Madelyn is a huge fan of Elmo so when she saw this 12" Ba-Ba Baby Elmo for the first time she was so excited!
Madelyn recently started nurturing her dolls. It’s the cutest thing. Unlike her ‘regular dolls’, Ba-Ba Baby Elmo responds to her nurturing with burps, kicks, and slurping sounds when fed. When she lays Elmo down he closes his eyes and a lullaby plays. It’s adorable!
You can buy Ba-Ba Baby Elmo
Both of my kids, 2 and 8, love the Little Tikes Sand & Water Fun Factory. I appreciate the compact size while the kids enjoy the two sides, one for sand and
one for water. The toys that come with the sand & water fun factory are just enough to keep my kids entertained for a good while. Madelyn usually plays with the water side while Sebastian builds sand structures and plays with the gears and funnels above the sand and water areas. I particularly love the sun shade canopy. Our front porch gets a lot of sun in the afternoon so the sun shade is really appreciated. It can even be raised or lowered to accommodate the different angles of the sun throughout the day.
Besides the gears and funnels that attach to the underside of the lid for each section, the sand & water fun factory comes with several toys including a boat, a truck, and a shovel all of which are perfect for little hands. The lids drop down when play time is over to keep protect the sand and toys from those pesky animals (cats.. we have two), and the sun. The water side has a drain which makes it easy to empty after use so the water doesn’t sit and attract things we don’t like such as mosquito larvae. That was really good thinking on Little Tikes part.
Madelyn likes to watch the truck go down the ramp that attaches to the side of the sand & water fun factory. When I first saw the ramp I thought surely the truck would fly right off of it, but to my surprise it goes really fast and stays on through the end of the ramp.
I really like the design of the Sand & Water Fun Factory. I think they’ve done a great job and thought about the kids and parents when designing this toy. As a parent, I appreciate the sun shade, compact size, and I am impressed with how easy it is to put together. I had the sand & water fun factory up and ready to play with about 20 minutes after unpacking it from the box. Another great thing is that it is light enough to move from place to place in the yard. We usually sit on our front porch in the morning and early afternoon then migrate to the back yard in the evening so being able to move the sand & water fun factory is really great.
The video below is of Madelyn playing with the Sand & Water Fun Factory. We have both sides filled with water because we left the top open and the sand got rained on and was not fun to play with after that. Bad mommy!
You can buy the Little Tikes Sand & Water Fun Factory at eToys for $49.99 or less making this a very affordable outdoor toy that will last a long time.
Madelyn has had a pacifier clip since the day she was born and still uses it at 2 years old. Little did I know that the same ‘clip’ idea could work on toys and sippy cups as well. Once Madelyn hit the stage when she was very entertained by the ‘drop it and mommy picks it up‘ game, I knew I had to do something. I am a ‘germaphobe’ and can’t stand it when toys, cups, and pacifiers touch the ground. Toys that touch the ground at restaurants, shops, playgrounds, etc.. are immediately removed from the children’s reach until I can sanitize the item properly. I know that sounds a little serious but yuck, can you imagine what kinds of germs get on toys that touch the ground?
I was recently introduced to the Ali-Oops toy clip and now Madelyn is minus one game. She tries with all her might to get her toys of off the Ali-Oops toy clip and to get the clip off the stroller but the strong button snaps make it really difficult.
Ali-Oops toy clips are available in two sizes, small and large. There are 10+ classic and trendy design choices and at just $10 for the small size or $12 for the large size I think these would make great baby shower gifts.
WEBSITE: Ali! Oops Toy Clips
COUPON CODE: Use this link to get 10% off your purchase!
Shoes, shoes, shoes. I think Madelyn has more shoes than I’ve had in my entire life. She has pink shoes, red shoes, black shoes, striped shoes, shoes with flowers on them, shoes with x-bones on them, and so many more.
In the photo to the right Madelyn is wearing a pair of shoes from Robeez’s new Weekend Collection. They are super easy to get on and off with the help of a tab on the heel, and the multi-colored striped elastic on the sides makes them wearable with almost any outfit. There are five striped colors choices and four solid color choices in the Weekend Collection.
I also like the new line of Robeez sandals. Madelyn has the classic style (to the left) which reminds me of sandals I’m 
wearing in photographs from the late 70’s.
They may look like the sandals we wore as children but they are not nearly the same. They aren’t stiff as thick wooden boards, but instead have soft leather soles and Velcro straps take the place of the buckles that were on the 1970’s sandals.
I’ve always liked Robeez shoes. They offer both classic and trendy styles and more importantly, they are made to be comfortable for little feet like Madelyn’s. Robeez shoes are available for babies up to 24 months but I have found that they run a little big. Madelyn will be 2 May 9th and I’m sure she will be able to wear the sandals through most of this year and she is not a smaller than average child.
WEBSITE: Check these collections out at Robeez.
Madelyn turns two May 9th and still loves to chew on her ‘SmartMom Jewelry’ Teething Pendant. Granted, I get to wear the pendant but she loves to clamp her teeth down on the pendant as if she was eating a the best, most rare, absolutely delicious caviar in the world.
These teething pendants are beautifully crafted and are made from food-safe, phthalate-free, federally-approved silicone.
With several shapes and colors to choose from you are sure to find a pendant fits your style. Keep in mind that these teething pendants are for mom to wear, not baby!
SmartMom Jewelry’s innovative teething pendants are sure to help soothe even the fussiest of teething babies. Give one to Grandma so your baby has the same soothing comfort when away from you.
Learn more about SmartMom Jewelry’s Teething Pendants here.