Top 5 Christmas Gifts for Toddlers (At Least For Me!)

I have written a new list of gift ideas for the older toddler/young preschooler in mind. Here's a list of top gifts for older toddlers!

My golly banana! There are only 2 weeks remaining before Christmas! Have you done your Christmas shopping already? I should have begun my shopping months back, but I've always delayed it, thinking I'll see better deals come December. Now, I still have to buy a lot of gifts!

Of course, my toddler is number 1 on my list, so I breathed a sigh of relief when I had finished ordering stuff for him last week. Ssshhh, don't tell anybody, but he's going to have full bookshelves after Christmas. I still have to wrap his gifts, which led me to think, what could other parents be giving their toddlers this year?

This, in turn, led me to create a list of the best gifts to give for toddlers. Thus, if you have a toddler child or a toddler niece or nephew or a toddler inaanak, this list is for you!

5. Clothes and/or Shoes
Clothes and shoes are always fun to buy (at least for me!), the fun multiplies by 10 when you're shopping for little ladies and gentlemen. Any parent would welcome an additional outfit to her child's closet! Also, a toddler's foot size grows so fast (I should know) that new shoes are always a necessity. Make sure that you know the child's size, though! To be safe, go for the bigger size.

Photo: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com

Bonus tip: Ask the toddler's parents if they're going somewhere for the summer vacation. You might want to give the child a rash guard if they're going to the beach or a cardigan if they're headed to Baguio!

4. Diapers
Some people may think of giving diapers as un-thoughtful or un-creative, but I beg to disagree. Puh-lease, I would welcome a free pack of diapers in my home any day! My toddler still uses 2-4 diapers per day, so that's still a pretty significant amount. In my opinion, no parent would refuse diapers!

Photo: http://www.keeperofthehome.org/

Bonus tip: Try giving the parents cloth diapers to save the environment. You get plus points by helping them save money, too!

3. Art Materials
Ah, the joy of a homeschooling mom. This sentiment also goes for future homeschooling moms, feeling homeschooling moms (like me), and even those who simply want their children to enjoy art at an early age. After all, who doesn't want to raise a future Picasso?

Photo: http://artfulparent.typepad.com

Bonus tip: You do need to look for toddler-specific and toxic-free art materials. Also, make sure they are easy to use. Great examples are jumbo crayons, non-toxic play-dough, and failproof Megasketcher!

2. Wooden Toys

Sunday Fun-and-Fab Finds: On Feeding Stuff, Board Books, and Lang Leav

Hi! How was your weekend? Mine got unintentionally extended through Monday because our yaya announced at the last minute that she's going home yesterday for her birthday. Ooookay. Good thing my job has a flexible schedule.

Anyway, I feel like it's Monday now. Yesterday, I posted a pre-drafted post about my our plans for Yuri's preschool. Today, let me tell you how my real weekend (read: Sunday) went. My sister's birthday was last Saturday (yes, my mother's and my sister's birthdays are exactly 1 week apart, and because we had birthday dinner last Saturday, we went for a simple birthday lunch last Sunday). I have several fun-and-fab finds! First, here's Yuri's simple OOTD!

Oh no, I forgot the shirt's brand, and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to look at it!

Pants - Baby Mossimo

Suspenders - SM Department Store

Shoes - Children's Place

Aaaand here's an outtake. The little boy can't resist getting his shoes! He wants to wear them na!

It's also getting more and more difficult to take Yuri's picture. He's always a blur!

And here's what I wore. Nothing special!

The acrobatics that I have to deal with every single day!

Job: What do you want for Christmas?

Me: A tummy tuck.

Little gentleman in suspenders

Don't be fooled with this photo. He was still for only about a nanosecond!

After church, we ate lunch in Abreeza, and we met Jollibee again!

Look at the pure delight on Yuri's face!

And Yuri test-drove cars, too.

This looks okaaay.

Hmmm. *thinking deeply*

Oh. Sino ka?! Charot. We're making friends here.

And Yuri test-drives another car. This time, it's an open Jeep.

This is good, too. Oh decisions, decisions.

We went to SM Lanang Premier afterward and saw the Davao Collective Gourmet again.

Three Options for Yuri's Preschool (Super Advanced Schooling Plans)

Disclaimer: I first drafted this post when Yuri was around 15 months old so it was, indeed, "super advanced." Now that he's 20 months, the adjective needs to be reduced to just "advanced."

I know it's quite early to think about it, but right now, I'm already figuring out what kind of education Yuri should have. Everytime I bring it up, Job kinda brushes me off because, hello, Yuri is only 20 months old. He humors me, though, and engages in my "plans," though he insists Yuri shouldn't go to school until he's 4. Pero, hello, a lot of toddlers even younger than Yuri have been enrolled na in playschools!

