However I am wondering if a wooden one from either Pottery Barn or Kidkraft would be better. I had a plastic one back in the day and I played with it forever; and it held up really well and was easy to clean ect. But everything is made so cheaply now I am wondering if maybe the wooden one would be a better investment. Any reviews or suggestions would be great thanks. And not to sound to greedy or materialistic but please try to keep the suggestions about second hand or yard sale kitchens to a minimum. I understand they have some really nice deals out there; however she is my only child and it’s her first “real” toy and I want it to be nice and perfect and smell all new ect. I’ll be thrifty when we get her one to go in her outside playhouse. Thanks. O and also if anyone has any info on the Lifestyle delux kitchen (the walk in one with the bar and fo-wood floors) let me know please. Is it as big as it looks online? Is it as nice as it seems?

Marlene McClure answers:
I definitley recommend the kitchen you have bought!! My daughters have the deluxe version of that not the walk in one though, and it has held up great, and I think still looks new. We have had it for almost 3 years, and my daughters still play with it, and love it!!

Mark asks…
what do you think of these ideas for my toddler Christmas party?
guests: myself, my friend , my two daughters ( 19 months and 36 months) her two daughters ( 3-1/2yrs and 7yrs)
theme: Christmas
decorations: red and green balloons and streamers and christmas decorations ( santa, snowman, stars, rudolph etc…)
games/activites
1. decorating a plate for santa ( a paper or plastic white plate they can decorate with non-toxic paint, glitter and stickers)
2. mini gingerbread houses ( i will have them premade with graham crackers and frosting and then they can decorate them with age appropriate candles)
3. decorate a christmas villages ( i will have for each of them a piece of bristal board or large cardboard with a “christmas village” on it snowman, trees ets that will be plain and they can decorate it
4. santa hunt ( they will go around the house looking for chocolate santa’s simple!)
5. a cupcake bar ( i will have cupcakes baked and frosted and they will each get one to take to the cupcake bar to decorate and eat I will have things like sprinkles, chocolate chips, m&m’s etc
food/drinks
pizza muffins
loot bag: mini stockings filled with toys and candy

Marlene McClure answers:
Wow,how impressive.I’ve never been to a party like this in all my 20+ years.

Donald asks…
I need ideas for storing toddler’s toys. Any suggestions to organizing all these toys?
Christmas is coming and I’m getting stressed because I have three small children and lots of toys already. They are going to be getting sets of things like the whole Snow White character set, and a set of toy instruments, ect. I can just picture them getting all separated and lost. what do you do to keep toys organized? Thanks so much, I appreciate your help!

Marlene McClure answers:
I buy the Sterilite boxes at wal- mart and for those toys we have he original packaging for I tape the picture of the toy to the front of the box. All others I just write the name and maybe draw a picture of the toy. That way when it is time for the kids to clean up they know which toys go in which box. My favorite ones are the clip boxes so you can clip the lids closed. We also have a rule that they are only allowed to have 2 boxes out at a time.
Not all of our toys are boxed up I have some out on open shelves for them to play with everyday. Those things have a designated shelf for storage – we have a shape sorter shelf, a book shelf, a shelf full of musical instruments, one for big trucks, one with “baby” toys, and one for games. The things that are in sets or have a lot of pieces are in boxes. We have boxes with lids for Blocks (3 different kinds), a set of vehicles, train tracks, Dress up clothes, Food and dishes, Animals, Dinosaurs, Water animals, creepy crawlies (bugs, snakes, lizards), puzzles, stringing beads, and pop beads. We also have a laundry basket for balls and one for stuffed animals.
My basic philosophy is everything has a place and when we are done playing with it it goes back in it’s place. If we bring something into our house it needs to have a place to go. That may mean taking something else out but I am blessed at the moment to have a basement where I can store things and so some of the toys are rotated in and out of the collection (like the Little People sets only come out one or 2 at a time). This keep things in order and also means the kids get “new” toys to pique their interest on a regular basis.
My kids are 2 1/2 and 17 months and they know how to clean up and my son has been very particular about putting things in the “right” place since he was just 12 months old. We don’t have a designated play room and the kids share a small bed room so my living room may look like a daycare center but everything is in order and the kids can play with and put things away easily. The few pieces we have lost have been a result of little hands thinking it is great fun to throw things in the trash can when mommy is not looking rather than a lack of organization
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