Top 5 toys my kids actually use

 Hello!

My boys are always up for an adventure, but for regulation purposes we do try to keep at least a couple of hours each afternoon at home to give us all a reset. During that time they can nap, read, play quietly, or we'll watch a tv show together. Their favorite toys are the ones listed below, they will vary from time to time, right now Jamie loves his toy tool set from my parents and he and Leo both will play dinosaurs pretty frequently as well. Most of these I found at Once Upon a Child for only a few dollars.

Counting down...

5. Puzzles!

Leo has been really into puzzles lately. These were a gift from the Dayton Children's cardiology team and we've used them multiple times a week for a year and a half and they've held up pretty well. We have several other puzzle options for him, though I like the board backing for keeping these together. I've also downloaded some onto a kids kindle fire for him to use when we're out and about.

4. Paw Patroller Mini-Car Set

I got this set at Once Upon a Child for about $10 total several years ago and it is used daily by both boys. They're starting to grow out of Paw Patrol, but they both still love playing with the cars. Frankly I'm just shocked that we still have all six small pieces with the larger one because of how much they use and love it!

3. Tools (Dental and Hardware)

Finding toys for Jamie that make some of his appointments less scary has been a major win. We took this for one of his team visits recently and his provider had him try each thing so that it became more of a game than a scary time. Jamie also loves giving our dog Teddy dental exams and Teddy is a great sport about it and just loves and wags his tail through all the attention and extra scritches! :-)

2. Construction Toys

The boys absolutely love playing in their dirt pile. It's made it easy to hang out on our back patio and just let them go whether they're gardening, building, or just digging it's always a win and we get that extra outdoor time which is great with some of the beautiful weather that we've had lately!

1. Play Kitchen

Our boys absolutely love cooking. They love helping us and they love 'play cooking' in their kitchen right next to the real one. The larger piece we got off of amazon three years ago, but all the smaller bits we've gotten from Once Upon A Child including all the amazing Melissa and Doug sets. Jamie and Leo both use this multiple times a day and the only negative is keeping Jamie from using real food/drinks in the wooden sets.

That wraps up our top five toys for now, I'm sure this will change by the end of the summer, but I love how well they play together now which we do not take for granted. Playing together is only something that became possible last year and so I still tear up a little at how sweet it is to listen to them do that and breathe a sigh of relief even when they’re each playing quietly solo. 

Have a wonderful day!

💛 Jess