review: apple n amos toys

Hand Kite in Fly Me Alice

What is your take on toys these days? Me personally, I try to avoid the lights and sounds. As a friend of mine recently said to me about a singing Elmo that she was trying to get rid of (with no luck), "These toys should come with free therapist and hospital trips for how many times they scare the shit out of you when you run into them in a dark room at night."

It's true- an annoying monkey toy that my mother gave us (thanks a lot, grandma!) almost caused me to break a leg after giving me a heart attack one night as I went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

This is why I love finding toys that entertain without batteries. Toys that activate children's imaginations. For Baby S's birthday, we received two of these hand kites from Apple N Amos, an Etsy shop specializing in wood toys rooted in Waldorf and Montessori teachings. A mom and pop shop, their toys inspire imagination and play in a way that singing Elmo never will.

Easter Egg Basket

Baby S and Toddler B love these hand kites. The ribbons are hypnotizing and silly to them. They like to make them wiggle and shake. Of course, the wooden circle is a great teether for Baby S! She is also starting to realize that she can wave the kite to make different movements of the ribbons.

Older kids get this of course- at the birthday party there was a lot of movement inspired by these kites. I also saw imaginative play involving gymnastics, birds, and airplanes- imaginations were running wild!

Check out Apple N Amos's full line of toys on Etsy- party favors, the Baby Apple collection, memory games and more!

I received goods or services in exchange for this review. The opinions are all my own.