TOYS!!!

[Loves Vintage]

I'm in the market for some new toys. What do your little ones love? My baby is almost 10 months, so I'm interested in that age range, but would also love to hear about toddlers too!

Anyone have and like something like this:

 

[Pandora II]

They have that in all the hospital waiting-rooms here and at the toddler group D has been going to since she was 7 months and I hate to say that Daisy has never played with it for more than 5 minutes - but some kids are completely engrossed.

I've found it quite hit and miss as to what they actually like - and when. As a child I was hooked on jigsaws from a very young age - D has zero interest at all. She likes dolls - which I hated!

Things that have been a hit:

- Doll - pushchairs, carry cots, clothes, bottles, nappies (the real ones for premies are much cheaper than the dolly ones btw) etc

- Little chair and low table

- Ambulance that goes nee naw with people: http://www.elc.co.uk/To-The-Rescue-Ambulance/123362,default,pd.html

- Sylvanian Families.

- Drawing things, the magnetic ones are useful for mess-free

- Tea-sets

- Huge quantities of books

- Sunglasses, necklaces, bracelets etc

- Anything that belongs to me that she can't have.

 

[Lottie]

I second a lot of Pandoras list.

- The thing at doctors surgeries, Neve wasn't interested in but Henry is.

- Parking both of mine in front of a kitchen cupboard full of pots pans and plastic bowls, they were both occupied for ages. H is 16 months and will still happily do this.

- This http://www.johnlewis.com/230559044/Product.aspx was a huge hit with H and all of his friends.

- A tambourine and any other shaky, noisy intruments.

- Neve was never interesed in dollies but has always LOVED jellycat teddies (particuarly the bashful bunnies) and has always dressed them up, pushed them around and done the dolly thing with them. My mother thinks this is wierd - I think she is wierd for thinking its wierd.

- A play kitchen, both of mine have liked the little one we have from quite an early age and will be getting a big, double sided wooden one to share for christmas.

- Some empty beach buckets to 'gather' up things and carry them around in.

- This has also been very popular with both of mine from about 9 months, H stills plays with it http://www.elc.co.uk/Activity-Table/130928,default,pd.html

A friend of mine works with children and told me about Schemas http://www.dorsetforyou.com/357248 I found it very interesting. My friend thinks Neve is an enveloper and I completely agree - its also good for looking for toys or activities that may interest them.

Happy shopping!

 

[Puppmom]

I bought Nolan a bead maze and he has zero interest in it but, like Pandora, I've seen other kids play with them for what seems like hours.

Popular things at our house right now:

anything with wheels
blocks (his favorite are abc nesting blocks by melissa and doug)
anything that can be pushed or pulled around the house
books with flaps to lift and look (his current favorite is where's elmo's blanket)
ball pit - ours really isn't a ball pit. it's a blow up baby pool with balls in it
shape sorter
stacking rings
not so much now but he used to love the v-tech books that talk

here are the toys that are a total bust...

hokey pokey elmo
this workbench - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3783164
this ball popper - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11514413
spin and learn top - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2944897&searchURL=false

My list of *busts* is longer. I just have to go home and refresh my memory.

 

[Kunzite]

LV - We have a bead cube like that and O loves it! He could play with it all day. We were lucky when we visited our friends and family they all had tons of toys so we could watch which toys O was drawn to before we bought him a bunch. Do you have any opportunities like that? We also watch what he goes to at daycare when we drop him off. It's an easy way to make sure he likes stuff before we buy it.

This is his favorite thing to play with right now, a play table!! http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11838288

 

[Puppmom]

Thought of another one of N's favorites:

Gumball Machine - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265240
And more fav books - The Usborne series - That's Not My... We have the monkey one, the dinosaur one and the monster one

He has a play table similar to Oliver's and enjoys that. He used to love playing with all of the activities but now he just likes pushing it around the house.

We seriously have a ton of toys and he spends his time pushing around our chairs, stools and tables. Oh, and digging in my tupperware cabinet.

 

[Laila619]

Hi, LV!! I got nothing! My little boy doesn't like any toys we buy him, lol. He only wants to play with three things: the remote control, the cats, or my laptop. We keep trying though! For his birthday or Christmas, I want to get him a big play house.

 

[Pandora II]

LV - We have a bead cube like that and O loves it! He could play with it all day. We were lucky when we visited our friends and family they all had tons of toys so we could watch which toys O was drawn to before we bought him a bunch. Do you have any opportunities like that? We also watch what he goes to at daycare when we drop him off. It's an easy way to make sure he likes stuff before we buy it.

This is his favorite thing to play with right now, a play table!! http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11838288

Trust me, you've been lucky - I tried that one with Daisy. She'd spend all afternoon playing with something at my sister's house (3 kids), I'd buy if for her and she showed zero interest ever again!

