mommy maker teacher
Toy guides from a mom of two

Toys they'll actually want to play with.

Toy guides, rotation systems, quiet time, and independent playtime routines for ages 0–6. Tried and true methods from a mom of two rambunctious boys.

Best VTech Toys: 6 Picks That Get Kids Moving

A short list of the VTech toys that earned a spot at our house, from the ball that got my late crawler moving to the drums we play all the time. Ages on every pick, plus honest notes on noise and batteries.

Best ECR4Kids Toys: Soft Play Climbers and Blocks

My kids play on ECR4Kids SoftZone pieces at the gym, library, and science center. Here are the 6 soft play sets we recommend, why soft play matters for climbing and gross motor, and how it compares to a Nugget.

Best Crayola Art Supplies for Kids (Ages 0-6+)

We’re a Crayola family, so here’s every Crayola supply we recommend in one place, sorted by mess level (no mess, contained, full send) with ages on each, plus an honest look at whether Color Wonder is right for your kid.

Best Skillmatics Games and Craft Kits for Kids

All 12 Skillmatics products we recommend, from the Search and Find game my kids have played for years to scissor practice and craft kits, sorted by skill and mess level, with ages and notes on which kits need a grown-up.

Best Kinetic Sand Sets

We’re a natural-sand-only Kinetic Sand house, ever since colored sand stained our carpet. Here are the six natural-sand sets we recommend, with ages, which ones pack into their own case, and how we keep the sand off the floor.

Best Educational Insights Toys: Design & Drill and More

We have a lot of Design & Drill sets, and they’re the heart of this list. Here are all seven Educational Insights toys we recommend, from build-then-play vehicles to mess-free craft kits and Pluffle, with ages on every pick.

Best LEGO and DUPLO Sets for Kids 2 to 6

Most best-LEGO lists are written for teens and collectors. These are the DUPLO and LEGO sets I recommend for kids 2 to 6, in the order your kid will need them, plus when to make the switch and which builds work for quiet time.

Best Hape Toys: My Top Wood Toys

Hape makes wooden toys that play real music without batteries, plus a few pretend play and art toys that pull a lot of weight. Here are all 6 we recommend, with ages and honest notes.

Best National Geographic Toys for Kids 2 to 6

The National Geographic toys we use most aren’t science kits. They’re forts, marble runs, and balance stones. Here are all 6 we recommend, with ages, storage tips, and choking-hazard notes.

Best Fat Brain Toys: My Top Picks

Squigz are some of my favorite toy memories with my boys. Here are the 5 Fat Brain toys I recommend, sorted by play category with ages, plus which ones we actually owned.

Best Battat & B. Toys: Toddler Favorites by Age

A Battat piggy bank was my youngest’s first birthday gift, and he was still playing with it at 2. Here are the 6 Battat and Battat Education toys I recommend, sorted by play category with ages.

11 Types of Toys Every Kid Should Have

If your toy rotations keep flopping, you might be putting out blocks five different ways. Here are the 11 toy categories I use at home, what each one means at every age, and the toys that cover them.

50+ STEM Toys for Kids Ages 0-6 Years

STEM starts earlier than you think: a baby pushing a button is doing science. Here are our favorite STEM toys for ages 1 to 6, sorted by type with ages on every pick, plus why STEM is a bonus and not a replacement.

Best Board Games for Five Year Olds (and Preschool)

Board games teach rules, turn-taking, and how to lose without the world ending. Here are the first board games we’ve played and loved, sorted by age (3 to 6) and by type, plus the cooperative games that helped my boys handle losing.

42 Best Nurturing Toys to Teach Empathy and Self-Help

Nurturing toys are the category most families skip without meaning to. Here are 6 real picks, from a first soft doll to a plant that actually needs watering, and why this skill matters as much as blocks or art.

How to Get Your Kid to Play Independently

Independent play is not a personality trait, it is a skill, and skills get built with practice. Here is what it actually is, where to start, and how it connects to toy rotation and quiet time.

How To Set Up a Quiet Time Routine for Toddlers

Quiet time replaces the nap, but it takes more than a closed door to make it work. Here are the six ingredients that actually matter, the light system that ended our negotiating, and what belongs in the room.

44 Best Sensory Toys for Kids Ages 0-6

Sensory toys aren’t a niche shelf. Every kid’s nervous system uses touch, sight, sound, and movement daily, so this guide covers real picks for every sense, sorted the way a rotation actually works.

45 Best Open-Ended Toys for Ages 0-6

Open ended is not something a toy is, it is something a toy does, and the same toy can go either way depending on how you hand it over. Here is what that actually means, plus my 8 core picks and the best open ended toys for every age from newborn to 6.

35 Best Gross Motor Toys for Small Spaces and Big Energy

Most gross motor guides assume you have a backyard. This one splits into real indoor picks for small spaces and outdoor picks for when you have room, so the category never disappears just because of weather or square footage.

50 Best Pretend Play Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Pretend play is any play where your kid decides to be someone else for a while, and it is where a huge amount of language and empathy gets built. Here are 8 real picks by role, plus why this category overlaps so much with nurturing.

Toy Rotation: A Guide to Less Mess & More Play

Toy rotation is not about owning fewer toys, it is about a storage shelf, a display shelf, and one rule: you control the schedule, not your kid. Here is the full 11-category system, including what to do when you can’t hit every category.

Shelf full of Pampers diaper boxes.

How To Do The Ultimate Diaper Raffle (Free Printables)

How to do a diaper raffle to make a diaper stash before your baby arrives. Download FREE printable PDF diaper raffle tickets, signs, and invitation inserts. If you don’t have space to store diapers, try a diaper fund raffle instead! Want to include your coworkers in celebrating your baby-to-be? Here’s how to do a diaper raffle at work.

14 month old playing with water table

Best Toys for 14 Month Olds

39 Activities for a 14-month-old to keep a toddler busy all day long. This list will give you ideas for activities to meet developmental milestones for 12-18-month-olds. Water play, sensory play, Montessori activities, playdough, pom poms, and arts-and-crafts like finger paint and edible paint.

4 month old baby lying under play gym reaching for a monkey toy

Best Toys for 4 Month Olds

Engage your 4-month-old with 73 activities. From playtime, to outings, tummy time, sensory activities, and more. Nuture those milestones!

Toddler boy playing with figit toy on airplane

Best Toys for Travel and Airplanes

Looking for the best airplane toys for a 1-year-old? Check out this roundup with top travel toy recommendations and essential airplane hacks!

woman holding ovulation test in bathroom with faint line

Decoding Ovulation Tests: What Does a Faint Line Mean?

Curious about the meaning of a faint line on an ovulation test? Dive into my comprehensive guide, from a mom who’s been through it all. Learn how these tests work, when to take them, and understand your fertile window. Get insights and tips to increase your chances of conceiving.

baby crawling through tunnel

Best Toys for 9 Month Olds

Here is my curated list of the best baby toys for 9 to 12 months. A complete list of Birthday and Christmas gifts for 9-12 month old-babies. These are all toys that my son and his friends either have at home or at daycare and love to play with.

making homemade playdough with koolaid

Homemade Playdough

This is my favorite homemade playdough recipe that makes silky smooth playdough that comes out with the perfect consistency each time. My secret ingredient? Kool-Aid!

Mother singing and holding her baby.

16 Dreamy Bedtime Lullabies With Lyrics

Enjoy 16 classic, modern, and Disney lullabies with lyrics to sing your little one to sleep. Bonus: Free Lullabies With Lyrics PDF Printable & Instrumental Lullabies Playlist.