I was inspired by this post about how all this baby wants for Christmas are real objects, and things which we adults do not find valuable but little ones really enjoy.
So I decided to do a comparison between toys which gather dust and real objects that get used. Don’t get me wrong, Nicky does get a lot of mileage out of the toys we have bought him. He especially loves all his toys with wheels. But to be honest, I see him spend a lot of time with normal objects as well. This is in line with previous posts where I have mentioned this concept. (What you really need for your baby – you, not stuff, and Montessori Baby – children prefer real objects).
1. Toys to assist walking versus a wire kitchen basket:
Nicky even climbs in and out of this walker now! But mostly it sits around.
Pushing a wire basket.
Nicky enjoys pushing this wire basket.
2. Toys to assist crawling versus pushing normal objects
Crawling toy
Did you know that you get toys to help babies crawl? They are bright and have wheels which motivate the young one to move around. This yellow dog is still one of Nicky’s faves.
Pushing a broom
However, he is far from limited to this. He will push around anything. Brooms, tissue boxes, well, anything…
3. Rattles versus keys
This rattle lies forgotten in the ball pit.
Toy rattle
Keys
Nicky cannot get enough of keys. He cries for mine all the time. He loves to spend time putting them in and out of locks.
4. Throwing balls versus throwing dog food:
Nicky still likes to throw balls.
Nicky in his balls.
Throwing dog food
But he loves throwing dog food. Everyday he takes handfuls of the stuff and gleefully throws it around in the kitchen. I scoop up the dog bowls and dog water and put it on the window sill. Not so gleefully.
5. Toy cellphones versus the real thing / other electronics.
Toy cellphone
Toy cellphones are on to a good thing. It is the next best thing to give your child when you are desperately trying to hold onto yours. They do keep the kid occupied for a while. However, that noise they make is really annoying. You have to weigh up how much you want time with your device versus how much you are willing to listen to that irritating tune.
Nicky loves my real Blackberry. He gets a look of pure joy when I give it to him (screen locked) and he presses the button and the screen comes on. He also likes to put it in and out of my handbag in the special side pocket I always put it in. If it isn’t there, he is most dismayed.
(I have to watch him though, when he takes it in his hands. I don’t want it to land up in the dog water. I have lost too many phones to water!)
He even puts it to his ear. He has been watching mom! We also confused him when we phoned the phone! lol!
Playing “Petting Zoo” with my IPad
He also gets great joy from playing with my IPad. I put the “Petting Zoo” app on and he plays with the animals. (Thanks for this suggestion, MomAgain@40!) They are cute.
The only thing is that I have to keep bringing him back to the petting zoo because he swipes his hand in a way that takes him to my mail and other stuff!
Nicky also likes to sit on my lap while at the computer. I let him play with something (like scribbling with a pen, or playing on a calculator) while I do something quick.
I think mostly real objects are coveted because they are used by us.
Adult stuff is much more fun than kid stuff. Mostly because most of the time it is not allowed.
I think people make things so much more complicated than they need to be. We didn’t have a lot of ‘stuff’ for our kids because we never had the money in the budget to do it. My sons were happier playing in the kitchen with the pots, pans and spoons as they were playing with toy versions. One of the kids’ favorite things was a clear water bottle my mom filled with baby oil and colored water. Every single one of them played with it and were amazed at how no matter how hard they shook it, the two things wouldn’t blend.
Children don’t have to be as complicated as marketers want you to believe.
Thanks Missy, that’s a great idea about the water bottle.
I love this post! We used to only be able to get our phones back when we called them. As soon as they started ringing my daughter would hand them back to us. Another favorite was gift wrap and boxes. We used to joke that we should just wrap up empty boxes for birthdays and Christmas as they are all that got played with.
Yes I think boxes and wrapping paper are a big hit.
I know my toddler loves boxes. A lot more than she actually does the toys. She would play with empty boxes for hours on end and leave the actually toys just laying there. I don’t spend a lot of money on toys anymore and I’ve also noticed that when you put them away, she forgets about them until you bring them back out. She then thinks they’re new. 🙂
Hi from ICLW. I’ll have to remember that when it comes to toys. Oh and the pet food dishes too!
This post made me laugh – because it is so true! My daughter’s favourite toys right now are the lids from baby jars and yogurt containers. She also recently got some early holiday gifts and was much more interested in the images on the gift bag and in ripping up the tissue paper than the actual toys!
Happy holidays!
Hi from ICLW! Thanks for stopping by the blog! Isn’t it true, that toys are sometimes the LEAST fun? My LO loves the remote.
Visiting from ICLW and love this post. My 2 year old is past this stage but she still finds many household items way more amusing their her own toys!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! My daughter LOVES to play with my keys! She loves to get them and hit the panic button, lol.