I received product samples to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

The Best Gifts for Preschoolers in 2020

We know this year of isolation and increased time indoors has been tough for parents of small children especially. That’s why this year’s holiday gift ideas focus on the best preschool toys and games that promote creativity, independence, and simple, pretend play at home. All toys that help make a stressful time a bit more manageable.

Ready to shop? Find all these gifts for preschoolers HERE.

Cry Babies, Goodnight Coney

For an adorable toy doll your little one can cuddle up to at bedtime, try Cry Babies — dolls that cry real water tears just like a baby when the pacifier comes out. But no need to worry, your toddler or preschooler can provide easy comfort by cuddling the doll or popping the pacifier back in!

Goodnight, Coney is one popular doll from the Cry Babies collection to help your child fall asleep at night. The doll features:

• A soft body with super soft pajamas
• Light-up LED tears when you take away her pacifier
• Face lights up with a soothing glow when you give pacifier back
• Plays 5 sweet lullabies for up to 10 minutes
• Makes realistic baby sounds

An adorable way to help your little ones prepare for a new baby sibling or learn gentle play.

Recommended for ages 18 and up, but we love it for both toddlers and preschoolers alike! Find it on Amazon or Target.

Magformers Milo’s Mansion

If you have a child who loves to build, be sure to check out the Milo’s Mansion set from Magformers this holiday season!

The fun playset lets your child build anything they can imagine with magnetic rainbow shapes that connect to build Milo the puppy’s mansion. The toy promotes color and shape recognition, fine motor skills, and problem-solving abilities – perfect for preschoolers.

Milo’s Mansion features just the right amount of pieces to let your little one create, and not overwhelm, including:

• 4 Triangles, 12 Squares, 2 magnetic support connectors, and accessories including 4 bricks, 2 windows, 1 Milo Puppy Character, 1 Fence, 2 Pictures, 1 Gate, 1 Tree, 1 Puppy House, 1 Skateboard and 1 Stair.

It’s a top STEM toy perfect for stimulating critical thinking and brain development starting at 3 years and up.

Schleich Vet Practice with Pets

Have an animal lover? Help your child hone those budding Veterinarian skills with Schleich’s Practice with Pets set which allow them to lovingly treat their favorite farm animals back to health.

The playset from the Farm World line, features a ready-to-go vet, office, and all the animals needing care including a dog, cat, horse, rabbits, and mouse!

Use the professional vet equipment to weigh each patient, check x-rays, treat on the examination table, record progress on a laptop or simply nurse back to good-health!

Kids will love the intricate details and quality in each and every Schleich character.

The Vet Practice with Pets is recommended for kids 3-8 years-old. Find it on Amazon or Target this holiday season.

Baby Dolls by JC Toys

Let your little one cozy up to an adorable baby doll by JC Toys this holiday!

JC baby dolls are beautifully crafted, featuring a large selection of diverse dolls in all shapes and sizes, made to look like real babies, from newborn and beyond!

I personally love the soft-bodied baby dolls like the Lots to Cuddle collection featured here, so kids can snuggle up to them at night.

The collection includes 20-inch baby dolls of either Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, or Asian descent, with a plush body and vinyl hands and feet.

Baby doll’s life-like facial features make pretend play fun.

Your child can learn to care for baby with the bonus bottle and paci accessories or just enjoy sweet cuddles together.

And if you’re worried about messy play, no need to worry! The baby doll is easy to maintain with a little bit of soap and water to spot clean surfaces with machine-washable clothes.

As a mom of three boys, there haven’t been many dolls in our house, until recently when we got a chance to play with these adorable JC Toy babies. They look so real that the boys can’t help but love them! In fact, pretending to take care of a baby has helped them practice being gentle and nurturing!

The Lots to Cuddle line makes holding and caring for little ones an easy skill kids can practice, regardless of gender!

