It's been one crazy, amazing, exhausting, wonderful, challenging and unbelievably rewarding year with our son, Theo—aka sumo cat, chicken nugget, smoooosh, Lazy Gaga, the list of embarrassing nicknames unfortunately goes on...
You may remember that around this time last year, I shared a Mother's Day round-up of my favorite newborn products. So, in celebration of Theo's first birthday, my second Mother's Day (and us surviving one year as new parents), I'm sharing another list of some of my (and Theo's) favs.
Read on for my round-up!
I'm pretty sure Theo likes his forest friends more than me...
The PortaPlay Convertible Activity Center by Oribel allows my kid to stand and bounce while playing with the toys—and when he's a bit older, the PortaPlay easily converts to a play table. It also folds flat, which is perfect for road trips to see his grandparents.
Pull up a (mini) chair.
I can't get over how cute Theo's Lalo Play Kit is. The set of tables and chairs gives him his own little space for snack and play time. (Okay, fine... I squeeze in too). The set comes in a range of adorable colors, which can be mixed and matched.
It has been such a joy watching Theo learn every day. We're loving Lovevery toys, which are designed by teams of experts, academics and researchers based on the different stages of learning your children go through from ages 0-4.
Not to mention, they're made with sustainable, natural and organic materials.
The best part: They get auto-shipped to our house every two months, so we can count on always having new toys for Theo to get excited about.
What can I say? Theo likes to ride in style.
The Bentley Trike is made with the same craftsmanship the auto brand is known for, and is adaptable as your baby grows with adjustable seats and footrests, and removable handles for when your kid's ready to hit the road solo-style. (Like a hundred years from now, I hope.)
And when Theo's not cruising on three wheels on our daily walks, he's hitting the road in his Baghera Rider from The Tot. (How do I get this adult-sized?!)
SkipHop and a jump.
Theo absolutely adores his Explore & More Let's Roll Activity Table by SkipHop, which features brightly colored interactive toys for two stages of play (baby and toddler) and 20 different developmental activities.
As any parent will tell you—whatever keeps our little ones entertained is a blessing.
Enter: The NTHJOYS Electric Bubble Machine. It's as simple as filling the reservoir with bubble liquid and flipping a switch, and your kid will be entertained for hours. Thank me later.
The BEABA Babycook® Baby Food Maker saves us time and money, and gives us the peace of mind knowing exactly what we're feeding Theo. It steam cooks, blends, defrosts and reheats everything from chicken and fish to fruits and veggies to any stage baby food and toddler food in under 20 minutes.
Theo's favorite menu items at the moment: Filet mignon, salmon, raspberries and pasta (this kids 100% eats better than I do.)
9. Nutribullet
Our go-to blender for baby smoothies is Nutribullet—whizzing up avocado, bananas, strawberries and everything else in no time.
To plate all of Theo's 5-star meals, we use Project Escapian Baby Toddler Suction Plates. Made of food-grade BPA-free silicone, these babies suction to the table to prevent (or at least minimize) plate tossing, have four sections and are microwave and dishwasher safe.
11. Lalo High Chair
The highchair King Theo sits upon while enjoying his filet?
The gorgeous, modern Lalo high chair. We opted for the white, but it comes in other aesthetically-pleasing colors including sage, grapefruit and blueberry.
Saving the best for last.
If you've ever visited my home, met me, saw an Instagram Story or even just heard a rumor about me, you know that piano plays (😉🎹) a big part in my life. Playing with Theo on my lap has been something we've done nearly every day since he was old enough to hold his head up. So it felt only natural that Theo should have his own. (Did you even know they made tiny pianos?! 😭)
The Hape Deluxe White Grand Piano is a 30-key electronic piano that lets Theo's creativity run free - whether he's mimicking me playing "Rocket Man" or playing the same note over and over for 15 minutes (much more likely the latter). Bonus: It's made of sustainable materials - and comes with a tiny matching bench!
