Little Lamb was very lucky this Christmas and received some lovely gifts from his friends and family. Of course some have become favourites, like with all kids he plays with a few toys over and over, then moves on to another when he gets bored. Here is a few the gifts he received which he has played with constantly since Christmas day. If you are looking for a gift for a 18+ month old (Lamb is 21 months), then I highly recommend these.

The Tomy Aquadoodle is pure genius. Lamb is obsessed with colouring. I don’t go a day without him asking for ‘colouring’. However, he’s bored of crayons – they don’t make a strong enough mark on the page. He loves a biro. Which puts mummy’s OCD into overdrive when I’m hovering over him making sure he doesn’t get a pen mark on the sofa/carpet/table. The Aquadoodle is the answer to my prayers. He thinks he’s using a pen, can scribble as much as he wants and as the pen is made up of water, he can draw on pretty much anything and won’t leave a mark! Priced at around £20, it’s not as cheap as paper and pens (obviously), but is definitely worth the investment.

We really wanted to get Lamb a table and chairs for Christmas as he has outgrown his highchair. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time we used it! He feels trapped and frustrated, so after seeing him enjoy sitting at his own table at nursery and toddler group, we decided to get one at home and let him eat and play on his ‘big boy chair’. What a good decision that was! He absolutely loves it! Whenever he eats or drinks I ask him to sit on his chair and he does, with no protesting! There are plenty of children’s table and chairs available, at a wide variety of prices, but we didn’t want to spend much so opted for this crayon themed set. It was easy to assemble and is very sturdy (mummy and daddy can even sit on the chairs!) It retails around £30. Thanks to Jaxsons Grandad for his favourite new place to sit!

If you don’t already know, Mummy Bear loves to research and find the best reviewed products. You can always rely on her to buy you something you may not have seen before and that’s usually a little quirky. Well, Mummy Bear strikes again! This ‘You Hue Colouring Writing Table’ by B (one of my fave toy brands) is one of my favourite gifts Lamb received this year. As I’ve already mentioned, Lamb loves colouring so has pretty much used this every day since he opened it! This is perfect for us to take around with us and gives him the opportunity to sit quietly and colour if we are somewhere that doesn’t offer him other toys to play with. When he is a little older he will also be able to use it in the car, which will be amazing for long journeys. The table comes with a set of fun coloured chunky pens each with their own quirky name. This is very much a Mummy Bear product! If you are ever looking for a gift for a baby or toddler, I highly recommend looking at the brand B.

Lamb has a bit of an obsession with Toy Story at the mo. He shouts Buzz at everything he sees that’s related to the film. He even recognises the song ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ when we play his Disney album in the car! My brother (also a big fan of Toy Story) bought him a Mr Potato Head Fun Tub for Christmas. Once again, as Lamb opened his present to reveal Mr Potato Head he yelled Buzz at the top of his voice. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching your child open a present they truly love and want to play with instantly. There are a few Mr Potato Head toys available, but I think the fun tub is ideal for Lambs age. He can mix and match the different attachments, and mummy can tidy them all away safely in the tub when he’s finished! Bliss!

Another current obsession of Lambs is The Gruffalo. We have watched the DVD over and over again, and then some more. It was Christmas 2013 when he received the DVD, book, pjs and big Gruffalo teddy from my mum, so I asked her to do the same this year, but get him The Gruffalo’s Child. Once again a huge success! Lamb has learned all of the animals and is constantly shouting mouse, owl and fox when watching the film. This year he also got a couple of Gruffalo games, like this word rhyming game. Although he is a little young to play properly, he loves mixing up the cards and looking for the ones with the owl on (currently his favourite animal). There are four in total so unless he has all four in his hands he shouts ‘more!’ until he has them all. Games like this are great for learning, not only with animals, but also colours and words.

I could add a few more to this list, but I think I’ll stop at 5! Perhaps I’ll do another post with some more of his christmas gifts as he starts playing with them. One thing I will add is a 21 month old can’t have enough stickers! We have gone through sticker book after sticker book and used up a lot of ‘stick sticks!’ I know Baby Bear has the same love for a sticker.

As Lamb’s 2nd Birthday is only 3 months away, I’d love to know what your recommended toddler toys or gifts are. Feel free to comment below and leave any links to posts you have done so I can start writing his birthday wish list!

Happy 2015.

Alex x