Toys

tillymama_2

Hi,

DD1 was born in July.

Obviously she's not that bothered with toys yet, but I'm more than aware that she will be soon.

We have a local NCT Nearly New Sale next month, plus Christmas is fast approaching.

I'm after ideas of good toys to invest in for her for once she really starts taking an interest.

Money is tight, and I'm on a mission to cut costs so I can become a SAHM and not return to work next year. But I don't want to go to the NCT sale and come out with a crock of crap just because it was cheap!

So...what are the top value toys you'd recommend for a little one?

I don't mind spending more on toys which will last her for a while and that she will enjoy. But equally some cheap & cheerful items wouldn't go a miss!

Equally, if anyone has any suggestions for toys/games which can be made/collected - feel free to chip in!!

Thanks in advance,

Helen

Katyag

A walker, not the ones you sit them in (hate those things) the ones they hold onto and trying to walk. My eldest, now 7, played with his for years! My youngest, now 2, still wont let go if his!

His is a Fisher Price one and has activity things on it, shapes with a sorter down the front. Its got an open base so he can plonk things in it to travel about. Will see if i can find a pic. He got it for his 1st Christmas when he was only 4 months so obviously didnt look at it then but we opened it when he was around 8 months, was walking at 11 months so has had lots of use out of it.

I took it downstairs to chuck it out but his interest has risen again so its now back to a favourite!

Also Im an area rep for the NCT and the sale are fab!!!

Katyag

As the pics show you can move the handle from each wheels. One of our best toy buys for DS2.

Katie-Kat-Kins

Brio (or brio type compatible) train set. These are the wooden ones available in early learning centre, they have massive play value from age about three up to about 8 and can be added to and made more complex as the child gets older.

Building bricks

Duplo

Shape Sorters

A trike

Push along trolley type toys to help with walking

Small things for the future like, model animals for farm sets, toy cars, a car mat (girls like these too, I played with my car mat as much as my nephew) lego (again for girls too).

Also look out for Play Mobile toys, these are normally quite expensive, but robust good quality well thought out toys that can be added too and used year on year. There are sets more aimed at girls and others for boys but don't be too gender specific lots of kids aren't bothered.

Paparika

lots of early learning stuff is good, even better is you can get secondhand

jackomdj

peek a block's & the toys that go with them are good - & you can usually pick them up at sales.

touch & feel type books are great.

children liks noise & lights - so anything with this will be a hit!

my DD is 2 1/2 & she still loves pushing things around the room - so things with a handle or a bit of string!

for now (ish) they love moving stuff around, we had an elc (or boots? we got it from boots) triangle which had bits to flick & rattle etc. the rainmakers (clear plastic tube with beeds in) are always a hit.

good luck in your search
Nicky

mummy_Jay

NCT sales are great for board books.

I would be going for he really simple stacking cups and the stacking rings. You can normally get these cheap from the supermarkets

When little one gets a bit bigger remember that an empty cardboard box proved the greatest pre-school toy on that bbc 2 show (it was called something professors something or others something, but one part looked at the best value toys for pre-school, the results were the old classics still came out on top).

If you see any normal lego going or stickle bricks or building bricks they will be good for the future.

Oh and simple instruments drum, things you can shake etc, anything that makes a good sound

freda

Trying to think what my children (1.5 and 2.5) get most play value out of:

- stacking cups, rings on a pole
- lots and lots of board books
- small toy people and animals, plastic toy cars
- toy tea set - children LOVE imitating what they do in real life. Toy food.
- shape sorters
- music instruments, i.e. drums, shakers, small keyboards, xylophones etc
- toy dolly bed
- nursery rhyme cds (available from library) - they LOVE these
- soft balls for playing with inside
- outside toys like ball pit, water table, toy trowel and watering can.


...and don't forget the (virtually) free things, like:

- muslins for peek a boo, puppets, play picnics, play blankets for teddy
- big carboard boxes
- wooden spoons with faces drawn on each side
- plastic pots
- rice in a sealed plastic bottle to shake
- plastic bottles well sealed and filled with a little coloured water (I still keep these outside just in case!)
- colouring, sticking, painting

choccymoose

Hi, why not put together a treasure basket for your DD, once she is sitting up she will get lots of pleasure from it, but you do need to supervise her with it, which I'm sure you will do anyway lol. Google treasure basket, but don't buy a ready made one just get the ideas and put it together yourself. Another really good and easy thing to make are sensory bottles. Use empty soft drink bottles fill with water and add glitter, or leave dry and add rice/lentils etc.

hth

Choccy

Mumolulu

http://play-activities.com/blog/have-you-started-your-babies%E2%80%99-treasure-basket/

Babies that are able to sit up by themselves, just get sooooo much play from a treasure basket, it is also relatively cheap.

There are lots of good websites out there, like the last poster said, just google it.

I am a big fan of ebay and car boots too. I also re sell when my children have finished with that particular stage of toy.

barnaby-bear

tillymama wrote: »

Hi,

DD1 was born in July.

Obviously she's not that bothered with toys yet, but I'm more than aware that she will be soon.

I'm after ideas of good toys to invest in for her for once she really starts taking an interest.

Umm - cardboard boxes - pick up, shove on head / sit in / pick up, bash on floor
plastic cups / beakers - stack, un-stack - shove hand in, bash on floor
when older
cardboard boxes - crawl in/crawl out/crawl in/out
plastic cups - pour water in / pour water between
cats - pull tail/chase/chase tail as moves of swiftly