Mommy Blogs You Should Be Reading Right Now

Okay Moms ROCK!  Not only are they fabulous customers, but Moms have some of the best suggestions, tips, and insight when it comes to kids toys.  As a toy store sales associate and blogger, their honest opinions and suggestions have helped diversify our toy selection and give us new angles to consider.

From the specifics of fine motor skill development to how kids truly react to certain toys, the feedback we've received from Moms have been invaluable to our lil' toy company.

Some of the most honest, useful, and even funny advice and parenting stories come from today's mom bloggers.  There's really too much to count, and we're always discovering new mom bloggers every week, so we wanted to introduce you all to some of our current favs of the moment.

So without further ado, we bring you Mommy Blogs that we love!

1.  Not Your Average Mom is pretty amazing.  Definitely not average and one of the funniest mom bloggers out there today.  While she has an awesome knack for infusing that signature humor into her writing, her work is also very insightful and profound, giving us a lot to think about on child raising and life in general actually.  You don't have to be a Mom to read and enjoy mommy blogs; in fact, some of the most enjoyable writing can be found on today's top mommy blogs.  This particular blog post is brilliant, and you can see why she made our list. 

2.  First Time Mom and Dad is a seriously wonderful blog that follows new parents, April and "first time dad" a.k.a FTD, on their exciting daily journey with their toddler.  Talk about a courtship that's made for the movies!  You can read all about how they met on their about page (trust me, it's a pretty awesome story!)  Since then, they've become one of the most enjoyable, stand-out Mommy AND Daddy blogs.  Providing everything from humor, to real talk, to parenting tips you can actually use, First Time Mom and Dad is a super great read.

Stay tuned for our next batch of Mommy Blogs we love to read!

Baby's First Birthday Gift Guide

It's almost here!  That awesome day your little niece, nephew, cousin and grand kid turns the big #1.  And the very best part?  Buying them awesome presents they'll absolutely love of course.

Shopping for children may feel a little daunting but it's actually really fun!  Plus it's a blast channeling all that childhood nostalgia for stuffed animals, board books, and blocks.

It's pretty cool what 1-year olds are doing in terms of motor skill development, creativity and logical thinking, so there's tons of awesome gifts to choose from which is great.  And we're talking birthday gifts kids can actually use for a while and grow with too.

All-Natural Wooden Toys

For starters, high-quality wooden play blocks are a great choice for promoting dexterity and creative thinking.  Keeping quality in mind, limit choices to top rated wood toy brands like the following:

• Haba
• Melissa & Doug
• Janod
• Plan Toys
• Hape

These high quality wood toy brands produce some of the most whimsical and creative wooden block sets for babies.  Haba's fanciful Sakrada block sets are made in Germany and features a cool color palette with pastel shades and cool tones; as well as incorporating sensory elements like miniature bells and reflective materials.  

Hape's known for it's dazzling and colorful block sets, plus they're fantastic at blending in themes with their sets too.  1-year olds and toddlers are especially drawn to their Fantasy Castle Blocks that feature sound blocks, bright colors and whimsical illustrations.

Soft Toys & Plush

Switching gears from solid wood toys to extra soft plush goodness, another gift option are plush products from Kathe Kruse, Apple Park, and Lilliputiens.  Like HABA, Kathe Kruse toys are also produced in Germany, plus they're known for their high quality, detail, and charming aesthetic that's uniquely Kathe Kruse.  

Their towel dolls come in a variety of styles like Waldorf dolls, foxes, donkeys and rabbits, which are great cuddly add-on gifts to accompany a building set or activity toy. * Oh btw, If there's a baby shower on the horizon, Kathe Kruse also makes teethers and grabbing toys for infants that come with detachable plush, like Alba the wise owl pictured below/ 

   

Stylish Activity Toys

Like Kathe Kruse, French toy company Lilliputiens has also earned a reputation for their stylish, whimsical plush toy designs.  Crafting a growing cast of adorable characters like Arnold the Hippo and Ophelie & Her Chicks, Lilliputiens has done an extraordinary job at blending style and creativity with fine motor skill development.

Children delight in discovering oodles of plush animals hidden away in Lilliputien's soft Noah's Ark Toy.  It's like opening a clown car of never-ending alligators, giraffes, lions and chickens!  And Mama Chicken Ophelie comes with her own plush nest that's filled with four adorable (and numbered) chicks that transform into small finger puppets.

Need more birthday ideas for that awesome soon to be 1-year old?  Stay tuned for our next blog post on buying organic toys for kids!