These baby dolls are perfect from toddler to preschool-age. You can get a closer look at them on my Instagram highlights during the holidays or purchase them in a variety of stores including Amazon.

Preschool Collection Watches & Clock

Every parent can relate to the tantrums that follow when you tell your little one it’s time to stop…stop playing, stop watching tv or time to go.

Because it’s hard for toddlers and preschoolers to manage time expectations — they just are too young to really have a good sense of time when you tell them “only 5 more minutes”.

That’s why I love this Preschool Clock from the Preschool Collection — a clock that uses visuals to help your child understand time.

The clock uses color blocks and familiar animals to teach time. For example, “it’s time to stop when the big hand reaches the bunny rabbit” replaces “we’re leaving at 2pm”.

This way you can speak their language and help reduce some of those tantrums.

But that’s not all! The clock comes with number stickers so that as your child practices numbers, you can add each number to the appropriate time — making learning time so much easier!

The Preschool Collection also makes preschool watches using the same visual logic — so your child can manage time and expectations on the go! And as your child grows, you can upgrade to standard school watches with numbers. We love the array of designs for kids from superheroes and dinos to mermaids and unicorns!

Shop for Preschool Collection clock and watches HERE.

Learning Resources

If you’re one of many parents that have been forced to enter the homeschooling world this year or are just looking for ways to supplement preschool learning at home, Learning Resources is a must-have brand to add to your shelves!

The brand has helped parents and teachers support learning in children through educational toys. From letters and numbers to fine motor and STEM skills, Learning Resources provides the foundation kids need to succeed in school and home for a life-long love of learning.

We recently had the opportunity to check out WriggleWorms, Counting Sheep, and Snap-n-Learn Llamas.

Our 4-year-old is currently learning at home and needed some educational tools to work with.

Both the Counting Sheep and Learning Llamas have been a great resource during this time. Not only do they make learning fun — to him, it’s pretend play — but in addition, each animal is color-coded and marked with numbers or letters for matching.

It’s an easy way to help preschoolers count, identify upper and lower-case letters and build fine motor skills as they snap the pieces in place.

If you are looking to combine all those preschool essentials needed for kindergarten-readiness, don’t forget to check out WriggleWorms.

The 5-in-1 preschool game builds fine motor skills, strengthens pencil grip and supports coordination using tongs to catch and sort colorful worms.

Our preschooler really enjoyed playing this game, as it didn’t feel like “work” but just simple, everyday play at home!

Browse the array of educational toys from Learning Resources here to choose your favorites!

Pillow Pets

If your child is like most this year, seeking extra comfort, they’ll love the variety of characters and snuggles Pillow Pets bring!

Pillow Pets are adorable stuffed animal plush toys that double as pillows! They feature the largest selection of friendly characters from movie and story-time favorites to classical and mythical creatures.

Think: An adorable puppy, turtle or even Cosmic Kitty pictured below!

One of the features I love about Pillow Pets as a parent is their versatility. Your child’s Pillow Pet can be a cuddle pal during pretend play or storytime and then serve as a cozy pillow to rest on during nap or bedtime.

Each Pet can convert from pet to pillow by detaching the velcro straps. This opens up to a washable 18-inch pillow, making it easy to take wherever you go!

But not only this, each Pillow Pet provides a friendly face and warmth whatever your child is doing.

Like many families, this year has been especially tough for our three boys, not being able to see friends and extended family, and having to go back and forth between in-person and remote-learning. Stuffed animals and pretend play, have been a huge source of comfort. The kids are really loving their new Pillow Pets — even if it’s just a corner of refuge during a time-out.

Make sure you add these to your wish list, during a year that has surely been difficult for most kids!

You can learn more about each Pet and shop for your favorite here.

Burping Bobby by Goliath

If you want to play a silly, simple game with your child, Burping Bobby by Goliath may be just what you need for some laughs!

Burping Bobby is a no-reading needed type of game, keeping it easy as possible to get started.

