Recommendations: DVDs, Books & Baby Gear

Nathan was doing pretty good chatting and last week went back to "bah-bah" and "eh-eh." I then realized that we had stopped watching his Baby Babble DVDs. We started up again this week and he's babbling away again. So I thought I'd share this DVD with you and a few other things that Nathan and I both enjoy.

DVDs
Baby Babble and Baby Babble 2- These videos are geared towards babies and toddlers to help them along with speech development. The second DVD focuses on the letters P,B and M. Be sure to watch the Parent Tutorials at the end. They are full of tips and ideas of how you can help your child learn more vocabulary. Their website also has a recommendation page of toys/books/etc. by your child's talking stage.

Mommy and Me Playgroup Favorites (and More Playgroup Favorites)- Halfway through watching this the first time, I wanted my money back. :) But Nathan LOVED it. (and he's not a TV-watcher at all!) Since then, they've actually really grown on me. They do a lot of popular children's songs and it helps them learn to love music.

Baby's First Impressions- This is a 10DVD set and avgs about $3.78 a DVD. Nathan's favorites are Sounds and Animals. Some of them he is just a little too young for but I know he'll like them in a few months.

Books
Karen Katz - I cannot say enough about this author. This box set was great at teaching Nathan body parts. And he really loves the lift-a-flaps on the books.

Touch and Feel books- I've lost track of how many of these that we own! :) They have so many of them that teach different words, animals and textures. Another great one to consider is Fuzzy Bee. This is a cloth book and great for babies/toddlers that are still rough on normal board books.

Books for Adults
Active Learning- This is a 6 book series from Infants-Fives. It's written like a daycare setting but easily adaptable for just one child. They have great crafts and learning tools in each book.

A Year of Fun- This is also a series for Babies-Fives. It's made like a calendar, in that each month, you flip the page and there are several ideas for crafts, games, home-made toys and rhymes. These make GREAT presents!

Baby Gear
Evenflo XSport Plus Stroller - My sister and I both own this and love it! It's a great little fold-up stroller for quick trips. There is a version $10 cheaper but the handles are not adjustable.

Jeep Diaper Bag - This diaper bag has a speaker in the front pocket that an iPod, MP3 player or CD can plug into. This is great for outings or picnics when you want some music for your baby. The diaper bag itself is fairly spacious and sturdy. It's become the one that I use the most. It also was a great price at $25.

Graco Travel Lite Table Chair - This is one of my favorite purchases! We loved our high chair but it took up so much room in our kitchen and Nathan wanted to be so close to us at mealtimes. This hooks right on to the table and now we really have great family dinnertimes! Nathan eats so much better now! It's very easy to clean and it folds up for traveling.

What are your favorite baby/toddler items? Feel free to leave them in the Comments. I love finding new products that come highly recommended.