A few new toys...

Asa is into everything now. The world is so interesting, and his curiosity levels are in overdrive. No coffee cup, dog food bowl or cell phone is safe. In his little toddler mind, everything is his for the exploring - at least until we tell him "no". And I'm happy to report so far he's a pretty good listener.

But watching his intense curiosity and desire to learn how things work, I knew he needed a few new, baby-safe, inexpensive toys to play with, especially during blanket time. So I searched through some of my toddler books for some ideas.

I came up with three new toys:

First off is this simple Velcro table and toy set:

I bought the red tray at a craft store for $1. Yes, $1. Originally I was going to use a regular flat craft tray, but when I saw this I thought it would work just as well or even better. Asa can use the sides to store the toys, and the design of the tray allows him to sit with his legs under it like a desk.

Then I bought wide blue velcro and used a hot glue gun to attach it onto the top of the tray.

This photo was taken before trimming the edges of the Velcro to make a clean line around the edges. You can use a razor blade or crafting knife to do this.

Next, I used the hot glue gun again to attach the other side of the Velcro to the bottom of some small toys we already had laying around the house.

Now Asa can put the toys on the tray and they stand up without any effort. He also loves pulling them off because it makes a fun sound as the Velcro pieces come apart.

The second toy required no creative ability whatsoever. I noticed Asa really enjoyed playing with large magnets on my fridge. But you can't take a fridge with you anywhere.

So I bought a plain metal lunchbox.

I did end up spending about $10 on some nice Melissa and Doug animal magnets especially for the lunchbox, but really you can use any magnets (that aren't choking hazards) you may have already.

I really like that Asa can stick the magnets almost anywhere on the box and they'll stay put. I also really like that we can store all the magnets inside when we're not playing.

Finally, Asa's favorite of all: the Box o' Random Things.

Seriously, he loves it. And it cost me nothing to put together.

I already had this plastic box that we had gotten with a kids' meal at a local amusement park earlier this summer. I told my husband to help me start saving the plastic tops from milk jugs, food containers, or anything else that wasn't small enough for Asa to choke on. I also saved two empty pill bottles, and they have proven to be the greatest hit of all. I washed everything and put them in the box for Asa to explore.

Here's everything in the box to begin with, though I've continued saving lids to add to the collection:

You know what he did first? He took the milk jug tops and tried to put them on the pill containers!

He really loves this toy, and it was made entirely with things around the house.

For more ideas, check out The Toddler's Busy Book by Trish Kuffner and Slow and Steady Get Me Ready by June R. Oberlander. They're two of my favorites!