Bobby the hippo lets out a stinky burp every so often after feeding. Kids try their luck feeding Bobby 1 of 24 pieces of stinky food from garlic and onions. After each turn and crank of a lever, wait for the magic to see if Bobby’s mouth will light up and let out a big burp!

A fun and easy way to bring excitement and learn the names of different stinky foods.

Burping Bobby is recommended for ages 4 and up. Check it out on Amazon along with the array of other Goliath games like Dino Crunch and Rattlesnake Jake — one of my kids’ favorite!

Wonder Wings Plush Unicorn

Another adorable gift idea for a young child who loves whimsical creatures is the Wonder Wings Unicorn!

This plush toy is super soft and huggable, featuring colorful pull-out wings with hand access to make the unicorn “fly”. Your child can pull the tail to tuck the wings back in.

The plush toy features large embroidered eyes, a colorful heart, and a soft mane for fun pretend play!

Let your child indulge in creative imaginary play with this mesmerizing unicorn that helps improve hand-eye coordination.

Recommended for ages 2+. Buy the Wonder Wings doll HERE.

Long Haul Excavator Transport

For the truck-loving kiddo, try the exciting Long Haul Excavator vehicle from Maxx Action.

The toy brings lots of action, with LED flashing lights and electronic sounds that mimic different construction sounds.

Lots of fun ways to see it in action.

Your child can just push the truck forward and let go to see it roll or use the detachable cab to pull the transport with a friction-rev motor.

This toy features soft super grip tires that spin for imaginative play!

With the removable excavator piece, your kid can dig up dirt or try the articulated arm and swivel motion.

A great gift idea for the construction-loving kid. Find it HERE.

Scooby Doo Play Tent

And finally, a great gift idea for the preschooler who enjoys fort-building and hiding out is the pop-up play tent featuring Scooby-Doo.

This simple tent provides a creative way for your little one to play indoors with no assembly needed. Just open and the tent pops-up to form a tent.

The front opening allows for easy entry and fits one child comfortably and can be used however you see fit — from a reading nook, a hide-out or playhouse to host stuffed animals!

Add it to your wish list and get it online HERE.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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The post The Best Gift Ideas for Preschool Kids Age 3-5 Years Old appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

With a preschooler, toddler and baby in our home, mornings are a bit hectic. This an understatement of course.

Mornings are simply TOTAL CHAOS. Especially back-to-school mornings.

After begging my kids to get up each day (on school days of course!), they manage to reluctantly make it down to the kitchen, after about 20-30 minutes of coaxing.

Crying baby in one arm, 2-year-old tugging at pajama pants whining for milk and cereal with ONLY the Elmo spoon and dinosaur bowl and 4-year-old pretending to be a jungle cat closing in on its prey (aka little brother). As the whining turns into wailing, I am tending to a wound and already threatening time-out at 7 am. And that’s the easy part.

Because when it’s time to get dressed, it seems as if all hell breaks loose!

I’m pinning down a 2-year-old, hoping to go from the Paw Patrol pajamas to everyday shirt and pants before chasing a 4-year-old from kitchen to bathroom to living room, bribing him to get dressed immediately if he wants to watch that cartoon after school. And then with only a few minutes to go before I have to load all three kids into the car, I realize my 2 year old’s shoe is missing! We will be late once again.

Yep, this is our typical morning routine during the school year.

It’s no surprise, I’ve been desperately seeking any and every way to make the mornings a little less crazy.

Simple Way to Get Kids Dressed in Time for School

This post may contain affiliate links.

Of course, I wasn’t looking for anything super fancy or time-consuming to put together, since as you can tell there’s no time for that in our crazy house. So fortuitously, while nursing in bed late one night I looked over to my side and the solution was clear: my plastic little side table would work perfectly to organize the kid’s clothes and outfit for the day!

I took the side table — this super convenient plastic storage bin — and set it up in their bedroom right before the dreaded “get-ready-for-school-routine.

