Nanny to Mommy

I received complimentary products to provide this post. All opinions are my own.

I got an e-mail today about toddler teeth. According to the AAPD (American Academy of Pediatrics Dentistry), toddlers aged 18 months should be completely weaned from using sippy cups. Toddlers should not walk around with sippy cups, especially not with milk or juice in it.

The first thing I did was go to the kitchen and throw out the sippy cups! SweetPea has been able to drink from a straw for a while and has been using a big girl cup at dinner for months now. So why did I still have them? She has water bottles and cups with a straw. I like her to have water through out the entire day, but why did I not think about using just those before?

Why am I mad at myself?
Because I knew this before I got this e-mail.

Cavities are on the rise in children. AAPD says the sugar from toddlers walking around with milk and juice in a sippy cup has broken down their enamel (the force that makes cavities harder to get).

But hey, my daughter gets frustrated when she can't get to that last little bit without spilling water all over her self. Insert lolls up. I first heard of them from Shark Tank, so I contacted them for a review.

It's Sweet Pea's Birthday week here at our house and the countdown begins to my baby turning TWO!

And in the spirit of birthdays and the up coming Holidays, I have been doing a ton of research on good gifts to give toddlers. Plus, I had multiple people ask me what to get her.
So here are the 15 Top Gift Ideas for Toddlers that I have Found:

Help With Small Motor Skills:

1. Puzzles
Love these Hand Crafted Chunky Puzzles by Melissa & Doug.

2. Blocks

3. Coloring Books and Crayons


Speech Encouraging Products:

4. "Leap Frog: Phonics Farm"
This movie has helped my daughter tremendously! She can now recognize letters and I give a great deal of credit to this movie.

5. Flash Cards

6-7. Apptivities and Apps
There are tons of free apps but having a variety and mixing it up would pretty awesome as well. Get your niece or nephew (*wink*wink* Bubba) the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Apptivity iPhone Case or the iPad one Plus a $10 iTunes Gift Card. All in one gift and the parents will be grateful because you saved their electronics from dangerous little hands. Or if you don't want to hand over your mobile device or tablet, get them their own!


Imaginative Play:

8. Bubbles

9. Clothes, yes as toys.
Encourages creative play! Sweet Pea loves shoes and hats! And any accessories. :)


10. Plushies, Baby Dolls, and the like. Pretty obvious how this applies to imaginative play! ;)
No doubt you know why I'm partial to these Dreamy Sounds Soothie plushies from Disney Baby. Great for little babies and your toddler baby too.

Large Motor Skills:

11. Balls!
My daughter has a slight obsession with balls. It was one of the first words she said very well and whenever she sees still to this day, it's "Ball, Ball, Ball, Ball". :)


12. Tricycle
We got Sweet Pea the Little Tikes 3-in-1 Trike because it can grow with her and adjust to her skill level.

13. JumpStart Trampoline
At this age, Toddlers don't really jump. They just don't have the balance for it. But this can help them with that! It can teach them to jump by helping them gradually gain their balance, plus it provides safer bouncing for all.

Overall just awesome fun!:

14. Kid Friendly Music CDs.
Learning to read music is like reading another language. Click HERE to read 12 Benefits of Music Education.
FREE Personalized Elmo song & Sesame Street downloads, just enter email addy and promo code: myelmo. {Redeem Now}
FREE Cedarmont Kids Sampler {Redeem Now}

15. A Zoo or Aquarium Membership!
Our zoo membership was the Best Purchase of the year for us! And if I hadn't gotten into a car accident and had transportation for the second half of the year, it would have been better. But with Toddlers, an all day out at parks isn't an option. They still need their down time, but with a membership you can whenever you want, when it fits around your schedule, plus you aren't pressured to see everything in one day.


Did you find this list helpful? What are you planning on buying your toddler or a toddler close to your heart?



Disclosure:
I was not endorsed to review, talk about, or post pictures of any of these products or by any of these manufacturers or a third party or any of the retailers mentioned. I write this post of my own free will and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.