Indoor gym or toy recommendations for 1 yrs. old

Jack and LIly are soooo bored with their toys and although I rotate the toys, they have just outgrown them. LUCKILY, their first birthday is coming up on May 29th and I would like to get them some new age relavent toys.

Just for some background....we live in Florida and spend much of the day taking walks and walking around outside. They have been walking since 9.5 months for Lily and 10 mos for Jack and they love to walk down the sidewalk in our cul de sac and explore. We spend sooo much time outside that everyone is miserable if it rains and we are stuck inside. Any toy recommendations for children of their age and that are walking/running well that could be used inside? Any outdoor toy (sand and water table???) recommendations are welcome as well!

Thanks,
Amy

 

I'm not sure how much space you have but I bought the boys a tent/fort that has a tunnel that can be attached or removed. They love going inside that tent and crawling through the tunnels. They chase each other and have a ball. I can take velcro straps and collapse the tunnel or collapse the tent and put it in another room when not in use. It said for ages three and up but there are no sharp edges or anything that can come loose so I didn't hesitate buying it for the boys. My husband also built a platform in front of the window and we put a squirrel feeder outside the window. The squirrels come around everyday and the boys will get on that platform and watch them and call to them. We also planted a small garden outside and whirlies in the trees, etc. so on those rainy, nasty days they can watch out the windows for the squirrels and birds and watch the wind whip the swirlies. They actually love just plain old balls - they roll them back and forth to each other and they adore mega blocks. They can put them together but love it even more to watch me build a tower then they topple it. They love pop up books and have learned many of the words and recognize the animals. I get the kind with the heavy cardboard pages so they can turn them without tearing. They've learned when I get to the end of a page and they take turns turning the pages. I also got them a little tyke drum with the drumsticks attached and one will beat the drum while the other plays on their little piano. We went to Academy and bought one of those mats that lay on the floor and looks like piano keys and when they step on it, it plays a note. The love hopping back and forth playing on that and for outside we bought them the 6 volt battery operated four wheelers and they adore those things. They will drive them until the batteries run down. We thought they might be a little young to learn how to ride those, but they picked it up right away. My only problem is they drive in different directions so it's tough to watch them both. that's probably one of their favorite toys.

 

We have the Step 2 water wheel table. A Sand/water table would be a good idea aswell but like I just mentioned in another post I personally would NEVER use sand in it. Try rice or corn kernnels. Also Like Kendra mentioned in the other post teacher stores sell beads that can be used in place of the sand.

When the boys were that age we had tents and tunnels for then and a small climber for them to play on. maybe a Kangaroo climber?I do think they outgrow this one quite fast though. Maybe the little tikes 8 in 1 climber is something they could use and enjoy for a few years. Always take a peek at crigslist and search outdoor toys. You can pick up outdoor toys in excellent condition for way less then buying new.

Have fun!!

 

tent
tunnel
sand table
water table (I'd separate the two to avoid mess)
play kitchen
toddler basketball hoop

We have the Little Tikes playhouse/slide/climber with the swing extension, which they love.

 

My twins are 13 months and love playing with my older DD's kitchen and pretend food. They spend hours carrying food around in bowls, ect. They also like playing with her chunky dollhouse and our fridge toys by Leapfrog. They also like our ballpit by Playhut. Otherwise they spend most of the day going from toy to toy. We've just started going outside in the last few weeks and they love my older DD's playhouse. Another hit has been the wagon (with seatbelts), ride on toys and we have a car they can ride in that has a pole to push them with.