I simply use a drawer for each kid and label it. Anything they need to wear for school that day is placed inside for the next day. This includes bottoms, tops, underwear, socks, and sneakers.

This not only saves me hours rummaging through laundry baskets and kid’s rooms, frantically searching for last-minute outfits, it also ensures mom won’t turn into a madwoman hunting down a lost shoe!

I just wish I would have thought of this ingenious idea sooner!!

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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The post Sanity-Saving Morning Routine Hack for Moms appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Making sure you have all those little back-to-school essentials ready to go for your preschooler can make all the difference.

We’ve definitely had a few mishaps in the past. Nothing major. Just little things here and there that we forgot to pack or didn’t account for until we saw a pattern….

To save other parents the stress, I’ve included all those lunch box products a preschooler will need to make them MORE likely to eat their lunch and help parents keep their cool.

Sanity-Saving Preschool Lunch Items

                                                                          This post may contain affiliate links.

1. Lunch bag

Start with a lunch bag or container of course — look for one that is insulated to prevent food from going bad. You’ll need something that is small enough to fit in your child’s back pack and easy for them to carry like this Skip Hop lunch bag. They are pretty popular and come in a variety of animal options. We’ve had ours for a little over a year and plan to re-use it next year.

But if you need something a little more spacious to fit in containers or bento boxes, another good option is this bag which also has a side pouch you can attach a sippy cup to. Something like this works perfectly if you need to include an extra drink for your child — like our toddler needed for nursery school.

2. Bento box/Sandwich container

Plastic BPA-free containers that have little sections will save you time and patience in the morning. No need to grab zip-lock bags when you can use these affordable bento boxes that separate the main dish from the snacks.

Best advice on this one is to simply note measurements as some bento boxes can take up all the room in those kiddie lunch bags, leaving little room to pack a drink or tall sippy cup.

3. Ice packs

Most preschools mandate an icepack be included in your child’s lunch box. This will help keep lunch cold and edible on those warmer days when there is little room in the already-packed teacher’s lounge. Just make sure you don’t choose a super bulky one that can make it tough to fit that bento box in.

Amazon has some fun and perfect size options to choose from like these cute penguins that worked well for us!

4. Sippy cup

If you aren’t packing a disposable juice box for your child, an insulated sippy cup with a cover is a must for the lunch box.

I can’t count the times my kids’ bags reeked of sour milk from sippy cups leaking. Save yourself the headache and buy one like this one that is perfect for school!

5. Insulated food jar

If your child prefers soups, oatmeal or pasta, an insulated food jar may work better in the lunch bag. It will prevent leaks and keep food at the preferred temperature. Find one that is small and includes a utensil for easy eating like this one by Skip Hop.

6. Utensils

If your kid prefers pasta, make sure to pack a kid-safe utensil in the lunch box.

Although the sharper, steel forks tend to work better for picking up pasta and meats, I’d rather my kid have a plastic fork at school around other kids…because you never know when they’ll end up playing with their food and potentially hurting another classmate. This Take & Toss flatware set is definitely a smart choice for the cafeteria!

7. Silicone muffin cups

Silicone muffin cups or liners are seriously all the rage when it comes to packing a kid-friendly lunch. They make it so much easier to include an array of your child’s favorite snacks into separate containers when you don’t have a bento box or pre-sectioned food container.

My kid is definitely not the sandwich type – so these liners make packing snacks much easier. Buy them here in your favorite color!

8. Sandwich shape-cutters

If your child is like most kids and going through the picky-eater stage, use shape-cutters to make food fun to eat! We bought this pack that included dino-shapes and stars my sons love. Use them on sandwiches, cheese, coldcuts and other foods you want your kid to eat.

9. Labels

You’ll have to label just about everything your child takes to school if you want any chance of seeing it again. That includes lunch bags, boxes, sippy cups and containers. Save yourself some stress when that permanent marker isn’t cutting it and invest in these cute little labels that works well on various surfaces.

