toys!

my family likes to give. and give. and give some more. and a lot of it we really just don't need (or want!). when we were adamant that our unborn baby did not need toys made of plastic, that lit up and played electronic music- not because we wanted to deprive it of fun! but because that's not how we choose to raise them. 

they were good, they stuck to our (very) carefully outlined baby registry and bit their tongues, but the older he's gotten the more protests we hear, and the more my grandmother "sneaks" him noisy toys with the excuse that they have an off switch- which of course is not the point. we have 2 loud toys currently, neither of which cedar has any interest in, and which in a little while, we will be donating. my mum knows and helped shape my parenting approach to toys, and we definitely appreciate the things she buys cedar, i'm just working to cut down on the volume. just because its a great toy, or adorable, does not mean he "has to have it." most of those kind of toys end up in a box and he rarely picks them up ag ain.

in a book erik bought me after cedar was born call "the tao of motherhood," there is a verse that always hits home for me and reminds me why i choose to limit the number of things we allow into our home for our children.

a wise mother keeps her child's life simple. 

she gives away ten thousand toys and keeps only that which is useful.

she lets her baby gaze into her face and at the wondrous colors of nature

she gives her child household things and tells stories the same way over and over

feeling that you must have every toy, every device, every piece of equipment 

merely places objects between you and your child

you have to work that much harder to provide them;

work which robs your child of his most important stimulation-

your company.

but we do love toys! and here are a few of our favorite ones that never seem to get old!

1. HABA GRROW BEAR 

this little bear is wood, organic, clacks back and forth when baby shakes it and has fun little paws to suck on (very important.) it is definitely one of my go-to toys to throw in my bag on my way out the door.

2. PLAN TOYS SOLID DRUM

this drum is amazing! it sounds great, and all the other plan toys i tried at the store were rad! i can't say a lot more about it because its a gift for cedar's first birthday, so he hasn't broken it in yet, but i am excited about this! i'm already planning on buying him the banjo next!

3. ANAMALZ DINOSAUR

these are apparently for kids a lot older than cedar, but he adores it. its arms and legs bend, its organic and wood and has lots of bits to suck and gnaw on. its simple and will grow with him.

4. BOON ODD DUCK

besides bpa and all that scary stuff, traditional rubber ducks get gross. lets face it, after a long hard day, and a messy bath, most of us don't squeeze all the water out of our kids bath toys, and we have definitely had to throw away a lot of my step baby's toys that have gone moldy. this little duck is solid, non-toxic, floats great and never ceases to amuse cedar- in and out of the tub.

5. MANHATTAN TOYS READY, SET, GO CAR

my mum just recently bought this for cedar, and it is fabulous! its quite heavy, which is apparently to ensure baby cannot hurl it at you (bonus! these people obviously have children!). its heavy duty rubber wheels are set far enough apart to keep it from tipping over, and it is built to support baby's whole weight. cedar just loves this thing!

6. UNDER THE NILE GRAPES

organic, cute, wash and dry able, and totally chewable. seems kind of boring, but cedar really liked these little guys. use them to play kitchen with when bigger.

7. STUFFED GIANT SQUID

this guy is just fun all around. both kids adore "squidy" and so do we! i think any stuffed animal that actually looks like a real animal is fun to have, and grows well with kids. educational and timeless, they are a welcome addition to our household!

what are some of your child's favorites?