All Aboard the ABC Train

It's no secret that I have a train obsessed toddler, and he is learning his ABCs. Oh, and did I mention that he loves animals too? So when I found this Melissa and Doug Alphabet Express Floor Puzzle at TJMaxx I realized it would be perfect for our playroom.



I went ahead and put it on the wall in our playroom. Mark likes to look at it and point out the different letters and animals.

It's designed to be a floor puzzle, but it is great as decoration on the wall as well. It's made of a heavy cardboard and made to last- exactly as you expect a Melissa & Doug product to be.



You can find it for about $13 or so at most places that sell Melissa & Doug toys. We bought ours at TJMaxx, but I know they have them other places as well including most toy stores and teacher supply stores.

Overall I'd say it's a great product. Both educational and decorative at the same time. Mark loves his train on the wall.

A Playground for All Ages

As most know, Mark's Birthday is on Christmas Day. This means double the presents and fun. But it also means that we need to pick out presents that he can grow with the whole year, as he doesn't have a birthday mid-year where such gifts could be given/purchased.

My mom found the BEST ball pit/gym combo for Mark's first birthday. It's the 3-in-1 Activity Gym from One Step Ahead.




This toy is awesome. And a year and a half later Mark still plays with it daily. It's a hit for sure! Whenever Mark's cousins and playgroup friends come over they all tend to gravitate toward it. Living in Texas where it gets HOT in the summer we decided to keep it indoors.



The three parts consist of a ball pit, slide and swing. It didn't take that long to put together. One thing we eventually did was to remove the swing part (I guess making it more of a two in one activity gym) because we had a swing already.

The swing wasn't the easiest and would have been outgrown pretty quickly. Our (at the time) two year old niece got stuck in there once or twice as she climbed into it but couldn't climb out. But it works GREAT as a ball pit and slide combo.

Mark sometimes even just likes hanging out on the slide.




We did need to purchase extra balls for the ball pit as the fifty or so it came with didn't but barely cover the ball pit. By adding more balls (found just about anywhere) the kids have a lot more fun with the ball pit.

A True "Grow With Me" Walker Wagon

We tried several different types of "walker" toys as Mark showed interest in walking. Many were too flimsy for our taste, or didn't hold Mark's attention as he wanted to walk. Then, when shopping at Belles and Beaus Boutique we stumbled upon the Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon.



From the first time Mark saw it he was in love. Because it is so steady he was able to push it as a walker. He could collect his toys or other goodies in the wagon and continue on walking. It made those first walking steps a lot of fun, and is the perfect height for a new walker. We even took it to his first trip to the pumpkin patch (he was nine months old) and he loved pushing his pumpkin in his wagon.





The wagon is big enough that a toddler can sit in it too. That makes it double the fun as two can play with it. Many times Mark and his playgroup pals have pushed each other in that wagon, giggling the whole time.



An added bonus, it is so nice looking that it makes a great prop for pictures. My sister, a photographer (Holly Anderson Photography) took many a picture of Mark in his favorite wagon.






You can purchase it many places including Amazon, Diapers.com, Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us.

Potty Training Seat

We tried all sorts of potty seats for Mark while potty training. We tried the self-standing toddler potty seats, the ones that fit over the toilet, you name it. But you know what? The one that is working best for us is the Nuby Safety Training Seat.



It's fairly inexpensive (we paid $5.99 for a new one at Kid to Kid Consignment), but I have seen them online for $4.99 at Amazon (eligible for free Super Saver Shipping and free returns) and NetKidsWear for $4.97. They actually are a little bit pricier on eBay.

This seat does get mixed reviews on Amazon, but I tell you we highly recommend it around here. This simple seat fits under the regular seat on the big toilet. It is as easy as that. Now, depending on your toilet it may fit differently. We have used the one we have while traveling and it did fit more snugly on different toilets. But it still works the same and serves its purpose.

What is awesome is that it is good for both boys and girls. It has a built in splash guard, but it's not so obtrusive that it's uncomfortable for girls. The design and height make it easy for toddlers to get on and off the toilet by themselves. And there is plenty of room for them to wipe themselves or have you help them. It's all around a great seat for a potty training toddler.

Stackable Trains

Mark loves trains. He also loves to put shapes together and build things. What toddler doesn't love to explore? So we were very thankful when our next door neighbor brought over a wooden stacking block train set that her son had outgrown and asked if Mark would be interested in it. Mark loves that thing. So much, that when I was shopping at the spring/summer Houston North JBF sale and found an identical one I quickly snatched it up.




We took one of the sets with us on our recent trip. Mark had a blast playing with it. He enjoyed matching colors and shapes and configuring the blocks to different patterns on the train. And of course it was a train so it was cool to just play with it too.



It kept him entertained for quite some time. It wasn't just a one time play toy either- he went back to play with it frequently throughout the trip. And when we got home it was the first toy he wanted to play with as we unpacked the car.

While I am unsure as to the manufacturer of the two we own, I do know that there are lots of available options out there to purchase. Just a quick search on "wooden stacking train" led to an eco friendly option at Tree Frog Toys, one Made in the USA from Toys of USA, a fantasy train by Educo at Oompa, and one made by Melissa & Doug available at Target. They are also available at a variety of other train and toy shops. The possibilities are endless.

In fact, Different Roads to Learning, offers it in it's early learning section. As they say, "It's great for working on motor skills, color sorting and is a perfect reinforcer."

It's a hit around here!