best toddler toys parenting image
gustoish
I am so curious what other parents do. We are blessed to have a bathroom large enough to house our playpen, so my son plays in that when I need to take a shower. I'm worried about what to do when he starts getting bigger... I guess I can always shower before he wakes up, but it's a big bummer to have to get up and shower that early!
Answer
At one point, I had a 3 year old, a 1 1/2 year old, and a newborn -- and I’ve always been a shower addict -- so I had to figure out ways to get my shower fix and prevent chaos from reigning on the home front. My husband had to leave for work just after 5 am, when I still wanted to be in bed, so having him watch the kids while I showered was never an appealing option.
I learned to shower relatively quickly (under 10 minutes) and to listen for any crying from the baby, if he was sleeping elsewhere in the house (although the sound of running water can play tricks on your ears, I find: it mimics the sound of a crying baby).
More often than not, I ended up with the whole brood in the bathroom with me: the baby in his portable car seat; the preschooler and toddler playing with toys on the floor. I’d "entertain" them by talking to them while I showered. (No wonder my showers were so short: they weren’t exactly spa-like and relaxing.)
Obviously, making the bathroom as safe as possible is important. Look for toilet-locks, bathroom cupboard locks, and make sure all medicines are stored in a lockable cabinet. There are companies that will babyproof your home from top to bottom on your behalf, if you are worried you’ll miss something.
At one point, I had a 3 year old, a 1 1/2 year old, and a newborn -- and I’ve always been a shower addict -- so I had to figure out ways to get my shower fix and prevent chaos from reigning on the home front. My husband had to leave for work just after 5 am, when I still wanted to be in bed, so having him watch the kids while I showered was never an appealing option.
I learned to shower relatively quickly (under 10 minutes) and to listen for any crying from the baby, if he was sleeping elsewhere in the house (although the sound of running water can play tricks on your ears, I find: it mimics the sound of a crying baby).
More often than not, I ended up with the whole brood in the bathroom with me: the baby in his portable car seat; the preschooler and toddler playing with toys on the floor. I’d "entertain" them by talking to them while I showered. (No wonder my showers were so short: they weren’t exactly spa-like and relaxing.)
Obviously, making the bathroom as safe as possible is important. Look for toilet-locks, bathroom cupboard locks, and make sure all medicines are stored in a lockable cabinet. There are companies that will babyproof your home from top to bottom on your behalf, if you are worried you’ll miss something.
What are the best toys for baby that are not too expensive to buy?
Jill Tregr
Looking for the best toys for baby that are affordable. We are buying tons of toys and we are trying to cut down on expenses so what toys for baby would you recommend we get?
Answer
Babies at this age need basic toys, and not all the expensive electronic gadgets.
I would look for something that encourages the baby to crawl/cruise - often toys where you push a button down, and then the toy moves further ahead.
musical toys are always a hit. I would look for something that encourages cause and effect, and better hand/eye coordination - xylophones, drums (which you can make out of an empty plastic container and a small wooden spoon), tambourines, bells, maracas and rainmakers. There are lots of baby-proof toys out there, and the baby sets can be fairly inexpensive because they are plastic and small. Also nothing wrong with pots, pans, plastic containers and wooden spoons, and spatulas.
Books - this is so important for speech development, learning how to read, setting the precedent for enjoying reading, and getting some quality time with a parent or caregiver. There are all different types of books for babies and preschoolers, just be prepared for some chewing. I still buy board books for my toddler and preschooler, because they are cheaper than the paper ones. And, some of the board books have the entire story and illustrations for 1/2 the price. Get a family library membership - libraries also offer story time even for babies.
Stacking toys and shape sorters - Wal-mart and TRU each make their own cheaper version than Fisher Price, but the FP is a thicker plastic. Be prepared that your baby will not be able to sort shapes for quite awhile. Stacking toys just need to be varying degrees of sizes, shapes and colors (to help differentiate the shape, and keep their interest). Great for hand/eye coordination and motor skills.
