Bumbo (A must have!)

   Bumbo is an amazing invention that every household should have if you or someone you know currently has a newborn or is expecting.  If you have multiples, this is a product to buy more than one of!  The developmental skills Bumbo builds are neck, head, and torso muscles.   Infants between the months of 4-6 who are doing well with holding their heads up and fit in the Bumbo are ready for it.  

Warning:

--The seat should only be used under heavy supervision; Bumbo is not made for you to leave your child in and walk away.

--You need to be careful once your child starts pushing off with their feet and arching their backs that the Bumbo does not tip over as a result.   I have personally seen child arch their backs severely enough and come straight out of the Bumbo. 

I HIGHLY recommend this product.  It is well made and secure. 

Pros:

--Helps muscle groups develop.

--Helps your child sit in upright position.

--Can read your child stories as they sit in it.  They can more easily see the pages this way.

--Can easily clean it with cloth, warm water, and soap.

-- Has a tray you can buy separately that you can put toys on.

Cons:

--Can not walk away from child while they are in it.

--If you buy one with straps, the straps tend to get in the way of things, especially if you decide to leave it unbuckled.  

I had trouble finding a link to ones that did not have the strap.  I recommend trying to find a gently used one on Ebay.  

If you do not care whether it has a strap or not, please follow the link to purchase one for an infant:

Blue Bumbo w/strap

Prince Lionheart 9002 Wipes Warmer Premium

I have been using the warmer that I have shown above.  The closest one I could find to this one is the title of the post.  To be honest, I think that wipe warmers are useless, unless you are using cloth wipes.  Cloth wipes are what I am using for twin girls and it is wonderful to put a warm cloth on their bum to wipe it.  It makes for a less cranky child during a change.  Again, I will reiterate, unless you are going the cloth wipe/diaper route, I think that this is a pointless product.   I would recommend only if you are going the cloth wipe route.

While using it with regular wipes I did not like it so much.  It tended to dry out the wipes.  Also, if you added a little bit of water directly inside to keep the moisture in the wipes, the bottom 1/4 inch of wipes would get a weird kind of soggy.

Pros:
--Good for cloth wipe usage.
--Seemed to help infants be less cranky.

Cons:
--Useless for regular wipes usage.
--Needs to be continuously plugged in.
--Can be on the bulkier side if you are pressed for room on or around your changing table area.

To buy this for an infant, click on the link below.
Prince Lionheart 9002 Wipes Warmer Premium

Fisher-Price - Laugh & Learn - Kitchen

This toy is a very cute toy.  I liked the little songs it would sing.  On the back, there is a little mini sink, oven, and light switch.  There is a button that you can use to switch between English, Spanish, music, and 'realistic sound'  like water running when you press the orange sink nozzle down.  My least favorite part about this toy is that when you open the fridge door, there is a little button located  on the blue near the hinge.  This button triggers singing when the door is closed, but the one that we got was faulty.  It would sing a couple of words and either stop all together or start cutting in and out.  At first, I thought it was perhaps the batteries dying, but this happened even after having fresh batteries put in.  The songs for the sink, oven, and stovetop never had a problem. 

This is a very small kitchen meant for 6-15 months.  The little girl that watched loved playing with this toy.  It was one of her favorites.  I do recommend this toy.

Pros:
--Does not take up very much space at all
--Bilingual selection (via yellow slide button)
--Can teach skills like washing hands/dishes or cooking
--Brightly colored

Cons:
--Battery Operated
--If child is starting to pull up, this can tip rather easily.  (Supervised play remedies this.)

I checked Walmart.com to link for purchase, but they were currently out of stock. 

B. One Two Squeeze (Blocks)

If you are looking for blocks to get a child, then these are the blocks for you!  These blocks are heavy duty blocks that I have personally seen teething children mouth!  I would recommend for children 5 months +.  Not only is it great for teething, but for helping the child reach out and grasp a toy, and eventually with building blocks.  WARNING: Do not immerse these blocks in water.  Wash with wet cloth.  I HIGHLY recommend this toy!


Pros:
--Affordable
--Durable/great quality
--Helps developmentally
--No batteries required

Cons:
--Can NOT wash in dishwasher

To buy this product for a child, please follow the link below.
B. One Two Squeeze Blocks

Sophie the Giraffe and So'Pure Teether

The picture above is the Sophie the Giraffe teether I am speaking of.  I WOULD NOT recommend this to any person who has an infant/younger toddler whom is teething.  The following are my personal reasons:

1) I personally have not seen a child take to it.  Of course, that does not mean no child has ever taken to it. 

2) If you have a dog, do not even bother with it.  It looks, feels, and sounds like a dog toy and would be torn apart by the dog immediately.  This is the point that I really can not wrap my head around.

3) It seems excessively expensive to me.

Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe - Lights and Music

I really like this play mat!  5 month twin preemies still both fit on the mat, though they don't have much longer on of both fitting on there together.  The light up part is on the mat itself.  If you look at the lower left hand side where the flowers are,  the yellow middle of each flower will light up.  Between the flowers and mirror in the corner, Tummy Time can be loads of fun and encourage lifting their heads up.  The ear of the elephant makes a crinkle noise as does the butterfly wing.  There is also a squeaky toy you can press that is somewhere above the elephant head.  The elephant toy, when pulled down, vibrates and shimmies back up.  The parrot toy is my least favorite one on there. It can spin around, but not easily.  I think the wings on the parrot make crinkle noises as well.  The twins love reaching for those toys.  So far, they are drawn to the monkey and elephant hanging toy the most, but each child is different.

Pros:
--Machine Washable: base easily detaches to do so.  Machine wash cold, air dry.  You can detach the music part to do so.
--Easily stored while not in use (you can snap together the bottom) no need to unsnap 'dome part' to do so.  The  snaps fold the bottom of the base in half. 
--Very versatile in helping with developmental learning including Tummy Time.

Cons:
--If the open slit of the link comes across the hole, it comes off easily.  It doesn't line up accidentally often though.  Just keep that in mind when the child begins to pull.  All the toys are light and soft, so if it comes off it will not hurt the child. 
--There is a squeaky toy embedded in the base of the mat.  IF YOU HAVE AN ANIMAL that has a love for tearing the squeaky part out of their toys, then be careful leaving it out.  I have not encountered this actually happening, but better to just keep it out of the animals unsupervised reach just to be sure. 

If you are interested in buying this for an infant, follow the link below to buy it online:
http://www.target.com/p/tiny-love-gymini-super-deluxe-lights-and-music/-/A-509999#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=gyminiTiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe - Lights and Music

B. Parum Pum Pum Drum (Lime) TOY

This is a toy that not only does not require batteries, but it is durable!  I can not tell you how many times I accidentally stepped on the individual parts of this toy and it held together very well.  Not only did it not dent and burst apart, but it withstood being chewed on from teething.  The only thing I will say, is that there are two drum sticks in this package that need to be removed if you are giving it to a child that is below 2 if they are using it during free play.  However, if it is guided play or you are actively involved in being silly with the child, then you may include the drumsticks for the time that the play is heavily supervised or else they will gag your child.  The 1 year old that I watched LOVED her musical instruments!  I would recommend this to anyone who needs something to help with their child's developmental growth.  I know that you can find it at any Target store or online. 

Follow the link to directly buy it online.

http://www.target.com/p/b-parum-pum-pum-drum-lime/-/A-12026425