Toddler toys?

love_my_fa

What is a good thing to buy for a 21m old? I'm always looking for something that will hold her attention because she's at home all day (except when I take her to the park) and she gets bored. She already has legos, trains, a kitchen, books, the usual. I'm thinking either a play tent or a little people playset. Any ideas?

Answer
My daugher is 21 months old (and I have a 3-year-old daughter as well). My older daughter LOVED her Little People at that age and still does. My older daughter has/had a much greater attention span than my younger daughter, so she tends to play with things for longer periods and always has.

Some other things that my daughters like(d) to play at that age...

- Wooden puzzles
- Reading books
- Dancing to music
- Toy kitchen
- Musical instruments (harmonica, drum, tambourine, bells, xylophone, flutophone, etc.)
- Dolls
- Play-doh
- Crayons
- Paint with water
- Bubbles
- Helping with easy housework -- mopping floor, dusting
- Pretending to be a dog/cat/elephant/etc.
- Drawing with chalk on the sidewalk
- Chasing me or her sister around the house
- Pulling a toy for the cats to chase

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can think of off-hand. Hope it gives you a few more ideas!

Do you think toddlers need lots of educational toys?

Dynamite L

I just got an easel for painting/chalkboard and four wooden puzzles with knobs on the pieces and more age appropriate books for my grandbaby. What other toys would help a 16 month old?

Answer
I think Toddlers need an equal amount of educational toys and independent environmental experiences. It's amazing the things you can entertain a toddler with! At 16 months they love to dance to music (maybe educational songs), musical instruments, Playdough, they love to read, Puzzles are great, bubbles, beanbags, crayons. Anything that stimulates motor skills at this age is appropriate. They should be learning how to color, kick, attempting to jump, rocking on a toy horse, the idea of balance (bean bags on head), throw a ball/bounce a ball, using a spoon to eat, just to name a few.
I use to work with one year old's in a pre-school environment. We would also use our imaginations a lot. Imagine what you can do with a box. Pretend your rowing a boat, racing a car, Puppet shows.
Exploring outdoors is most important, this is where they learn about the world, sun, sky, grass. Magnifying glasses are neat, any outdoor exploring toys, or just a bird feeder, so they can watch/explore birds. Just some ideas, hope it helps.
Good Luck,
Ace

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What are the best toys for baby that are not too expensive to buy?

best toddler musical toys image

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.

What is the best toy to buy for my 18 month old daughter?

Blondy

I have an 18 month old daughter and it seems to me that she's tired of her other toys. I know todlers like to explore anything grown ups use more than play with there toys, but I want to get a new developmental toy that she will be interested in. All the parents out there, any ideas?

Answer
My daughter is 18 months too, we like to recycle our toys, every time she seems to be tiring or growning out of some toys we put a bundle on e bay and buy her new ones with the money. At the moment she is really into stacking blocks, musical toys, her doll and pushchair and a kitchen set at toddler group. She loves the kitchen toy, she stands at the sink pretending to wash up, and pretending to drink from the cups, awww ! I have also just got her some simple jigsaws which she seems really interested in.. Hope this gives you a few ideas, all toys are develpomental at this age, all play is learning, be it social, personal or academic skills :)

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Does anyone know of a musical bath toy that sticks on the wall and blows bubbles?