Wooden Frog croak

It's hard not to love this chunky, hand-carved wooden frog. When the percussion stick (cleverly stored clamped in its mouth when not in use) is stroked over the ridges on the frog's back, it produces a surprisingly clear, realistic croaking sound. The baby is highly amused by it, my husband probably even more. Great for working on hand-eye coordination as baby tries to figure out how to make the frog croak too. And when it's not making noises, it's simply looks nice on the shelf.

We bought ours from the Horniman Museum (a wonderful place) shop, but you can find them all over. And it's nice to know that it's a Fair Trade product.

Unazukin

Plump, mysterious plastic ladies with inscrutable Mona Lisa smiles who can tell you, with a subtle nod or shake of their heads: Yes, or No. (When you press the secret button on the back.) What use you make of their talents is up to you. Quirky and cute, smooth and seamless, they look great lined up on the windowsill.

Even though I bought them for myself, they've been a great distraction toy during nappy changes for a fidgety baby. Easy for her to grip in her fist and too big for her to fit in her mouth. Plus the unpredictable nod of the head always gets her attention.

As the description puts it, “Unazukin is your good listener. She always listens to your story, with nodding, or shaking her head.” You can get them on Amazon.

Capiz Chandelier

This buy was inspired by Dooce who, a couple of years ago now, fell in love with this lamp - an electric chandelier with cascading tiers of individual capiz discs. Capiz are a kind of mother-of-pearl shell, which is very light and almost transparent. The discs make a soft tinkling sound when they knock against each other.

I was delighted to find something very similar from Laura Ashley. We installed ours on the top floor over the stairwell near the skylight. I decided not to wire the lamp in as there is enough light on the stairwell already and it makes a beautiful visual and sound effect just like that.

All through the day, if the skylight is open, it's possible to hear the chandelier tinkling softly (or if you puff on it as you walk by). And its translucent whiteness blends in with the white walls and ceiling.