Round Up | My Favorite Finds for Little Boys

I can’t believe our boy is three years old today! I can still remember the moment we found out he was a boy the minute he was born like it was last night. He’s brought so much joy and play and laughter into our family. Every minute of him getting bigger gets more and more fun--although he is entering the 3 year old phase of “toddler whoa’s” which has also been exhausting. But somehow his smile and cuddles and humor is making up for that tenfold. He’s been asking for a dinosaur birthday for a month now so mama’s getting to work on some fun things for that! It’s actually really exciting for me to put together more of a ‘boyish” party than what I’ve done in the past. Can’t wait to show you some of the things we’re coming up with for this one.

Baby Dash at one week old on the left. Dash at 2 from photos taken by Melissa Carlson

I often get asked what kind of things we have in our home for our kids to play with so I thought I’d do a round up of a few things we have and some things I’ve had my eye on for little ones too. A lot of these had boys in mind, but could easily be for any girl as well. Most of the toys we have are played with by both Dash and his sisters, which I love.

To be honest, we don’t usually buy a lot of toys for our kids. Anything that has been brought in has most of the time been given to us and I’m often purging things that will no longer fit into bins or baskets to keep our home as tidy as possible. But whenever I do buy things for birthdays and holidays I try to think of and find things that I know will last a bit longer or be something that could possibly be passed down when my kids are older.

I’m also all about aesthetics, so that comes a lot into play when I’m pursuing something. I know it’s inevitable that toys will be left scattered on the floor so I think through purchases in that way too. If something is laid out around the living room will it be an eyesore when it is or would it add to the overall calm and cozy feel I want our home to feel like? If I can picture it within the grander view of our home and have it also fit into the need for it to be functional and long lasting, then I’m all for it.

That’s not to say we don't have a few of the plastic, brightly colored things among us too, but that’s what all the cute baskets around our living room are for ;)

Here’s a list of some things we have that have been my favorites and what Dash has played with over and over again. Along with a handful of others I think are super cute and fun!

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For the past few months Dash has been all about dinosaurs! I really have no idea where the love of them came from but I’m kind of totally into his obsession with them. Especially since I’ve been finding some of these pretty neat ones around the internet.

1. Handmade wooden dinosaurs with magnets from Etsy

2. Wooden Brontosaurus from Etsy

3. Wooden toy set of dinosaurs from Etsy

4. Plush Dinosaur hand puppet from Heirloom Art Co.

wooden toys for boys

Two Christmases ago we got Dash this wooden blocks castle set and him and his sisters still play with them. We have multiple baskets full of blocks around here and they have been a favorite for our kids since Raleigh could start stacking them around age 2. We have a few Maileg mouse characters that my girls love to play with in their dollhouses and I love the tiny details and cuteness of them all. These other finds I think are super cute and neat for sensory play for littles (and honestly they look kinda fun to just play with as an adult too :)) Also, I recently discovered Heirloom Art Co. and I pretty much want everything on their site!

5. Wooden blocks castle set from Amazon

6. Maileg Chef Mouse from Heirloom Art Co.

7. Balance Baker from Heirloom Art Co.

8. Ball and hammer wooden toy from PB kids

I can't mention my favorite toys without inserting some kind of sporting equipment into it. Since Dash was a baby he's has a natural love for throwing, kicking, or catching a ball. We have multiple basketball hoops around our house (thanks Shane!) and a golfing net in our backyard so there's endless sports play around here. These train tracks and race track are also being played with in our living room non stop and I love the entertainment they bring.

9. Wooden train track set from Amazon we also have these trains to go with them

10. Basket ball light up hoop from Amazon

11. All in one sports toy

12. Wooden race track set from Amazon

little boy playing with train set

And of course I couldn't go without sharing a few pieces of art that we have hung up in Dash's room and that were also inspired by him. When I first dreamt about having a boy I imagined the way I would put together a little boy's room and this phrase "lets play ball" was at the top of my list to create for it. It hangs right in the middle of Dash's room and without knowing it at the time when I painted it, I created something that couldn't be more fitting for his personality. The song lyrics were also inspired by a song I grew up singing with my own parents and now sing to Dash when I tuck him in at night. Having these as a piece of art brings back all those childhood memories for me and I hope someday it will for him too in a tangible way.

lets play ball coley kuyper art