I never realized how important this was until we found ourselves, buying and buying replacement items throughout the year. Again save yourself the hassle and start off the year on the right foot.

I’m sure there are a ton lunch box favorites we’ll encounter as our children grow, but for now, these are definitely our top picks for making preschool lunch successful and letting mommy worry about something other than what she forgot to pack in juniors lunch bag in the mornings!

More back-to-school posts

Morning Routine Hack

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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The post Back-to-School Lunch Box Packing Essentials for Preschoolers appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

As curious little animal-loving boys, they have a particular fascination with sharks (amongst other creatures), so I knew I had to put together a fun little kids activity for shark week. Something quick and effortless, but perfect for their sensory play needs.

RELATED: Ocean Beach Sensory Bin

That’s when a shark-infested sensory bin came to mind.

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To get started, we gathered a few very basic supplies of whatever we had in house.

I grabbed a long, yet shallow storage bin we purchased here that is ideal for sensory play. After gathering rocks from the yard, we filled the bin with water and added a few of these cute little plastic trees to decorate the ocean floor.

I also added a little blue food coloring to make it even more exciting for the boys. Seriously that color change made things so much more interesting. My kids kept ooing and ‘ahhing’ over it. The little things :).

Finally, we added the sharks. We love the Schleich brand sharks because they are super durable and can withstand the rough play of toddler and preschool age boys. You can get the one we own at Amazon.com or even this cute little set that comes with a cage and underwater diver my kids would’ve gone nuts over!

My 4 year-old added a little turtle and brave little “sea diver” to fight off the sharks.

Look at those jaws! What a scary close-up of the vicious sea creatures.

The boys had so much fun watching the ripples in the water form and listening to the splashing sharks. They eventually added a bunch of other animals too – some dino-like critters I can’t even name to be honest!

Definitely a great way to entertain them while simultaneously teaching them a thing or two about sharks. I should definitely do more of these sensory bins, since they can have such a calming effect and help wind kids down after a hectic day!

Please share the image below with someone you think would love this activity!

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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The post Shark Sensory Bin: An Easy Shark Week Activity appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

It makes a beautiful wintery wonderland painting to add to your list of indoor activities when you just can’t get outside.

Related: Winter Activities for Toddlers
This post may contain affiliate links.

We loved creating a super easy icicle craft and snow sensory bin, and knew this snowflake art craft a friend mentioned was a must to add to our list!

Tape-Resist Winter Painting for Toddlers

Supplies:

• Painter’s tape
• Scissors
• Washable paints (blue and white)
• Paintbrush (I like these kinds for messy toddler art)
• Canvas – (You can buy a value pack online or wait for an after-Christmas sale at your nearest craft store!)

Start by cutting up pieces of painter’s tape and using them to create snowflakes of various sizes. You don’t have to cut perfect little strips — in fact the different sizes will create a nice contrast in the painting.

We added a wintery tree along with the snowflakes for a more realistic scene.

Once ready, grab blue and white washable paints. We used various shades of blue and mixed with white for a nice overall color.

Let your kids go at it any way they like. Younger kids and toddlers may want to use their hands to paint and older children and preschoolers may like to use various types of paintbrushes.

The great part about this tape-resist kid’s craft is that anything goes — the tape barrier makes it easy to create a beautiful masterpiece.

Let the paint dry overnight and carefully remove the tape to reveal a glorious winter scene to add to your kid’s art collection!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

The post Winter Art: Tape-Resist Snowflake Painting appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

So naturally, he took an early liking to all things science-related including sensory bins, bath playtime and exploring with art.

Preschoolers seem to have a knack for testing the limits as they fill their growing little brains with new information each day.

This post may contain affiliate links.

So to help those little ones continue learning in a more ideal way and not cause so much stress to parents, we put together an assortment of science activities to help nurture their growing minds.

