I am really pleased with the response to my previous post and I will definitely be writing more about my experiences as a new mother with as much honesty and humour as I can muster! In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the things that make Evelina happy. We have been so lucky to receive a lot of these as gifts and I must state now that this list is by no means exhaustive – there are many more things that make her smile!
Daddy hit the jackpot with this unassuming rabbit rattle – she loves it. It is probably the first toy that she smiled at and it happened on Christmas morning when I opened her gifts from Rich. Those stripes are definitely the key!
Evelina’s great auntie Chris bought her this gorgeous Chicco Musical Nightlight Goodnight Moon toy – it plays proper music which is no doubt why my very musical auntie chose it since I know she has a particular aversion to the tinny midi music that usually plays in babies’ toys. This is used for all her daytime naps since it glows nicely but does not require it to be completely dark to enjoy it properly unlike the next nighttime toy we use for when we put her down last thing:
Tomy’s Be Baby Starlight Dreamshow is another hit. Whilst the music is not as pretty, it projects a moving colour picture light show onto the ceiling which seems to put Evelina into a bit of a trance and helps her to settle herself. Bearing in mind that we have a real angel of a daughter who can be put in her moses basket fully awake for her to settle herself, I am not sure if these toys will work for every child – in fact as I type that, I know they won’t - but they do help her to know that it’s time to sleep when I put these on (along with me saying gently but firmly ‘it’s time to sleep Evelina’ every time I put her in the moses basket… who knows if that does anything!).
Next up is for playtime, not sleepytime. Evelina really loves this soft book Faces (Baby’s Very First Book) , which we were given by Zoe (or rather her little boy, Sam). The book consists of three pages, each with a black, white and yellow pattern on one side and a face on the other (mummy, daddy and baby). These simple images may look rather uninspiring to you or me but to Evelina, they are hilarious! She positively beams at them.
From Grandma and Grandpa, this Tiny Love take along mobile is also a favourite – like the Chicco moon, the music is better than your average toy and it can clip to her cot, changing station or the tallboy in her nursery or be taken in the car and beyond. At the moment, it helps to entertain Evelina during changes and also for some kicking about time in her cot (a.k.a. allow mama to have a shower). The rotating animals definitely catch her eye and I can see this coming in handy when we go on holiday.
I can see this next toy becoming a lifelong favourite – its so bloomin’ cute. It’s true that Evelina is not quite old enough to play with this Jellycat Highland Cow, a gift from Evelina’s besotted Uncle James, but the tickly fur definitely gets a HUGE smile from her, which is basically how I am judging all of these toys! Plus have you seen how cute this is?
Finally, I am pleased say that Evelina is starting to get something out of this gorgeous playmat, a gift from my best friends Caroline and Lee (and their girls). At first, she didnt’ really know what to make of it but the last couple of times I have put her on it, she has been quite entertained by the music, the lights and all the interactive crinkly bits. She especially likes the mirror!
