Hannah's Pick of the Month - Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop

Hannah's pick for September is her Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop.

She really likes playing with my MacBook. Really. And at first I didn't mind, and thought it was kinda cute when she saved my "Pics of Hannah" folder as "mgvvvgb". But when she pulled off the F3 key I knew I had to find a better solution.

Enter the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop.

I really like this toy. There are nine colourful keys (that can't be pulled off) for her to press, teaching her numbers, shapes, colours, object names, opposites, letters, and more.

When she rolls the extra cute mouse (that's shaped like a mouse) it cues songs. And the songs are catchy. So catchy I find myself singing them in the shower.

Hannah likes watching the LED screen that brings the laptop to life with fun images and light patterns.

She also really likes to open and close the lid.

But the best part of this toy is the fact that it's Canadian. When the laptop sings the Alphabet, it sings ZED not zee. And it teaches French numbers too.

It's no MacBook, but for an eight-month-old Hannah has a pretty snazzy laptop.

The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop retails for $24.99. You can find it at Sears or Toys R Us.

© 2012 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.

Hannah's Pick of the Month - Fisher-Price Whirl n Tumble Elephant

Hannah's Pick of the Month for August is her Fisher-Price Whirl n Tumble Elephant.

She likes the orange and red "tumbling character" much better than than the purple elephant, alas they are a duo and must be treated as such.

When the tumbling character is placed inside the drum of the elephant and baby (or Mommy) pushes it along (the wheels making a mechanical sound), the tumbling character spins and somersaults inside the vehicle. Then baby usually picks up the tumbling character in one hand, and the elephant vehicle in another. When the tumbling character is dropped and rolls out of baby's reach, baby whines until Mommy comes to the rescue.

That being said, this toy does keep Hannah entertained and happy. And I've already seen her move a lot more by herself when using it.

You can purchase the Fisher-Price Whirl n Tumble Elephant at various outlets for around $10.

© 2012 YYZ Bambina. All Rights Reserved.

Baby's First Fish

There were two gifts on Hannah's registry that were really meant for me. As much as I am all about her being her own person with her own likes and dislikes, I'd at least like to give her opportunities to enjoy what I do.

I really like fish. Like REALLY like them. When I was younger, my dream job was to be a marine biologist or, you know, work at SeaWorld. When I realized you needed to have good marks in science and math, those dreams removed themselves in high school. My marks in those classes just wouldn't cut it (I took Grade 12 Advanced Math TWICE in order to see if I could pass an OAC Math class - no dice).

Anyhow, the two gifts I wanted for mysel- er, Hannah, were the Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym and the FisherPrice Ocean Wonders Aquarium.

We purchased the Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym for Hannah before she was born with gift cards we received at our coed baby shower. It comes with an "electric water-filled toy" that was almost a small version of the Ocean Wonders Aquarium.

Hannah likes the Gym, and as she gets older I'm sure she'll take advantage of all the different toys it has to offer.

As for the Aquarium I would hmm and ha every time I saw it in the stores. I even showed it to her once and she seemed pretty interested but I just didn't know if I should buy something somewhat similar to what she already had in the "electric water-filled toy".

Then a couple of weeks ago Chris' parents threw Hannah a family shower. And one of her presents WAS the Ocean Wonders Aquarium. When we were setting it up in her crib, I think Chris and I were more impressed than she was. OK. I definitely was more impressed. It plays five songs, has three white noise settings, the fish move, there are bubbles and lights. Once Hannah realized what it could do, she will stare at it and coo at it for a good 20 minutes. Which is amazing, 20 minutes for any parent, knowing their baby is entertained and happy, is priceless. Later on, if it helps the baby go to sleep, the Aquarium also has a remote so you can turn it off without entering the room and disturbing their sleep.

So don't hmm and ha like I did - if you want to buy this toy it's totally worth it!

The Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Adventure Gym retails for $99.99 at Toys R Us (we got it on sale for $60) and the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium retails for $44.99 at Sears.

The Item No New Parent Should Live Without

Ladies, we all remember that episode of Sex and the City when new mom Miranda just can't calm Brady and finally a neighbour introduces her to a vibrating baby chair.

The vibrating baby chair should seriously be essential as a crib, stroller and perhaps even car seat. At least for a parent's sanity.

Hannah loves her FisherPrice Newborn to Toddler Rocker (retails $79.99 at Babies "R" Us). But I think Chris and I love it slightly more.

The vibrating clams her. The rocking calms her. And she loves staring at the cute little cat dangling from an arm. It also plays "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" which has averted more than one meltdown. The best part is - she LIKES to sit in it.

 

The Rocker is also a great place for her to take a nap when she is fussy and is fighting sleep. Sometimes Chris and I will even put her in the chair and THEN turn the stove's fan on - usually this will calm her down and allow her to nap. I like to call this "The Double Whammy" - if it doesn't work when she's irritable, nothing will.

I definitely recommend this to any other parent. Yes, depending on how much your child sits in it you may go through a lot of batteries, but it's totally and completely worth every penny.