Mama-Come-Lately

I am not a visual artist by training, but I am a bit of a design freak in that a well thought-out object can make me go “ooh!” This shape sorter, which my online shopping maven of a husband found, does that — for the baby as well as for me.

It’s made by a British company called Tolo Toys, and the sucker is sturdy. Like, I could probably sit on it without damaging it, and I am not a dainty person. The six shapes have beads inside them, and each one makes a slightly different shaker sound, which the baby loves to bits. He’ll spend quite a bit of time banging them together and squealing, which is entertaining unless I have a headache. They’re also nice and smooth, so they double as teething toys.

Here’s my favorite design feature, though:

See that lid? To an eight-month-old, it’s a separate toy, and so is the bucket that’s created when you take it off. My kid spent a good 20 minutes investigating those two things last night. He was all like, “Two new toys! EEEEeeeee!” And the kid was tired. As an official Old Mom, I’m telling you: A toy that can do that is worth a few extra ducats.

The only problem with this toy is that it makes me want everything else the company makes.