Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…

Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…
This is for those of you who have asked what kind of things [we and] KB would like for Christmas:


We hope to raise KB to know what the holidays are all about. Help us to balance the wants with the needs and present them with what will help her to grow in the way we want her to go. Let's bring in toys that are responsible – even in this small way our monies will shape their future, both in where the money goes and what it brings home to them.

When it comes to gifts, please keep in mind "less is more". A few quality items that will last are a much nicer way to go. Also, the more simple the toy, the more the imagination is used – and the more use the toy will get! Here are some ideas:


Activities/items she enjoys:

• Bubbles
• Balls
• Ballons
• Water
• Being outside
• Animals (esp kitties - no real ones, please... mommy's allergic!!)
• Coloring/drawing/creating (stickers, play dough, etc)
• Building/stacking/Nesting
• Helping mommy in the kitchen 
• Imitating mommy with her baby dolls, and in her play kitchen 

Things we love:

• Things made of natural materials (wood, cotton, silk, wool).
• Toys that use the imagination rather than toys that use batteries.
• Waldorf or Montessori style toys – toys that are real things (musical instruments, gardening tools, art supplies) or that encourage creative play (play food/dishes, cloth baby doll /accessories, wooden blocks and cars), push/pull toys, etc
• Books!! (esp ones with real photographs!)
• Magazines like “Ladybug”, “Wild Animal Baby” or “Little Kids National Geographic”
• Things we can do as a family like:Annual passes to State Parks, Jungle Gardens, the Children's Garden, Selby Gardens, Mote Marine, etc 
• Hand-made things (if you aren't crafty, www.Etsy.com is a wonderful place to purchase everything for adults and kids.
• Clothing, sizes 3T & up in dresses - 2T & up for shirts & skirts
  (please note, we only wear dresses & skirts - so no shorts or pant sets please!)

Things we love to avoid as much as possible:

• Toys made of synthetic materials such as plastic - and *especially* battery-operated ones!
• Items depicting cartoons/companies (ie - toys/clothes/books with cartoon/TV characters such as... Sesame Street, Dora, the Wiggles, Backyardigans, Carebears, Barbie, Bratz, etc.)
• Any edible items which contain dairy, sugar or wheat!

Some great places to shop:

• KB's Amazon Wishlist
• Natural toy sites, such as :
  www. rosiehippo.com, www.oompa.com, www.threesisterstoys.com,
  www.novanatural.com, www.willowtreetoys.com, http://www.moolka.com/
• http://www.babymoonflower.com (local Sarasota mom!)
• Local Stores such as:
  Toy Lab, Funtoysia, [Baby & Kids at] Bennetts, and Learning Express all carry these types of toys.
• "Melissa & Doug" is a good toy brand that I've also seen locally - at bookstores and even Home Goods
• "Plan Toys" "Selecta" & "Haba" are also both excellent brands, and can be found in many online stores [atleast].
• Don't forget, buying USED saves money & prevents waste! www.Ebay.com, www.Craigslist.com, www.Amazon.com, & 2nd hand stores hold many treasures (locally, Pitter Patter & Snappy Turtle Consignment stores are awesome!) ...

We thank you for your understanding!
~KB's mommy & daddy <3