Blocks - get something that is easier to grasp in their small hand - larger, or squeezable, or even small. Just not too small that they are a choking hazard. TRU and Wal-mart each have their own knockoffs, which will save you a bunch of money.
Balls - I would get a bunch of softer balls. I would buy them in different sizes. If you have trouble finding them, my toddlers seem to be into the dog’s balls (we won’t go there). I don’t mind because they are indestructible (no chewing off small pieces) and most are squeezable.
And a couple of plastic containers in which to put stuff in. The stuff can be the shapes from the shape sorter, blocks, balls or other small toys. Older babies like to put stuff into a container, dump this into another container or out on the floor.
Babies are fascinated with themselves (actually I think they just see "other" babies). One of our babies went to daycare. They have a mirror, mounted behind Plexiglas) that was about 3 feet tall and 6 feet long. All the babies and toddlers were fascinated with it. A small unbreakable mirror would do. We hooked up a baby car mirror (unbreakable), that was too small for the car, up to the side of the coffee table (in this house we attached it to the railing that runs along the living room).
And the very best toy is YOU! Babies want to interact with their parents/caregivers. They want to play interactive games like Peek-a-boo, or pat-a-cake or sing nursery rhymes or children’s songs. This is the best place to find the tunes and lyrics for nursery rhymes http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/musicchild.htm Because I was never great at remembering the tune or the lyrics, or both.
Babies at this age need basic toys, and not all the expensive electronic gadgets.
I would look for something that encourages the baby to crawl/cruise - often toys where you push a button down, and then the toy moves further ahead.
musical toys are always a hit. I would look for something that encourages cause and effect, and better hand/eye coordination - xylophones, drums (which you can make out of an empty plastic container and a small wooden spoon), tambourines, bells, maracas and rainmakers. There are lots of baby-proof toys out there, and the baby sets can be fairly inexpensive because they are plastic and small. Also nothing wrong with pots, pans, plastic containers and wooden spoons, and spatulas.
Books - this is so important for speech development, learning how to read, setting the precedent for enjoying reading, and getting some quality time with a parent or caregiver. There are all different types of books for babies and preschoolers, just be prepared for some chewing. I still buy board books for my toddler and preschooler, because they are cheaper than the paper ones. And, some of the board books have the entire story and illustrations for 1/2 the price. Get a family library membership - libraries also offer story time even for babies.
Stacking toys and shape sorters - Wal-mart and TRU each make their own cheaper version than Fisher Price, but the FP is a thicker plastic. Be prepared that your baby will not be able to sort shapes for quite awhile. Stacking toys just need to be varying degrees of sizes, shapes and colors (to help differentiate the shape, and keep their interest). Great for hand/eye coordination and motor skills.
Blocks - get something that is easier to grasp in their small hand - larger, or squeezable, or even small. Just not too small that they are a choking hazard. TRU and Wal-mart each have their own knockoffs, which will save you a bunch of money.
Balls - I would get a bunch of softer balls. I would buy them in different sizes. If you have trouble finding them, my toddlers seem to be into the dog’s balls (we won’t go there). I don’t mind because they are indestructible (no chewing off small pieces) and most are squeezable.
And a couple of plastic containers in which to put stuff in. The stuff can be the shapes from the shape sorter, blocks, balls or other small toys. Older babies like to put stuff into a container, dump this into another container or out on the floor.
Babies are fascinated with themselves (actually I think they just see "other" babies). One of our babies went to daycare. They have a mirror, mounted behind Plexiglas) that was about 3 feet tall and 6 feet long. All the babies and toddlers were fascinated with it. A small unbreakable mirror would do. We hooked up a baby car mirror (unbreakable), that was too small for the car, up to the side of the coffee table (in this house we attached it to the railing that runs along the living room).
And the very best toy is YOU! Babies want to interact with their parents/caregivers. They want to play interactive games like Peek-a-boo, or pat-a-cake or sing nursery rhymes or children’s songs. This is the best place to find the tunes and lyrics for nursery rhymes http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/musicchild.htm Because I was never great at remembering the tune or the lyrics, or both.
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