Wednesday, December 10, 2014

millie's guide to toys

With Christmas almost upon us, I know everyone's scrambling for presents and gift ideas. Since I've already received my most-wanted wish list item for the year (hint: she got here early...in August), I figured I'd do everyone a solid and consult her about what baby toys she recommends this season. 

Actually, that's a lie. I didn't really consult her or even ask her about this. She just told me with her face. So now I'll tell you.

What Babies Like:

Monkeys. Particularly hanging over their changing tables. And extra-particularly if the baby also has coordinating monkey jammies in which to "play" with their amazing and hilarious monkey toy.


Please note the blur at the bottom of these photos. That is because monkey toys are so amazing that they cause baby legs to flail and kick at approximately the speed of light. And you can't even imagine what kind of facial expressions monkey toys cause.


Well, now you know.

In conclusion, babies (or at least this baby) like monkeys. Do the baby in your life a favor and get them a monkey for Christmas. This particular monkey came from a yard sale, so...feel free to go pre-loved with your monkey toy. It gets the Millie Stamp of Approval.

What Babies Do Not Like:

Dolls. Dolls turn babies into cannibals, apparently. Or maybe zombies. Hard to tell.


And then they cause babies to make sad and distressed faces.


In conclusion, Millie suggests that you stick to monkeys. She certainly plans to, but you can draw your own conclusions:


P.S. Not to hijack Millie's post, but I figured since she's helped YOU make a tough decision, now maybe you can help me. Matt and I are trying to decide between Google Chromecast* and Amazon Fire TV Stick*. Anyone have experience with either (or both)? Yall were extremely helpful during the Great Highchair Debate, so I figured maybe someone had equally passionate feelings about this get-your-computer-onto-your-TV situation...lemme know if you have any thoughts! 

P.P.S. Millie also recommends baths. And she says you're just doing it wrong if you don't follow baths with a hooded cat towel.


*Amazon Affiliate link

18 comments:

  1. We ordered the Amazon one because Sam said (I did zero research on this) the Google one doesn't have a remote... you use your phone. The Amazon one and the Roku one both have remotes, but the Amazon one is cheaper. So there... my recommendation based on my husband's recommendation is Amazon Fire thingy (though it's out of stock until January).

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    1. Until Jan! Oh no! That won't work for me. :( bummer.

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  2. We use Chromecast... but I have no sage wisdom to offer. And we have a Roku, too. Brian can probably give you more feedback if you're desperate for an extra opinion!

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  3. I just lol'd for real at your monkey v doll comparison pic :)

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  4. Valentina feels the exact same way about dolls and monkeys. But her absolute favourite toy is a set of wooden keys to shake and chew on!

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  5. I say Roku all the way. I don't have anywhere to plug in the "sticks" so a itty bitty box was the way for me to go. They do have the high def capability. It has a remote and you can use the smartphone app for easier search. I currently have Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu so there's no shortage of backlogged entertainment. I love the PBS channel, too.

    Here's a comparison I found helpful when I thought about switching to the Amazon Stick.
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/amadoudiallo/2014/04/02/amazon-fire-tv-versus-apple-tv-roku-and-chromecast/

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  6. Oh! And Roku lets you search across ALL channels available for movies and tv.

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  7. Those faces are the perfect thing to see in the morning on a tired Wednesday. Millie never fails to disappoint, what an adorable little girl! I also love the monkey jammies, you are on point with her style choices! :)

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  8. Our oldest has been a monkey fan for 12 years!!! Millie is very smart!

    I know nothing about his chrome or stick thing you speak of. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

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  9. I love monkey's too! Good choice Mills! We use an archaic roku. I love the idea of a stick!

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  10. We have Google ChromeCast and I can't compare it to the Amazon thing because I've never used it, but we liked chromecast and used it a lot to watch Netflix. So that is my recommendation.

    And that is the sweetest smile on a baby!

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  11. We've always gone with monkeys over dolls as well. Thus the presence of Funky Monkey in our lives -- and he really is quite funky!

    As you well know, I live in the dark ages and have no advice having never heard of either of the things you mentioned, nor do I know what they do. Go TV free and depend on YouTube for entertaining your kids when they're sick. That's my awesome advice of the day :)

    PS. Feel free to ignore the "awesome advice of the day" since it's not near as good as your "Buy a monkey!" advice.

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  12. After a fair amount of research I bought the Roku and AM SOOOO HAPPY WITH IT. I read this http://www.cnet.com/news/chromecast-vs-apple-tv-vs-roku-3-which-media-streamer-should-you-buy/ and went with their recommendation.
    Consider which apps you use carefully! Having Netflix and Amazon was important to me, hence, Roku.
    Also, we love finding new kids music to listen to with H on Spotify.

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  13. Monkeys it is!!! Now I know what to buy all the little ones for Christmas!

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  14. My niece has a monkey over her changing table as well!!! My brother says she'll just laugh and stare at it like its the greatest thing - oh babies!

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