The AWESOME Toy Thread

[TravelingGal]

Hi all,

I thought this thread might be timely. The gear thread has been mostly stuff for babies so I thought I''d start this one. I''m thinking we put our best recommendations for toys for children ONE year and older. All of the stuff for babies is usually a given (exersaucer, jumperoo, etc), so it would be nice to have some more obscure stuff that we''ve found along the way that work best to entertain our little ones. This thread could be helpful around birthdays and Christmas!

Please post a link and if you''re feeling up to it, a pic!

 

[TravelingGal]

Green Toys Tea Set

I love the green toys stuff. Made out of recycled milk cartons, this tea set is green and BPA free. Thick, great quality and cute (without being overly cutesy). I also just bought Green Toys Sand Play Set. It''s a bit steep for a pail and shovel set, but the one I got from target is crap quality and was $6. She loves dirt so much, I thought it would be nice to invest in a better set.

 

[TravelingGal]

Melissa and Doug Jumbo Triangular Crayons

I love these crayons. The case is sturdy and it''s easy to throw it in my diaper bag. I take a roll of scotch tape and some scratch paper and it''s instant entertainment when we are in restaurants. The crayons don''t roll and are hard to break (we have not broken one yet and she''s dropped it from table height to the tile floor). We use them a ton, and they don''t even look worn down yet. Colors are pretty bright and they are washable crayons.

 

[TravelingGal]

Melissa and Doug Latches Board

Tacori recommended this, so I bought it for a friend''s son. He''s gaga over this thing and apparently Tessa was too. It says 3+ but my friend''s son is 2 years, 4 months. I would be careful about leaving it on the floor where kids could step on it and get hurt. I''ll get one for Amelia when the Amazon price comes down (currently it is at full price, but I got it for my friend''s son for about $1

 

[TravelingGal]

Step 2 Lifestyle Deluxe Kitchen

This is a fantasic Kitchen Amelia got from her grandparents!

The SRP is $269, but I saw it on Amazon for about $212 around the holidays. The price keeps changing.

It does take awhile to put together, and an electric screwdriver helps. Also, affix the decals/stickers BEFORE putting the thing together. I cannot imagine putting them on after it''s built - it would be awkward.

It comes with a cordless phone, a few dishes, some food and plenty of buttons to push (microwave, dishwasher and oven controls). There is a light over the counter. This means it also takes a ton of batteries, but they don''t have to be replaced often as it''s not high powered stuff.

The stove is cute...if you put a frying pan (included) on it, it makes frying noises. A pot will make boiling noises that get faster and faster. The noises don''t last long, probably to save battery life.

The kitchen is definitely unisex and is very large. Lots of storage space and even counter space for kids to prepare meals. Two kids could definitely play with this kitchen. There is plenty of room to store the tea set that I mentioned in the previous post as well, and I would recommend buying a few more dishes for this set.

 

[janinegirly]

This is a GREAT idea!! I would love to hear others'' finds--toddlers sometimes get attached to the toys we least expect.

C loves the Fisher Price Little People Animal Farm. I was nervous since it''s not like the one I played with when I was a wee one, but she enjoys it as she enters early stages of role playing with her toys, putting things inside, talking them out and connecting animal sounds to the animal.

Tgal: I was wondering if you have a toddler table & chair set yet for when A plays with her tea set?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 12:33:24 PM
Author: janinegirly
This is a GREAT idea!! I would love to hear others'' finds--toddlers sometimes get attached to the toys we least expect.

C loves the Fisher Price Little People Animal Farm. I was nervous since it''s not like the one I played with when I was a wee one, but she enjoys it as she enters early stages of role playing with her toys, putting things inside, talking them out and connecting animal sounds to the animal.

Tgal: I was wondering if you have a toddler table & chair set yet for when A plays with her tea set?

No, I was looking for one, then got this kitchen and have no room! I''d love to see if anyone has one they love. We have tea asian style on the floor.

