Bella is my youngest of three children, she turned two in December. There is a pretty big age gap between my older two who are 13 and 10 years old and Bella. When my older two were younger they had each other to play with as well both went to daycare as I worked full time out of my home so I didn’t do too many play dates and such as they had that interaction with other children close in age.
Bella however doesn’t get that often, sadly I live in a city where I have literally no friends, no family and don’t know any moms with little ones Bella’s age outside of the online mom groups. My brother and his wife had their first baby last March and my sister had her second son last May so while we don’t get together as often as I would like when we are able to arrange play dates the kids have such a blast.
I was excited when Bright Starts asked me to host a League of Little Laughers Play Date because that meant I got to invite my sisters, niece and nephews over for some long overdue quality time. Us moms could catch up on everything that has happened since the last time we were all together while the kids had a fun playing with each other and some cool Bright Start toys.
Of course every play date needs fuel, for both the little ones running wild and the moms kicking back their feet so I prepared some delicious snacks for us all to enjoy.
The first snack I made for the kids were these Giggle Bites. I simply tossed 1 cup of Cheerios, 1 cup of both cheddar and pretzel Goldfish Crackers, 1 cup of mini marshmallows and 1 cup of raisins into a bowl then mixed it up and placed a small amount into little bags for when they got hungry.
I also made a Little Fingers Fruit Salad using raspberries, green grapes, clementines, apple and watermelon. I diced up the fruit into bite size pieces and there wasn’t a drop of fruit left after the party.
I also made some Mom Wraps placing one slice of turkey, ham and salami on a tortilla wrap with some diced lettuce and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese. These flew off the plate!
My niece Olivia loved the Bright Starts Learn & Giggle Activity Station. The lights and sounds really captivated her attention and she had a lot of fun playing.
Olivia was such a pro at the new toy in town that she was showing her older cousin Bella exactly how it worked. These are the moments that melt my heart, watching the little ones interact with each other and their excitement!
Bella’s cousin Luka really enjoyed the Bright Starts Spin & Giggle Puppy. Watching it spin and toss all the balls everywhere had the kids in stitches. They loved putting all the balls back in and watching them get tossed around all over again. This toy is a real entertainer and is something I can see myself gifting to every mom I know!
We also had an added set of Bright Starts Bunch of Balls which made the Spin & Giggle Puppy toy EXTRA fun by allowing the kids to put a large amount of balls in the toy and watch them fly everywhere.
The kids fueling up for more play. I am so happy I captured this sweet moment between Bella and her cousin Luka, the two of them sharing their treats was so adorable.
One of my goals in 2016 is to connect with more local moms in Richmond Hill with children that are around Bella’s age and host more play dates. Not only is it great for Bella and the other little ones to interact and play with some great toys but it is also great for us moms to connect too!
Do you host play dates? If not you should give one a try, send out some invitations, make some yummy snack foods and enjoy a day filled with laughter and great company!
You can find the Learn & Giggle Activity Station on Amazon.
You can find the Spin & Giggle Puppy on Amazon.
Want to learn more about Bright Starts Toys? Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Disclosure: Although this post has been sponsored by Bright Starts, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Bright Starts. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, company, provider or party in question.
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Little Miss Kate says
The Early Years Centres are great for play dates and finding kids that are around the same age as yours. A great way to meet other parents and then organize play dates of your own.
Angela V says
So fun! We had a playdate with the toys as well and all of the boys loved them! Great toys!
paula schuck says
OH MY GOODNESS! How adorable is that child? Your niece is adorable and I love her outfit. The Bright Starts toys are a lot of fun for babies who are just starting to get interested in playing with toys and have curious little minds. Love this brand too.
Heather Lynne says
How cute! 🙂 I remember getting together with moms from church when my kids were that age, for play dates 🙂
Kerrie says
Fun! Love the idea of those delicious snacks and a chance for the little ones to play. Great playdate!
Jenn says
What a cute playdate! I loved having little ones together and watching how they played together and interacted! Now that they are big they run away to play on their own! lol Bright stars makes amazing products!