Sensory Bins

Winter Sensory Bin

Water Beads & Apples Sensory Bin

Magnet Sensory Bin

Ocean Sensory Bin

Ice Cube Exploration

Melting Ice Experiment

Painting with Ice

Polar Ice Fishing Experiment

Escape Ice Mountain with Batman

Dinosaur Eggs Ice Exploration

Floating & Boating

Simple Floating Sailboat Craft

Clay Boat Science

Water Experiments

Water Cycle Experiment

Walking Water Experiment

Cotton Ball Water Absorption Experiment

Watercolor Resist Experiment

Gravity Experiments for Kids

Gravity & Weight Experiment

Growing Grass Experiment

Baking Soda, Vinegar & Potions

Chemical Reactions with Baking Soda & Vinegar

Keep Preschoolers Busy with Science

Baking Soda & Vinegar Dancing Rice

Baking Soda Art

Hatch Dinosaur Eggs

Valentine’s Love Potion

Fizzing Fairy Potions

Laboratory Tools for Preschoolers

To get started with all these great science experiments, a few essential laboratory tools are needed. You can grab a few cups and spoons from the kitchen or use this handy science kit from the folks at Educational Insights!We love this lab kit for a few reasons.

First, what kid doesn’t love fun safari animals?! These adorable jungle animals decorate each test tube and lab tool? The lion, tiger and elephant make creating chemical reactions even more of an adventure!

The kit includes:

• Large lion and small cub test tube with pour-spout mouths
• Rhino flask
• Elephant funnel
• Hippo tongs
• Monkey dropper
• And 10 hands-on activity cards using ingredients in your kitchen and yard

Another great feature of the kit, is the durable tubes and flasks that can handle the strength of 3 and 4 year olds…because we all know tools may inevitably be tossed to the floor a few times.

Preschoolers will also love the kid-friendly sizes that are prefect for their little hands to grasp.

Exploring with science is not only great for helping to stimulate those little brains, but also keeping kids focused on a task.My 3 year-old didn’t want to stop experimenting…especially with the baking soda and vinegar reactions — one of his favorites!

This kit is perfect for STEM learning and makes a great gift for the budding scientist!

You can grab the kit on Amazon on sale HERE.

I received a GeoSafari Jr. Jungle Crew Lab Kit to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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The post 25+ Fun Ways to Introduce Your Preschooler to Science appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Remember how much fun you had playing the Wii? It was an action-packed video game system that enabled an adult to feel like a kid again and get a little exercise in the process!

If you have small children that were too young for the Wii, LeapFrog’s LeapTV is the perfect solution. It’s an educational gaming system designed specifically to keep small kids moving and learning. And with the days growing colder and colder, this is an amazing way to help kids burn off some energy indoors!

Why the LeapTV is Ideal for Small Children

Makes Learning Fun

The number one reason, your kids will love playing with their new LeapTV is simply because of all the fun they will have. With more than 100 games and apps to explore, the LeapTV helps little ones learn through motion to get their minds and bodies moving. They can practice dancing, jumping, or even racing and skating with their favorite characters like Elsa and Anna!

The gaming system is all about kid-friendly themes and play patterns to keep those little minds actively engaged.

3 Ways to Play

Playing is never boring with the LeapTV which offers three different ways to have fun. Kids can shake and tilt the controller for fast-paced playing with the classic control; They can twist, turn and move all around using the controller as a pointer; Or they can go all out with their entire body: dancing, jumping and karate-chopping as their unique movements control the on-screen action so they can see themselves on TV! How fun is that?!

Made for Young Kids

One of our favorite things about the LeapTV is how age appropriate the system is. The controllers are ergonomically designed to make it easy for little hands to manage, while the simple interface makes it intuitive for kids to navigate through.

And because it’s specifically for kids age 3-8, the audio instructions makes it much easier for a pre-reader like ours to follow along.