 

[MustangGal]

Awesome thread! I''m going to need some more toddler type toys for Kyle soon!

So far Kyle LOVES his Cozy Coupe http://www.littletikes.com/toys/cozy-coupe-30th-anniversary-edition.aspx

I know it''s a bit of a given as far as toys go, but when my MIL gave it to Kyle for x-mas, I thought he might not be old enough for it yet. We put it together a few weeks ago, and it keeps him entertained for like 30 minutes at a time. He climbs in an out, opens and closes the door, and pokes his finger in the gas cap. This new version has a removable floor board, so we can push him down the sidewalk in it until he''s able to move it himself.

 

[TravelingGal]

The Cozy Coupe

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:38:50 PM
Author: TravelingGal
The Cozy Coupe

My boys had something similar to this and loved it. Later they got a motorized jeep from an aunt and use to drive that around and run into things.

lol I wasn''t thrilled about that one!

 

[dcgator]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:38:50 PM
Author: TravelingGal
The Cozy Coupe

OMG, Don''t we all love that we played with/had one of these as children and it is still popular! I think that is awesome when a toy can span the generations

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:38:50 PM
Author: TravelingGal
The Cozy Coupe

Yup that''s on my list once the house is done (no space now and toooooo cold outside!). C played with at a Xmas Party event and took to it right away!! Great call MG!

 

[Burk]

Great idea Tgal! T has the latches puzzle and loves it. She has a ton of Melissa and Doug puzzles and loves them all!

As for table and chairs, we got T this set and she loves it. It was super easy to put together and the chairs are sturdy enough to hold my preggo self!

My T has this kitchen and loves it. I know Tacori has a similar one in red that Tessa loves as well.

 

[Burk]

Date: 2/2/2010 2:03:28 PM
Author: janinegirly

Date: 2/2/2010 1:38:50 PM

Author: TravelingGal

The Cozy Coupe

Yup that''s on my list once the house is done (no space now and toooooo cold outside!). C played with at a Xmas Party event and took to it right away!! Great call MG!

My T has a pink one and she loves it. Not enough room inside and it''s cold outside so she hasn''t been able to ride it lately, though!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 2:04:40 PM
Author: Burk

As for table and chairs, we got T this set and she loves it. It was super easy to put together and the chairs are sturdy enough to hold my preggo self!

The table set

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 2:04:40 PM
Author: Burk

My T has this kitchen and loves it. I know Tacori has a similar one in red that Tessa loves as well.

It''s a cute kitchen for sure. Cheaper on Amazon (had to go to amazon''s site because the site you listed wouldn''t let me save the pic easily.)

 

[Burk]

Thanks for posting the pics Tgal...I got lazy.

Another one she has loved for ages is her doodle pro...it's not this exact one but you get the idea.

ETA: Oh, and yay for a better price on Amazon!

 

[TravelingGal]

For anyone looking for an elmo doll (or other sesame street character) that doesn''t do anything fancy, I recommend the Gund dolls.

The Elmo is $13 on Amazon (and they also sell them at Barnes and Nobles in the book section - thanks Ella for the rec!). He is 13", plush and perfect for a young toddler to hold. The eyes are hard, but I haven''t had an issue with that. He''s also a bit pinkish red instead of the brick red we''re used to seeing from Elmo, but neither Amelia nor I mind.

 

[TravelingGal]

For the boys, here''s the Batman Power Wing Laptop

Now, I did NOT pay 59 bucks as currently on that link (which will have the prices change by the way, as right now it''s not sold by Amazon). I bought it early last year for $36 from Amazon.

I bought it for my friend''s son when he was 15 months old and he still loves it now at 27 months old. The reason why he likes it is because it looks more like mommy''s laptop than a toy (straight black, boring keys).

It''s not for kids that young, but he just likes to bang around on it. Most of these kids laptop have boring displays or just flashing lights (or else they''d be insanely expensive.). Still, he likes the simple flashing red lights and the way it opens (the wings come out.) I can''t bank for the quality of the games or its educational value.

