toronto mommy blogger Archives

Do you remember your favourite toy as a baby? Maybe you do by looking at baby pictures or your mom/dad must’ve told you a story that went something like this ..”you wouldn’t put it down and it went everywhere with you:..or…”we had to sneak it out of your hands to wash it”.. or simply.. “it was your favourite”. When I think of Fisher Price I remember my favourite telephone toy:

Fisher Price has created some pretty awesome toys since this telephone one and I think I’m having more fun playing with baby D’s toys than he is.😆 Five of these toys are part of their new Smart Stages™ line of toys. This Smart Stages™ technology allows you to change between 3 different playing levels. You change levels according to your little ones age. Or if your LO (little one) is like baby D and loves to explore and play with different things everyday then switching between the levels is a great idea. I’m a true believer that every child learns differently and there’s no one way. By switching between levels you can determine which level your LO enjoys the most.

The Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Puppy ($29.94)

This cuddly puppy goes with baby D where ever he goes! He loves songs and interactive toys, so the level that plays the most songs is his favourite. When he was just over a year old he learnt how to shuffle through the songs by pressing the correct paw. Incredible! Now Baby Z has the same one but the girl version.

The Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Scooter ($39.99)

His first wheels! I remember the very first time we put him on this scooter he was under a year and his legs didn’t even touch the ground. That didn’t stop him from smiling and squealing when we pressed a few buttons on it for music and sounds. He grew up with this scooter beautifully. He learned very quickly that in order to stay on he had to hold the handlebars and once he turned over a year he was getting pushed and pulled on this scooter. His grandfather used his cane to pull him on the scooter and then his grandmother tied a stretchy fabric band on it to be pulled. Soon his legs were able to touch the ground and he started moving around. Absolutely loved going for the ride and as the scooter moves around it plays different sounds of vrooming, music and more!

Beat Bo ($49.99)

I remember the first time I saw this little robot I was so impressed with the lighting and the way it dances! This robot jukebox plays music and engages with babies and toddlers to dance along. Baby D and Z have loved this toy for years! My personal favourite feature is the record option. You record something and it plays it back in music form.

SMART STAGES TABLET ($19.99)

I love how this was Baby D’s first tablet! It lights up and twinkles to different sounds and music. It also has different stages so it grows with your child. They can learn the alphabets, animals and the letter it starts with and the sounds that go with the letters.

TEACHING TOTE ($20.00)

Baby D didn’t play with this as much as his other toys but Baby Z loves it! She loves pushing the tote flap back and putting random items she finds inside it! I also love that this tote bag comes with over 50 songs, words and phrases.

LAUGH AND LEARN PUPPY TRUCK ($8.00 ON SALE)

This satisfied Baby D’s obsession with trucks and construction. Comes with a puppy driver, truck bed moves up and down and 5+ sing-along songs, tunes & phrases.

Do you have any favourite Fisher Price toys?

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I’ve tried two different carriers before the hotslings one. The first one I had was one from wal-mart that you have seen me wear on snapchat and some of my posts on instagram. It was good but very bulky looking. It definitely wasn’t my favourite accessory when I wore it during our trips to Mexico and Italy. But carriers are different from slings. A sling looks like a hammock. When your baby is a newborn up until they are ready to sit, their spines are best supported in slings. This is because their weight is distributed along the length of the spine. Most carriers that hold the baby in an upright position with their legs hanging down, can stress the spine because they put all the baby’s weight at the base of the spine. I wish I had the hotslings when we were travelling. It would be perfect for that! Especially if you pick out one with a pattern that would go with most of your wardrobe, you’re pretty much set! Not bulky,easy to fold to put into your handbag and super light!

Baby carriers usually have all of those ribbons hanging down and you have to snap it on in more than one place. It can be really discouraging and annoying. On the hotslings, the adjusting ribbons are all hidden but easy to find. Here’s a video of exactly how you would use hotslings:

So how do you know if you really need one or if this will become one of those never used items? You can start off by answering these questions:

Does your baby like being held?
Does he/she enjoy watching you cook/clean?
Does he/she sleep better close to your chest (skin to skin)?
Do you hate being bothered with taking out a stroller every time you go shopping or for walks?

If you answered YES to almost all of those questions then honey, you need one! Have you tried the fabric sling that has no adjustments and it’s basically just fabric? Well I also had one of those too and I had zero patience in putting it together to use. I tried it once and it was cool and comfortable but one day when I was in a rush, going in and out of the car at an outdoors mall/plaza, I was so annoyed that I didn’t have something easier to throw on to put baby D in. Instead I just kept him in the car seat and held that! And you know how heavy those car seats can be. True story. But thanks to my new hotslings, that will never happen again! Yay!

Side note: Here’s a good read on some of the many benefits of holding your baby more often that you can check out, by James Prescott, Ph.D.

One of the most helpful times to use the hotslings in my opinion is at home when you’re trying to get chores done. Especially when folding clothes! He loves watching me put clothes away and a little part of me hopes he retains what I’m doing.