Destiny Baby

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Looking for the ideal educational learning toy for a toddler? Need something to stimulate your child’s imagination and creativity? Why not get an activity table such as a musical learning table. Musical learning tables, such as the LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table are made for children as young as three months up to 3 years old, though parents have found older siblings up to age five enjoying these fun tables. Mixing sound, mechanical motion, colors and more they provide visual and hearing stimulation and promote motor skills development.

Activity tables are designed to teach letters, numbers, opposites, shapes, colors, greetings, and first words, but the biggest developmental benefit for infants and toddlers is likely the sensory response your child gets from pressing musical buttons, lights, and moving parts. Developmental activities that help children understand how the world works are the best kinds of learning at the youngest ages. Three of the most popular musical tables include the LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table, Chicco Music 'n Play Table, and the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Learning Table.

Of the three, the LeapFrog table is the most popular of the three, with parents citing the entertainment value of the toy, its musical variety, and bilingual Spanish and English options. Personally, we like the Chicco table a lot because the play surface is two-sided. You can flip over the table and use it for building blocks (blocks are included) when your little one inevitably wants to move on to something else. It is also easy to store things — the blocks are stored under the table, making clean up fun and easy.

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The fact that these kinds of tables are easily taken apart can be a minus and a plus. On the downside, if your little one likes to take things apart, you will forever be putting the tables and legs back together. On the other hand, this makes the tables portable. In fact, with the Chicco Music ‘n Play Table, you can take it apart in just three pieces, which is really convenient. In fact, the legs are not critical, and if your son is like ours, the table top will often be played with on the floor. (This is also helpful from a safety perspective if your toddler likes to climb on top of things!) (The LeapFrog also has removable legs, but there are four separate legs).

You could also try out actual pianos, like the color coded Melissa and Doug Learn to Play piano that features 25 keys. You can also consider an inexpensive electronic keyboard, which our 2 year old has and loves a lot. While you are at it, you might pick up a whole band, like the wooden drum set Musical Band by Plan Toys, the Rockin Riffs Guitar by International Playthings, and a wooden Percussion Set (featuring tambourines and shakers). You can get all these toys from eBeanstalk. Use the code FREESHIP$65 to get free FedEx shipping on these toys and more from eBeanstalk.com.

You might also check out the extremely cool table top Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Musical Instruments Sound Puzzle. The sound of a Guitar, violin, xylophone, piano, drums, harmonica and brass instruments will play their sounds when your child plugs in the correct colorful puzzle pieces on the wooden puzzle board.

Other toys in clude the Bilingual Talking Garden Activity Table by Chicco, which can be used to teach the alphabet, numbers, spaces, colors, textures, and first words. There is also a musical table mode where babies can play music, her sound effects. The table uses flashing lights to stimulate interactive play.

You can also try the Xylopiano by IPlay, which combines the xylophone and piano into one toy to spark your child’s interest in musical learning. The Xylopiano features colored sound cars that will help teach your child to play simple tunes and read music!

Check out more bestselling musical toys, such as the all-in-one electronic keyboard and play along song book called Play Me Another Song Piano Book, which has 12 songs, color and number coded to atach the keys, including Row Your Boat, Happy Birthday and more. You and your child can also create your own tunes on the piano’s 23 keys. This is one of Destiny Baby’s favorite toys, as we praised this fun piano book in an earlier review.

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Most online toy retailers run promotions every day that feature a variety of discounts and deals on the best selling creative, educational toys. You can find free shipping offers from top toy retailers online here. If you sign up for Amazon Prime at Amazon.com, you can get free 2-day shipping and $3.99 overnight shipping on just about all their products including their bestselling toys & games. You can try Amazon Prime free for 1 month for new members.

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Download your free Baby Shower Basics eBook today!

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Get a free Shower Planning Kit with the purchase of a Bridal Shower Games Collection! Kit includes: a theme planner, a guest list, a budgeting checklist, a menu planner, a gift-tracker checklist and more!

As parents and caregivers, most often we are looking for what are the best products to help our little ones learn, be they books (especially picture books), alphabet or counting toys, toys that allow our children to pretend and use their imagination (important to forming the building blocks of science and math learning) and more.

But what about everyday activities like letting children help with cleanup? Helping children develop their independence is not an easy task, but it is an important learning experience for both adults and children. Our children must be free to come to us and feel safe enough to go from us.

From the time our children take their first steps, the whole world becomes a place to explore. We fear for our chiildren even as we feel pride at their consuming curiosity and desire to learn that underlies their independence. Of course, we childproof the house as best we can and do our homework as parents (made easier by signing up for toy and product recalls via free email alerts from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in choosing safe toys to encourage the confidence they develop from being allowed to explore freely. Noise and touching are good! (Tell yourself that.)

So, where and when do chores come in? As early as age two, learning to participate is another educational experience that leads to new aspects of independence. It may be easier to do things yourself, but your child will become more confident when she or he is allowed to help. For example, when I do the laundry, my two year old helps to carry the lighter things (the fabric softener, an almost empty detergent bottle, a small bag of his clothes) and he loves it. (The added bonus is that it keeps him near me and diverts him from running away when we step outside.)

Our children learn to be part of the family, and later, part of the community, by helping. It is important to show children how much fun these activities are. Just as committed as we are to bringing science activities and teaching math concepts to toddlers and preschoolers, showing and expressing appreciation for a task they have completed and forgiving the occasional mistake are just as critical to education, learning and independence in our children.