 

[TravelingGal]

Grow to Pro Golf - $25

This one is my favorite toy since it's the one that allows me to get away from my child! For those dads who love golf, they will love feeling like they are teaching their kids to become pros and hopefully allow them to retire rich!

We got this one as a gift, so I didn't research it, but I am happy with it. We keep it in the house so I don't know how well it holds up outside. There is a driver and a putter and it's perfect for Amelia even though she's tall (so it can be used for older kids). It comes with 5 balls. The only annoying thing is that Amelia doesn't use the ball dropper as intended...you're supposed to use your club and push down, and a ball drops onto the tee. Well, she pulls it down and reaches in a grabs a ball, which is not easy to do if the lever is not pulled all the way down. Still, minor issue as we don't use the tee. We just grab the balls and let her smack them around the house. She has actually grown quite proficient at aiming and swinging...and making contact!

TGuy loves this toy since he loves golf and likes to teach Amelia. They smack around the balls every night and I get to escape for awhile and sit on Pricescope or whatever!! Ours is also a different color from this one, but otherwise it's the same toy.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Tessa LOVES that puzzle! Even my 5 year old neighbor thought it was so cool. T has so many toys. She LOVE baby Stella and I have seen some scary dolls out there but this one is CUTE. I love how it is all fabric, no hard plastic face b/c she likes to sleep with her. The magnetic paci is so clever. She also is obsessed with her doll stroller, doll p''np, doll highchair, doll bottles...catching the theme? She has three sets of Melissa & Doug food and loves cooking up food for us. This is a good starter set. She also has the fridge and pantry set. We will move onto their "cutting" food soon. Ikea has a great kids easel that was $14.99 around her b-day. She plays with that everyday. Another favorite toy is PBK''s shopping cart. She is like a homeless person and LOADS it up with all of her stuff and just pushes it around the house. It is pretty funny. Her ball pit is also a crowd pleaser but be forewarned that I had to buy 100 extra balls to fill the darn thing up. It is huge! She loves cars so this is another toy she loves. IT makes music/sing which she likes to dance to. This is a great trike and she also rides around on this scooter. I am sure there are ton more toys but that is what comes to mind for a 2 year old.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Tessa LOVES that puzzle! Even my 5 year old neighbor thought it was so cool. T has so many toys. She LOVE baby Stella and I have seen some scary dolls out there but this one is CUTE. I love how it is all fabric, no hard plastic face b/c she likes to sleep with her. The magnetic paci is so clever.

Baby Stella - $22

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
She has three sets of Melissa & Doug food and loves cooking up food for us. This is a good starter set. She also has the fridge and pantry set. We will move onto their 'cutting' food soon.

Melissa and Doug Food Set - $16

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Another favorite toy is PBK''s shopping cart. She is like a homeless person and LOADS it up with all of her stuff and just pushes it around the house. It is pretty funny.

PBK shopping cart - $45

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:28:47 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Another favorite toy is PBK''s shopping cart. She is like a homeless person and LOADS it up with all of her stuff and just pushes it around the house. It is pretty funny.

PBK shopping cart - $45

Trying to upload pic again

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Her ball pit is also a crowd pleaser but be forewarned that I had to buy 100 extra balls to fill the darn thing up. It is huge!

Ball Pit

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
She loves cars so this is another toy she loves. IT makes music/sing which she likes to dance to.

Little Mover - $12

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
This is a great trike and she also rides around on this scooter. I am sure there are ton more toys but that is what comes to mind for a 2 year old.

Radio Flyer Trike - $69

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:16:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
she also rides around on this scooter. I am sure there are ton more toys but that is what comes to mind for a 2 year old.

Radio Flyer Scooter - $39

 

[mrssalvo]

J plays with the old fashioned wooden building blocks all the time. another hit is the little tike's basketball hoop. it also has adjustable heights so you can make it taller as your kid grows.

basketball hoop