What is the toy your child has that has proved best value for money

sassyblue

Becles wrote: »

Play food and kitchenware items. You can't beat moments when you have to pretend to enjoy some invisible coffee, with a plastic carrot and a fried egg, or other such yummy meals

Agree! I was 'invited' for home-made fish pie on Sat with my little one and his toy cat, l found him in his bedroom with the magnetic fish from his beach fishing rod game on plates and it all laid out on his bed like a picnic. My heart melted

Our best buy was a toy lawn mower costing £3 from woolworths value range when it was going, my son walked it all round town and has literally covered miles with it, still mows the lawn with it now alongside daddy.

kingfisherblue

I've made several expensive mistakes over the years, but books have always been a favourite in our house - even when the kids couldn't read. My daughter is now 19 and my youngest son has worked his way through many of her books. My middle child is disabled and loves books, although he only learned to read two years ago when he was ten. So books are definitely on my list.

I also second the posters who mentioned cardboard boxes. Last week, my middle child decided to empty the large box that contained several packs of his nappies. He wanted to make a puppet show. I'm not sure where he got the idea from - usually a box is a boat, house or train. He spent a whole afternoon making his puppet show, and added puppets (pictures on white paper, attached to straws). On Saturday, he 'entertained' his dad and grandparents with his new favourite toy. Definitely a current favourite and very MSE!

fernliebee

Books! IMO you can never have too many stories and DD has beautiful picture books that she loves to bits. She is constantly chatting about different stories and many of them have been picked up from ex library stock or charity shops etc...

Apple sand pit/ paddling pool from Argos for approx £12. DD has had it 2 years and plays with it every day even through the winter she gets dressed up warm and potters around with it, well worth every penny.

The cheapy, fold up dolls pushchair, ours was inherited but would def pay the £5-£10 she has got so much use out of it. She piles it high with things and uses it not only as a pram but as a shopping trolley, delivery van, car for her dolls etc.. She loves it!!

Things like Duplo, stickle bricks and Brio- all have been played with to death, and will last forever (ours is still played with by my DD and her cousins at nana's house 27 years on!)

Play kitchen, DH and my dad built DD's one but I would have bought her one otherwise, this again gets played with every day. She has the ELC chopable fruit and veg sets, and the ikea pan's and plate sets- also both worth the money paid for them as they are so durable and can be used when really cooking (the pans) or as a distraction when I need to cook (the chopping sets)

Toodle

Another one with lego here...my DD's almost 2 and has never shown the slightest interest in toys. She's had a quick look when given something, then tossed it aside, preferring to constantly interact with either me or my OH. As you can imagine this meant I got very little done in a day...I went to a fantastic toy shop a few weeks ago and spent ages discussing various things with the assistant and we decided on mega bloks playhouse adventure, which comes in a fantastic pink box that she loves too-she even tidies away (in a fashion lol) when done. The best bit is that it can be added to and extended as she progresses, and since having them she seems to have learnt to amuse herself for short periods and will now try other toys.

redwineguzzler

Most definatley LEGO - we have loads of it!

Our eldest child is now 27 & the youngest 22... our grandkids are a little too young at the minute - but it's in the attic waiting, and im sure they will get just as much fun playing with it as much as our kids did - a timeless pastime... :):)

Rainmaker_uk

My TV remote control. Ahhh where has he put it now...

Gingham_Ribbon

Wooden train track.

Gears

I can tell the marble run is going to get a hammering! It's already the most played with toy in the house and we've only had it a week.

The best toy our youngest ever had though was a jigsaw of the USA, with all the states as individual pieces. He played with it over and over and over until it started falling apart. Then he lost 2 of the pieces and my husband made 2 more. Then we had to keep taping it up until eventually it simply fell apart. And he cried.

So my husband scanned a picture of it from the shop it was bought in (USA - no shipping to the UK unfortunately) and he made a flash version of it that he could drag and drop. :A Best dad ever award for that one!

Coveredinbees!!!!

Apart from free stuff and borrowed stuff it's got to be the stacking cups, hours of fun for everyone.

diable

I think Brio and Playmobil as the toys I bought for the children is now being used by their step brother, oh and Commander Keen on the computer if anyone remembers thats from 15 years ago ;o)))

supa-girl

Wooden blocks from ELC - about £12, bought for DD2's first birthday, but played with constantly ever since by ALL the kids.

Play kitchen/food would come a close second followed by paints and empty cardboard boxes and giant chalks for "redecorating" the patio

SG