Celebrate the Under-Celebrated Milestones with Vtech + Huge Toy #Giveaway

Disclaimer: The product has been provided by VTech so I could experience it with my family; however, the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Think back to when your child was a baby- or maybe is still a baby. Which milestones do you remember the most? Are they the ones that are often recorded in a baby book, or are they different ones like first hiccups and first temper tantrum. Those are the ones I remember the most. For Tbomb, it was his first case of the hiccups- he got so angry. For Kodabug, I remember her first taste of chocolate- she got so excited that she could not contain herself. Each kid is so different it is amazing. With Trevor, I always watched for those milestones that everyone talks about, like first steps, first words, and so on. With Kodabug, I was a bit more relaxed. She's our last and we paid more attention to those things that make her the most unique baby, in our minds.

Here are some of my favorite more recent milestones. 

Here are some of the moments that make my children who they are. They are so different, but both so smart and loving. 

I had gotten a large box delivered and sat the box to the side while I was dealing with the contents. Tbomb was about 20 months old and put himself in the box. I remember it like it was yesterday. I got such a kick out of watching him shut himself up in the box. To this day, he loves to play in boxes.

Miss Independent Kodabug really showed it the first time she was sick. Instead of crawing in my lap like her brother, she layed herself down in the floor and covered herself with Tbomb's road. She was pitiful. A little at a time, she would get all of her favorite toys her here. Here you can see her ball, blanket, and train.

Kodabug is not scared of anything. Tbomb is a bit more cautious, so when he decided to climb the "rock wall" all by himself, it was definitely worth noting. Look at him go!

This was the first time Kodabug really joined us for school. Normally, I just let her play with educational toys during school time, but that wasn't working this day. She had to be like her brother. I got out the workbook I had been working on putting together and let her have at it. She loved it!

This was their first field trip to the library. Both of them found something they loved. The first book Kodabug saw was a Hello Kitty book and Tbomb fell in love with the train station. They enjoyed visiting Paddington, especially since we had been reading it. This will be mamarked down as one of the best days ever.

Each child has special milestones

Vtech has an amazing resource that all parents should put in their toolbox. Their Advisory Council  has collaborated with Vtech to create an amazing milestones resource. This resource is broken down by age from birth to nine years old. Then, each age is broken into categories- Language and Cognigive; Social and Emotional Development; and Physical and Motor. This resource explains the different characteristics and developments at each age. Then, they take it a step further and recommend products that are best for children at each stage. 

Toys Help Children Learn

These toys rom Vtech help with the development at each stage and are highly recommended by the Advisory Council. My kids had a chance to play with them and loved them! 

1. Vtech Spin & Learn Ball Tower

This toy is recommended for ages 9-36 months, but both of my kids had a ball with it. They would get so excited wiwth the balls spinning down- it really was cute to watch. The balls spin and talk. The whole time, they are teaching the kids about colors and numbers. When the kids drop the balls in the top, they either say the color or count- Tbomb knows these things, but loves playing with it while Kodabug is learning colors and numbers. It has over 100 songs, melodies, sounds, and phrases. On top of all of that, it has buttons that tach about insects, colors, and numbers while helping to develop fine motor skills. ($29.99)

2. Vtech Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train

This toy is great for kids of all ages and is recommended for 12-36 months. This train has so many features it is crazy. There are 10 different activities that help kids learn the alphabet, colors, numbers, and more. It helps build motor skills with 6 different manipulative features. These include a storybook, clock, gears, and 13 double sided blocks with the alphabet on them. The caboose even turns into a waton they can fill with toys and pull along. They can also ride on it and push the train. This is their favorite toy In fact, they kind of fight over it. There are lots of activities for both of them, even the 5-year-old. ($49.99)

3. Vtech Spinning Light Learning Hippo

This is definitely one of my favorite Vtech toys. It reminds me of so many of the toys I had a a kid, but with more features. Kodabug is so smart, but she is still not talking. We try to find her as many language development toys as possible. This toy is best for ages 18 months to 4 years, but even my 5-year-old loves it (I love it too). This is an amazing vocabulary builder, with 6 activities that assist with language development. Kodabug loves spinning the lights around to letters, phonics, objects, animals, and more. Tbomb loves switching it to music mode for the sound effects and melodies (he's my music baby).  ($19.99)

4. Vtech Write & Learn Creative Center

This particular toy has been put in our Homeschool Supplies. The kids love playing with it all the time, but I like to dedicate it to writing and other homeschool activities and it is perfect for a kid that likes to fidget. This board is interactive and teaches how to write and draw objects and letters step-by-step. This is exactly what kids learning to hold a pencil and write letters need. There are interactive demonstrations that help preschoolers learn proper stroke order for upper and lowercase letters. The coolest feature is that it even teaches them to write their names one letter at a time. There are a lot of drawing activites included , as well as melodies, sounds, staps, and stencils. It is recommended for ages 3-6, but my 2-year-old loves it as well. ($24.99)

Learn more about Vtech: Website; Twitter; Facebook

Win These Toys

One lucky reader of The Palmetto Queen will win a prize pack that includes each of these toys. You read that right- you will receive one of each of the 4 recommended toys- just in time or Christmas. (US residents only No PO boxes)

To enter, just comment below and tell me your child's favorite milestone- that one that just sits in your heart and you remember it like it was yesterday. 

A random winner will be chosen on October 18. Good luck!