Not that I plan to enroll Yuri in a playschool. Not that I don't want to.

Anyway, you can't blame me. I was born a planner and will continue to be. A very advanced planner at that. And I'm only talking about preschool. Or at least for now. So what are the options? Here they are:

The first option I had was to homeschool. I love the idea, and I know I'm capable of being a good teacher to Yuri. *lowers the bangko that I just lifted* But I know it's going to be great. Aside from reading books, we'll go painting, listening to (classical) music (if I manage), visit museums and the Science center. Job seems to go along with it (or maybe para di na humaba ang usapan?) and volunteered to be the sports instructor. Of course. However, the problem is that we're both working full-time. How will I ever manage to work and teach at the same time?

My next option would be Montessori. Why Montessori? I've done my research and believe it's one of the best systems (after parent-child learning, in my opinion) to stimulate toddlers' early education. Also, I would be able to have some me-time. Read: gym. In fact, I'm already eyeing a Montessori preschool near the area. The only downside of this would be the cost. Aside from the tuition and other obvious fees, we have to consider transportation (we don't have a car yet) and "extra fees" AKA Yuri's wardrobe.

Weekend Round-up! (December 2-6)

Hi! Before anything else, let me tell you that this is a scheduled post that I wrote yesterday. I noticed that I never have anything up on Sundays. That's because I'm almost always out during these days. After all, as a WAHM, those are the only days I'm outside the house!

Beginning today, though, I'll be posting WEEKEND ROUND-UPS regularly. These are just list of the posts I've written throughout the week. If you're bored on a Sunday and you happen to stumble on my blog, you might find something worthy of your time from these round-ups! Hopefully you will!

Anyway, for this past week, these are the posts I have written:

Monday

Dinner at Vikings

Tuesday

Yuri's Insect Bites and a Review of GIGA Baby Balm

Wednesday

What's in my Diaper Bag? The Toddler Edition!

Thursday

Easy-Peasy Breakfast Ideas

Friday

Finance Friday: A Different Kind of Wishlist (to help you decipher your needs from wants!)

Saturday

My New Morning Struggle with Yuri

And that's how our week went! I hope your week was as uneventful and not as stressful as mine. And, oh, there are only 17 days before Christmas. I'm doing my shopping now as you read this!

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Our New Morning Struggle

I hinted about this problem in one of my past posts this week, but let me tell you more about it today. Well, it's feeling especially fresh this morning because it's already 9:45 in the morning and I just sat at my desk to begin working. I should've begun working almost 2 hours ago.

This is a big deal for me because I am soooo OC with schedule. Home schedule that is.

So what is this daily morning struggle?

Well, in the beginning, like most moms of newborn babies, I used to struggle with sleep - or the lack thereof. During Yuri's first two months, I considered myself lucky if I get 2 or 3 straight hours of sleep. 4 hours of sleep felt like heaven. Fortunately, despite Yuri's being colicky, he began sleeping straight through the night at 4 months.

Now, the tables have been turned. As someone who is very OC about our routine, I needed structure and a proper wake-up time. It used to be 6 am. Then it became 7. Nowadays, I'm not so sure. Aside from Yuri's tendency to oversleep, it's becoming harder to coax him out of bed.

Yes, like a schooler, Yuri's already beginning to have very minor tantrums whenever I tell him, "Bangon na, baba na tayo." And it's not because he's overtired ha, because our bedtime ranges from 8-8:30 pm.

So when he wakes up at 7:30, it takes 15 more minutes of my coaxing and Yuri's delaying tactics. Here are my pieces of evidence:

Me: Yuri, let's go na.

Yuri: Mama, lamiiiig!

Me: Yuri, baba na tayo!

Yuri: Read magazines mama! (Of course, he did not say that.)

Me: Yuri, bangon na!

Yuri: Mama tuyog!

No words = the beginning of a tantrum!

Adorable tantrum-ing baby!

Me: Sige na Yuri, baba na tayo.

Yuri: Noooo. Ayaw.

Me: Please Yuri?

Yuri: *deep sigh*

See how harsh sunlight is already pouring through the window? :-P

To be honest, I kind of enjoy watching Yuri with his very-minor tantrums whenever I ask him to "bangon na." That's why I repeat the request over and over again. Well, Yuri is still a young toddler who still looks adorable and hardly like a monster, but I might eat my words in the near future. Wag sana! Hahaha!

So don't take this post seriously. Yes, I have to say that even if it might be obvious. I actually like the fact that Yuri oversleeps and likes staying in bed (with me) in the mornings. Also, it gives us more time to read books and cuddle. And yes, I know sleep is crucial to his health and growth.

The question is how am I ever going to work at 8am again? Hahaha!

Mommies, do you have the same problem with your toddlers? For those who have yet to experience this, mine is 20-months old - for your reference!

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