OT: Baby toys/Equipment
MGoParents:
What sort of items do you recommend for baby development/play. I reached out to folks on Facebook yesterday with a similar question and was told that Baby Einstein is probably not worth the money, and that Melissa and Doug products were really good. Any thoughts?
Get a Baby Bjorn - not one of the new agey slings or any of that crap, but a Baby Bjorn. You'll use the hell out of it. We also had a frame backpack baby carrier that was cool until the kids were toddlers.
Also, get a baby jogger with big wheels. Get good quality wheels. A good stroller that doesn't pitch forward when it hits a crack in the sidewalk is worth its weight in gold.
But the main thing is spend time with the kid. As a friend of mine told me, it doesn't need to be "quality time" - just time will do.
As I just said, DO NOT GET A BABY BJORN! You don't have to go with a sling or wrap to get actual support. Just get an Ergo.
The Ergo didn't fit me. The Baby Bjorn was great, could wear the thing all day. My wife preferred the Ergo. The mistake isn't buying one over the other, it's assuming the one person x used and liked will also work for you.
I did not see your comment before I posted mine, but my wife and I had great experiences with our Baby Bjorns. Three kids, and no problems whatsoever. The design is meant to bring the baby in close contact with the wearer, and (properly positioned) their heads were supported well.
In the meantime, and I ask this in all earnestness ...
...
WHY ARE YOU YELLING?
My almost-3-yr-old daughter builds "towers" out of her duplos every night. She also likes puzzles (Melissa & Doug, Crocodile Creek), and those big cheap rubber balls in the bin at the end of the store aisle are fun. Otherwise she just wants to run around outside all the time.
When she was younger she liked the stand-up activity tables with lights and sounds and all that. You can't really control what other people buy for your kid, but when you are shopping, make damn sure you can stand the all the songs the toys play, because you will be waking up at 2 am with those songs going through your head.
The only thing we really bought when our son was born 2 months ago was a Snuza. We had one for our daughter too. It clips to the diaper and monitors the baby's movement/breathing/heartbeat. If it detects nothing for i think 10 seconds, it vibrates to stimulate the baby. If it goes a further 5 seconds with nothing detected, an alarm goes off. Gave us some peace of mind at night.
sorry
If it's a boy, buy him blue clothes, tools, Avengers and super-hero stuff, and sports related equipment.
If it's a girl, dolls, makeup, dresses, plush animals, and a kitchette by fisher price.
/trap has been set, now I wait....
Well played - this made me laugh. Don't forget trucks for boys, and lots of plastic jewelry for girls.
Girls only like pink. And don't forget the princess stuff. Lots of princess stuff.
Don't just buy toys you think your kid(s) will like. Take them on play dates, see what draws there interest, get those types of toys. Also, since kids tend to tire of toys fairly quickly, take advantage of parents groups on facebook where people tend to offer used toys for free and also take up any of your friends on hand-me-down offers. Your kid won't know the difference that it's not new.
I've also seen suggested elsewhere that it's a good idea to rotate toys in and out of your kids play space to keep them interested in what's there and also cut down on clutter. I think this may be one of those great in theory suggestions, but I never had the time or energy to do it consistently.
We do this (rotate toys) with my 11 month old. I think it's very effective. The only reason it's practical for us though is that we have a main floor living room play space and a basement living room play space (separated by only half a flight of stairs) that we just bring stuff back and forth.
will remember experiences more than any toy that you get them, so try to make the most of those memories. I have two small boys, a 4 and a 2 yr old. Of the toys we have got them, the ones they play with most are the imaginext line, which are durable and interesting.
To echo what others have said, read to them, take them to the library, explore the great outdoors, let their curiosity grow and evolve etc...
On a side note, I sing the fight song every night to them and now the 4-year-old sings it with me, really warms the heart!
Good luck!
but I also made one important choice. Since my wife is from Tacoma and we're probably going to be moving there in a couple of years (we're in Vegas now) he's going to be getting Seahawks stuff too. I can't, in good conscience, inflict Lions fandom on an innocent child when better options exist.
