Toys for a whole year?!

Ebeanstalk is one of our favorite online toy retailers as it truely takes the guess work out of buying children's toys, especially for loved ones or grandparents who may not live locally. I routinely recommend them to friends who need a present for a child's birthday party but may not necessarily know whats appropriate or "cool". Its also just a great place to go and shop for your own kids as they really do their research on the toys they sell, not just a random assortment of toys.

I've been looking for great small toys that really capture what Connor and I love most about toys, that are inexpensive enough to give as gifts, and Ebeanstalk offers everything from luxury gifts such as the polar bear rocking horse which I personally would LOVE to get my hands on to great inexpensive but completely environmentally friendly and modern chic, Fagus toddler cars.

I got Connor the, Fagus Wooden Oldie Car, which is small enough for him to easily grasp and I absolutely love its solid hardwood design. There are no bright colors, no batteries, no loud noises, and Connor can spend all day pushing it around the house. Its just one of those toys that looks great sitting in the middle of your living room, so much that you wont even mind if its left on the coffee table when guests come over. I really need to look into buying him some of the larger trucks as he gets older.

The real beauty of Ebeanstalk however, is not just in their selection but in the way you can search and order toys from their site. You can search by age, occassion, toy type (including our favorite wooden toys), by brand name, and by skill. All Ebeanstalk toys are pretested and rated by what they liked about the toy, what it helps the child learn, and what skills can be mastered by playing with it. Honestly thats not something I always think about when I see a really cool toy, but its especially important when your looking for toys for a child who may be lacking in a particular area. Personally, we need toys that will help Connor learn to say Mama.. as we are still not saying it at least not regularly. He did actually say Mama as clear as day a few days ago.. and out of pure shock I said "Connor did you just say Mama?" and you know that little snot said "Noooo". I think I should just go on strike.

If your really looking to make a big impression on your gift giving or you just want to give just an exceptional baby shower gift. Check out Ebeanstalk's gift series. You can actually buy a child a "series" of gifts that will be delivered over the course of a year, or however long you choose to do it for. They are tailored to the child's age and are delivered at appropriate developmental times. You can choose from pre-picked gift series or make your own. Not to be crude but I would have peed myself if someone would have bought Connor a gift series for his birthday. Talk about a gift that truely keeps on giving.

While your shopping for toys, don't forget that baby gear as well. If you really want to blow a new mom's mind make your own gift series and include a great diaper bag, stroller, and some toys for as the child grows. She will certainly never forget it.

A Ebeanstalk gift series would also be a fabulous christmas gift. I know it seems a little early to be thinking about christmas but its never too early to be scouting out your options.

Ebeanstalk was gracious enough to send over a Fagus Wooden Mini Truck to give away to one of my readers!


To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Head on over to Ebeanstalk and browse their gift series. Tell me which gift series you would love to have or would like to buy for someone you love.
  
• No "i want to win" stuff without a little effort (and I do mean little!)
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end August 31st at midnight!