This is the first Christmas where Tommy gets it. He understands that there is a day coming where he will be given presents that hopefully includes toys for him to play with. He sat on Santa’s lap the other day and when pressed for what he wants, he replied, “I want everything.”
By the looks of his face, it appears he regrets this decision but this was not the first or the last time he has said this. In fact, he pretty much asks me to get him everything he sees on TV or in a storefront window.
Unfortunately for him, he lives in a city condo where space is a precious commodity. This holiday season, as “Santa” I’m taking a look at new gifts seriously as we feel like we have zero space but do have needs to fulfill.
Now that Tommy is a super active nearly 4 year old boy, he needs to play, run and jump. When he has snow days from school, we usually can’t go outside but yet we have little space for him inside to get out this energy.
This holiday season, I knew I wanted to get something for Tommy so that we could be together and play together indoors.
Little Tikes has always been about creating the best toys on the planet and makes some of the most cherished childhood toys. Parent trusted for over 50 years, they don’t just make toys, they make play!
They reached out to me in November to see if I was interested in collaborating for the Holidays. I immediately said yes as we already own a few of their toys and use many more at the city playgrounds like the Cozy Coup and the TotSport Easy Score Basketball Set. I began searching their toy options for the perfect addition to our home to keep the boys entertained all winter long.
If we had more space or a backyard, I might have been tempted to choose a Playhouse, the Shop n Learn Smart Checkout or Wonder Lab as I love the learning and imagination component to these sets but knowing my jumping beans, I pretty quickly saw the perfect toy.
Little Tikes knows it is important for toddlers to stay active, and the 3-foot trampoline is easy to move so kids can bounce where ever they like, any time they like. It comes in two different versions, one that is easy to store with a handle bar that folds down for easy storage and one with a secured handle bar.
Luckily for Tommy, Santa came early with this gift and it has been the most used toy we’ve added to our collection ever. He is a jumping animal. I tried to move it out of the middle of their play space one night and he freaked out as soon as he woke up and realized this.
I’m not exaggerating when I say, he lives for his trampoline. He does splits, he tries to do tricks which are more like animated jumps but I haven’t seen Tommy love something as much as this toy since his brother was born. I swear that he has also been able to fall asleep quicker since we introduced the trampoline. I have no scientific evidence of this but I promise!!!
Morning and night, you can find Tommy jumping. Even if this post wasn’t in collaboration with Little Tikes, I would recommend all parents of toddlers get a mini trampoline for their home. It’s so important for them to be active and whether it’s daylight savings keeping you indoors or a sibling’s afternoon nap, it’s so nice to have a way for them to get out their energy in a safe environment where the whole family can hang out.
Additionally, my niece is on the autism spectrum and my sister purchased a trampoline for her based on recommendations from therapists. It can provide a number of benefits including providing a safe, comfortable outlet for their energy, but also helps them deal with stress, help with motor skills and sensory skills to name a few. I first noticed Tommy’s admiration for jumping when we would visit and I’d find him using his cousin’s trampoline. It’s not just fun and something physical for kids to do but trampolines also help with social and physical development.
Lately, I’ve been putting on Christmas music as Connor and I dance around together and Tommy jumps. I keep telling my friends that I’ll let them know if Tommy gets bored with his trampoline but a month in, he has yet to let up on his excitement.
If we make the move out to the suburbs, I know we will be adding more Little Tike’s toys to our arsenal!
This blog post is sponsored by Little Tikes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
