Miles likes to be busy

Miles is a very busy boy! From birth, he never liked to just lay on a blanket and look around at stuff; he always had to be in motion, even when sleeping. Before he could crawl, this meant we had to be in motion all the time, but now he happily zooms around the room on his own and gets his hands into everything (you may remember that he loves the tupperware drawer in the kitchen).

Many of his first toys were simple, and play consisted of manipulating the toy in his hands, mouth, banging it on things, shaking it to see if it made a sound, etc. Nowadays, Miles will give a toy a good shake, bang, and then THROW it if it doesn't do anything else! For example, he loves the mini tire pump that came with our stroller; pumping the handle to make air come out. Our growing boy sure could use some interesting playthings in his environment to help him learn about his body and develop his mind.

So here are the types of toys we like that Miles can use the most in the coming year:

Wooden Rainbow Stacker
In addition to working on coordination and organization, Miles can learn about colors, order, and choices. This one is sold at Babyworks, our favorite local baby shop where we've gotten cloth diapers and other baby supplies.

Wooden Thread Beads
This is another great toy for hand-eye coordination. The large beads are a great introduction to threading, as he won't be able to use lacing cards for another year or so. Another one from Babyworks!

Alphabet Blocks and Number Blocks
Not only are these blocks perfect for stacking and organizing, Miles can begin to learn his letters and numbers.

Wooden Rocking Horse
Being an active boy, it won't be long before he's ready to climb up on a horse for a ride. This one is low to the floor and very sturdy--perfect for a toddler still learning about gravity and balance.

Building Blocks
Great for learning different shapes and how they can stack.

Duplo Blocks (from Lego, of course!)
We both played with Legos when we were young, which helped us develop our creativity and sense of order. The baby-friendly larger Duplo blocks are even great second-hand, and the collection can be added to over time. Miles currently has only two Duplo Blocks, so he can't stack them very high!