We have a very active 3 year-old who gets a bit of cabin-fever every winter when we are confined indoors. He is ALWAYS wanting to watch his dad play video games or build characters on the TV, so will really love having a gaming system made just for him.

This will also be one, brilliant way to help him burn-off energy in a fun and educational manner. We can’t wait for him to open it this Christmas!!

Be sure to check out the LeapTV this holiday season for your loved ones. You can find it on sale for more than 50% off (down from $129) HERE while supplies last!

Connect with LeapFrog on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more fun learning products!

Find more ways to help an active child burn off energy indoors?

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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The post LeapTV: A Video Game to Keep Small Kids Active Indoors appeared first on Mommy's Bundle.

Ever since my toddler was born, his 3 year-old brother has been craving extra attention. And unfortunately sometimes that takes the form of acting out to make sure mommy notices…which of course then has the same effect on the little one. So you can imagine how difficult dividing time between my boys is.

I was therefore intrigued when I learned about My Friend Teddy — a teddy bear that interacts with little ones, doing everything from talking and laughing to learning and reading with them!

If you grew up in the 80’s you may recall a childhood favorite, Teddy Ruxpin — a similar-looking interactive teddy that read via cassette player. If you were a fan of that toy, you’ll be excited to hear about everything the super cuddly My Friend Teddy can do to help you manage time between your children.

My Friend Teddy Features

Interactive

My Friend Teddy is an interactive plush bear that talks, sings and reads to your little one. He can be personalized to learn everything about your child from their favorite games and foods to what they want to be when they grow up. This is a great feature because then Teddy can incorporate what he knows into engaging story time and conversation.

Touch & Motion Sensitive

When you press Teddy’s belly he begins talking. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Turn him upside down and he’ll say things like “wee — everything looks funny when your’e upside down”. It’s as if he is really alive!

Kid-Safe

Works off-line and does not connect to the internet. So although he can talk to your child based on the app settings, he is programmed to be use appropriate language for little ones.

Grows with your child

Once you configure the My Friend Teddy app to include your child’s age and info, Teddy adjusts his level of play. So each activity increases in complexity as your child grows, making it an incredibly fun learning tool for preschoolers.

Setting Up

My Friend Teddy starts talking to your child the moment you flip on the switch, but to get the most out of him, you will need to download the free app via Google Play or iTunes.

Then you simply fill out your child’s profile to include all his personal info and favorite things so Teddy will adapt to your child’s settings once you sync the info from your phone or tablet to the bear.

Playing

My boys LOVE My Friend Teddy!  There is just so much to do with the toy to keep them engaged and happy during those moments when I need to attend to the other.

They can’t stop snuggling with the soft bear, especially when Teddy asks for a hug.

And they really are having fun reading and learning with Teddy – Teddy knows so much about them already. Having him around helps make things a little easier when I need to spend a few minutes with the other! It’s amazing to see how much he can do!

My Friend Teddy Giveaway

Want a chance to win your very own My Friend Teddy?

Simply use the Rafflecopter form to leave a comment below for your chance to win. You are also encouraged to connect on social media for additional entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway open to all US residents 18  and over. Ends 12/28.

Learn more about My Friend Teddy and get him in time for the holidays here!

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

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Those are the ornaments you can look back on each year and remember what Christmas is all about. Spending time with family and loved ones making memories.

With that in mind, I was inspired to make some salt dough ornaments myself this year with the kids. It was messy fun and also allowed me to get a little keepsake ornament to use every Christmas moving forward.

Looking to make the holidays extra special with your kids with homemade ornaments too?

I’ve rounded up 12 salt dough ornaments you can make with little ones this Christmas.

This post may contain affiliate links.

For most of these salt dough ornaments, all you’ll need is flour, water, a shape cutter (or handprint and footprint) plus some colorful acrylic paint like this for decorating!

 Click on the links below for some inspiration!

Let the kids roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter while you help paint this adorable Penguin Ornament.

