The Early Years

Babies' and children's sleep is so important that I wanted to include my SubStack post on Babywise here! Take what works and leave what doesn't-- this has worked for me but won't work for every family and every baby. I just wanted to share some of my experience and some of the methodology behind Babywise in this section for those who may be unfamiliar. 

I'd been looking for an alphabet puzzle for a long time, until I came across this one! I hadn't even heard of this website (mushie.com) until my cousin gifted us a giftcard for Christmas one year. This puzzle is great quality and aesthetically pleasing. Definitely recommend!

This simple, yet entertaining toy has provided hours of thinking and fine-motor skills for my kids. Basically, there are a bunch of colored blocks in different shapes that you can stack to produce certain outcomes. There are a bunch of cards that have pictures of particular configurations that you are supposed to copy. 

At first, I was a little annoyed by its lack of symmetry (I know, this is a personal problem of mine!), but after teaching and watching my kids learn how to copy the pictures on the cards and duplicate them has been really cool. 

I noticed this toy at a friend's house and immediately thought to myself "We need this at home!" 1. It's a great soft ball to throw around the house without damaging things, and 2. It sparks curiousity each time about geography! 3. As a bonus, it's easy to keep around babies as well, unlike a globe which is heavy and little fingers can get caught. 

These are some of the most-used and most-played with toys in our house. There is no need to go all out and get every possible type. The simplest is the best, and the kids can use their imagination to its fullest. I would recommended the classic 32 or 74 piece sets, and nothing else!