Melissa and Doug items are good...wood/bamboo instead of plastic and solidly built. I echo the board books comments and reading to them every night.
My daughter really embraced the baby sign language and I think it helped her communicate with us before she could talk. She ultimately learned about 60, mostly animals. Plus I can still tell her things at a distance when shouting isn't appropriate. The signs for "no" and "stop" are quite useful. She learned the signs from videos and one book.
Sounds like you have a really young kid, and as someone who has two kids under 4 but past the little baby stage, this might not be a full recollection.
Melissa and Doug are good, and are the type of simple activities kids really like. Haba is another brand I really like; simple wood toys, decently made and very hands-on.
Buying something that has a billion bells and whistles for an 8-month old is probably overkill; they won't care about it and might actually get over-stimulated. At that age, though, kids just want to hang out with you. You are infinitely more entertaining than a toy, and kids crave human interaction as much as anything. If you have any friends with kids around that age as well, that can be fun for them.
(all still alive last time I checked)
Melissa & Doug are fine, but so is a tin pail and a stick. It really doesn't matter.
Learn to let the kid play outside (even infants are washable)
Read to them read to them read to them from the start.
Don't put one of those stupid garter belts on your kids head if it's a girl.
You WILL over-parent on your first kid, you'll be embarassed by your behavior by your 2nd.
Play music a lot, it doen't have to be classical, & NEVER that babyesque-faux-classical crap for kids.
Save a ton of money by shopping Craigslist, garage sales etc.
Smile at them, even if you're not feelin it.
We travel a lot to friends, cottages, hotel rooms, etc You can't go wrong by investing in one of these clamp on chair thingines. Multiple brands & styles, but we used Chico.
I am impressed. Lots of very sound and thoughtful advice in this thread based on my experience (father of 2 boys, 16 and 21). I'd add this: as soon as they can walk, take them to the nearest pond with a clear plastic container and a little aquarium net. Take yer shoes off, walk the shoreline shallows and catch creatures -- tadpoles, crayfish, water bugs, turtles, etc. Put them in the container and check them out for a while, then let them go. We spent countless hours doing this and both boys say those are among their most magical and vivid memories of their early childhood.
In hindsight, I wish I had spent less on all the educational toys, including Baby Mozart, etc...Reading to them is great, and there are so many worthwhile books out there. My advice is don't overthink it. Read books they like over and over again. If you're at all creative, show them new ways of using household objects -- at least get the thought process started. I think a lot of kids don't know how to entertain themselves these days and they're too reliant on screens. Encourage them to play outside, build forts, make up games, notice things, show 'em stuff. The world is a hugely interesting place. When I was a kid, I lived in downtown Chicago. Our big game was to walk around the block without actually touching the sidewalk, which meant climbing on planters and scaling the sides of brownstones. We went exploring a lot. Those are the kinds of things that build brains.
But especially early on, does it matter what I read? I know some people have read HP, I know others might read Little Golden Books or others explicitly written for kids.
get them interested in books. If they will sit there an listen great. I had a friend's kid who liked to read cookbooks until he was like 2, no joke. Find anything that interests them and read the heck out of it. Even kids books sometimes won't capture their attention, it will shift to their interests
When my kids were toddlers, we read board books with big pictures and simple words. My kids definitely had their favorites. Also, we always read with enthusiasm, and did fun voices when we read. Reading should be fun.
I'd go with a stuffed Brutus. Teach your child how to rip it's head off & tear off it's limbs. When finished you can used what's left for potty training cleanup.
Well, I just thought of one thing. And it's not shooting your eye out, kid.
carbine action, 200-shot range model air rifle.
What could possibly go wrong?
Simple and old school, but they do more for child cognitive development than any of the newfangled stuff. Read widely and often to your kids, and they will reap the benefits for their entire lives.
Not sure if it's taboo to recommend websites but I go to babycheapskate.com often to look around for deals. At the bottom right of the page they have a "Toys That Get Played With" section for different time periods of a kids life. The first 6 months is kind of a crapshoot but their recommendations for the past year and a half have been great. My feeling is that any toy that engages the imagination or learning of mobility skills is beneficial.