 

[ChinaCat]

The ball popper (we had a different version, but same idea) and that activity table were a hit with my Oliver around 1. Also things like the Little People farm http://www.target.com/p/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Farm-Bonus-Pack/-/A-12824383#?ref=tgt_adv_XSC10001&AFID=shopping_df&LNM=|12824383&CPNG=&ci_src=13736960&ci_sku=12824383&

Now it's anything cars or trains related.

People give good reviews to those wooden play kitchens.

Other ideas:

Ball Pit
Small table and chairs
Ride On Toys- This has been a HUGE hit for O, and he still loves it. http://www.radioflyer.com/ride-ons/classic-bumper-car.html
Shopping cart they can push around

 

[nfowife]

Sorry if there are repeats... or if you aren't in the US:
we have an activity cube, the parent's one from Target. It's been a big hit here and has been for all 3 kids.
Fisher Price laugh and learn home is a HUGE hit. a must-have.
little people sets (bus especially)
leap frog learning table
radio flyer walker wagon
play kitchen, but a small one

I highly highly recommend craigslist for buying toys. Much cheaper and many of these items look brand new after multiple kids using them so no need to have brand-new, baby won't know or care!

 

[Mara]

J loved the remote and phone at that age so we got him toy ones...or actually just gave him an old remote we had. There's a phone by 'B' something ... you can actually record your voice on it which he loved when I did. They play it back by hitting one of the buttons. Ditto the learning table too but once he could tip it over we had to take the legs off.

He also really loved the fisher price see and say and anything that talked to him or made noises. The leapfrog drum was a big hit too as well as the leapfrog caterpillar. Oh and one of his favorites was the vtech learning walker, hours of entertainment in that thing! He still thunders around the house with it now sometimes which is hilarious because he's actually running with it!

Now that he's a little older (21mo), he loves the M&D large wooden puzzles, and books and anything 'ride on'...he also loves those cheap $1 inflatable balls you can get at the drugstore, we have 2 of them and a soft soccer ball from ikea and he just runs around the house kicking them and crying out 'goal'. So funny.

For xmas we got him a wooden kitchen, can't wait til he sees it.

 

[Pandora II]

Good one Mara - the Vtech Baby Walker is fantastic. I gave mine to my sister for her new baby as D was driving me crazy running round the house with it - she was far too old for it by that stage, but it was definitely one of the best buys we made.

Lottie - I adore Jellycat, they make the best soft toys I've ever seen. We had the Skidaddle Zebra baby-toys as well which D loved. I nearly always give Jellycat things for baby gifts.

 

[Kunzite]

Thought of another one of N's favorites:

Gumball Machine - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265240
And more fav books - The Usborne series - That's Not My... We have the monkey one, the dinosaur one and the monster one

He has a play table similar to Oliver's and enjoys that. He used to love playing with all of the activities but now he just likes pushing it around the house.

We seriously have a ton of toys and he spends his time pushing around our chairs, stools and tables. Oh, and digging in my tupperware cabinet.

pupp - That's funny because O doesn't like the That's Not My... books at all! The biggest hit has always been the Kevin Lewis books: http://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Lewis/e/B001IOH76C/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1321984870&sr=8-1

 

[Puppmom]

Mara, those B. toys are so cute! N has the alphaberry. I love the little kid quotes that come in the package. My favorite is: "If the day I came out of your belly is called my birthday, what is the day I went in called?"

Kunzite, those books are cute! I can't believe O doesn't like the "That's not my" series. Kids just like what they like, huh? We buy all sorts of stuff for Nolan that WE think is cool and he could care less about it.

...We just bought N these for the holidays. Hopefully he likes them:

A fold up slide - can't find a link
Fridge Magnets
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266036
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266040

 

[Mara]

Pupp...we have both of those fridge magnets! The phonics one was just sent to us by one of the gparents , J loves it.
and the Farm one he's had for almost 9months now and he loves it. I actually put an old magnet chalkboard frame in his room anchored to the wall low to the ground so that he could play with them in his room too.

The vtech walker--got it for $13 on JCP last xmas and gave out like 4 as gifts! Best gift..for sure.

 

[Dreamer_D]

We never had a tonne of toys. Over 2.5 years we have amassed a fair collection, but at a year old I think the simplest way to amuse Hunter was to bring out a bunch of pots and pans, a hamper of clothing, carboard boxes. Just random objects from around the house!

Some of the actual toys we did buy were the ball popper thing. He still plays with that. And the little people farm got a TONNE of use! He still plays with that!

One of those walking/riding things.

 

[madams2502]

Hey,
I'm Michelle.

My daughters love to paint.
When they decide to play together, after they stop fighting with each other,
they love to play with their playmobil characters and organize them in their houses.
A new thing now is the Smurfs as well.

 

[cammy5106]

Hi!

I have recently purchased a Little Tikes Push & Ride Racer for my nephew and he love to have a nice ride and it's really amazing toy for toddlers...

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

gave the V Tech Sit to Stand Activity Walkter to my daughter at 10 months old and she hasnt stopped playing with it since! It also really helped her to start walking (but there is a lock on the wheels to keep it stationary if needed)

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2930706&CAWELAID=152525115