I remember one time when I was about 15 years old, we had a two-year-old boy from our church come over for the afternoon. It was interesting to have him in our home (which was NOT childproofed at all since my youngest sister was about eight years old at the time), and it was especially interesting to see everyone in our family try to figure out how to work around this little person. While we all had a good time and enjoyed playing with him, we all breathed a sigh of relief when his mom came to pick him up so we could return to our normal activities without a toddler around.
The funniest comment to me, though, was one that my mom made later when she said how odd it was to try and remember what two-year-olds could do. Could he drink from a cup? Would he want to play with stacking blocks? Can he put on his own shoes?  What type of words can he say at this age? I was shocked!! How could my mom have had four children and not know what a two-year-old can do??
Well, I just had a little girl who is just 10 months younger than my own little boy come play on Monday morning, and I admit that I had a flashback to that snippet of conversation. I (wrongly) assumed I would be able get something done since she would play with my son and wouldn’t need much from me, but I completely forgot that 18-month-olds also like to get in to everything and need constant supervision. How could I have had two active little boys and not remembered what it’s like to have an 18-month-old? 🙂
This sort of dilemma also comes up when birthdays and Christmas roll around and we try to think of something that our nieces and nephews would like, especially those in the pre-teen years. Our families are on the West coast while we’re here on the East coast, so we only see them maybe once a year, which can make gift-giving a challenge. I’m sure that many of you feel this same way, so I was thrilled to have the chance to feature eBeanstalk.com to our Dandy readers!
eBeanstalk.com is a website that sells “expert-selected toys matched to a child’s development”, meaning that the toys are not only appealing to children in that age group but are also developmentally appropriate (no pieces that are too small or include words that are too big). You might remember my own feelings about wanting “toys” or, rather, activities that offer open-ended play and use of imagination, and these toys absolutely fit that bill!
In thinking about developmentally appropriate toys and activities, though, eBeanstalk.com offers a website for children with special needs that includes a list of 16 different categories (ADHD & ADD, Physical – Gross Motor, Socialization, etc.). In each of these categories, experts have reviewed toys that would be beneficial for a child with these special needs.
I also love that eBeanstalk.com offers Birthday Reminders for those who sign up for this free service through an account. This reminder is perfect for our growing extended family that is continually growing and is now spreading out all over the country (and world)!
My oldest has a slew of toys, games, and activities that he’s received over the years, but my younger son doesn’t always get a brand-new toy just for him. I usually already have something stored away for him that his older brother had played with months/years beforehand. Because of this, I was most interested in taking a look at the toys for 2 year olds to see what might be fun for him to explore right now.
Seaside Sidekicks Sand Molding Set
Since he’s especially interested in the alphabet right now the alphabet toys for 2 year olds caught my eye. He can recognize that something is a letter (or number) but doesn’t usually say the right letter.
And, thinking about a few friends who will have birthdays this summer, I headed over to check out the top selling toys for 2 year olds, especially since most of these little friends are girls — we’re not exactly up to date on girl toys here in our all-boy household!
I would highly recommend eBeanstalk.com for anyone looking for a gift or looking for some good ideas for developmentally appropriate toys, games, and activities for a certain age group. There are great products from some of my favorite brands, and their items are all high-quality.
**This post was sponsored by eBeanstalk,com, but all opinions are strictly my own.