Create a cute Fingerprint Christmas Tree Salt Dough Ornament using the kid’s fingerprints as lights!

Make a beautiful keepsake ornament using handprints for this Santa Ornament.

Use those fingerprints again to make the cutest Salt Dough Snowman.
Don’t have a cookie cutter? Use your child’s hand to make your own unique Christmas Tree Handprint Ornament to decorate!

Love Rudolph? Try making a Salt Dough Reindeer using a footprint for even more fun.

You can also use your ornament for the tree or garland with this sparkly beaded Salt Dough Snowflake.

Make these cute Mitten Salt Dough Ornaments while reading a favorite Christmas story.

Let the kids explore their creativity while decorating in these Beaded Salt Dough Ornaments.

Make an adorable keepsake with these Gingerbread Man Ornament using fingerprints.

Do your kids love decorating with glitter? Help them make a Snowflake Salt Dough Ornament to make your Christmas tree extra sparkly this year!

Want your kid’s to have complete creative control? Let them paint Salt Dough Ornaments the way they please for an authentic toddler look :).So many different ways to decorate ornaments and truly cherish the holiday memories with kids!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share the image below and follow me on Pinterest & Facebook.Want more Christmas crafts? You may also enjoy the following:

Angel Crafts

Charlie Brown Christmas Crafts & Food

DIY Christmas Snow Globe

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

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One of the reasons we love LeapFrog games and toys is because they make learning come naturally, through the experience of playing. Nothing is hard or complicated, just good old fun!

This post contains affiliate links.

Number Lovin’ Oven

Earlier this month, we got a chance to review LeapFrog’s Number Lovin’ Oven — a toy that lets little chefs learn basic math and problem-solving skills through pretend play.The learning is secretly built-in as your kid plays with the oven: the “knobs” help toddlers identify numbers and determine what “temperature” to set the oven to cook all the included goodies.  Kids can mimic mommy and daddy in the kitchen by baking bread, cupcakes and pizza!

Or if breakfast is more their thing, they can fry an egg and listen to the pan sizzle like the real thing!
Both my boys took an instant liking to the friendly oven that talks, sings and interacts with them as they cook.

The pizza pie and bread was a hit, as my 3 year-old loved taking it apart and counting pieces — it’s the easiest way to get little ones learning about fractions.

Plus, I personally loved how it encouraged him to share a slice with everyone around ;).

The Number Lovin’ Oven is a super fun (and safe!) way to get toddlers involved in the kitchen as they grow and learn a number of basic math skills!

It was one of our favorite LeapFrog toys and really makes a great gift for Christmas!

You can find it on sale at Amazon here.

Scout’s Build & Discover Tool Set

If your kid is more into building and creating, then have no fear, LeapFrog has another educational toy that is equally as fun: Scout’s Build & Discover Tool Set.

This toy is sure to keep little ones busy and happy as they build and take apart Scout’s doghouse. The set includes 5 tools (hammer, ruler, screwdriver, wrench and saw) to help little ones learn how mommy and daddy work around the house by tightening screws and bolts, hammering nails and building walls.

The tool set makes learning fun once again with interactive songs to teach counting and color matching!

My kids loved exploring the tool set and pretending to build and repair the house. We actually didn’t realize that it played songs at first — what a fun little bonus!

The tools fit nicely in the tool box and is easy for toddlers to carry via the roof/handle.

You can get the Scout’s Tool Set on Amazon here.

Similar to the Number Lovin’ Oven, the Build & Discover Tool Set builds foundational preschool skills in a fun, natural way. As a parent, I really love how these toys teach counting, measuring and color matching skills — foundational skills that give them a chance to see how these concepts apply to real-world settings!

As a LeapFrog Mom Ambassador, I receive products, promotional items and educational material to use and share as I see fit. However, any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

Ana @ Mommy's Bundle

Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.

mommysbundle.com

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