toys

hiya. my dd is 14months soon and i was just wondering what toys she should be playing with. ive heard conflicting things from friends. i dont want to introduce things that are too advanced for her. ive heard that she should be playing with crayons and things but im not sure if this is a bit advanced for her yet, also should she be playing with dolls and stuff. its so difficult because theres so much choice out there. help please.xx

hi,

 normally, i get toys that are from sales (wont want to pay full price for something only costs penny) and get it to them. if they dun want to play with it, i will keep it till they are ready. i also rotate toys so they wont get bore.

try fisher-price aquadraw. it use water instead of other chemial. i also get them toys like fisher zebra spin and jump to tire them up.

hopes it helps.

Hi,Clare.

They don't need loads of toys.My  youngest is 13 months.He likes balls,things to push along,although he can't walk yet he crawls after them.He doesn't have crayons,but I have seen him try to use his sisters' magnadoodles,ELC have a very basic one for babies.

I usually go to ELC first.They often have their own version or similar of more expensive brand names,and you know their toys are safe.They also have the age on them,you could use thast as a guide,most of their stuff is educational.Maybe a shape sorter ,playtray,perhaps something to build with,stacking cups,that sort of thing.One dolly would be enough,and  maybe a basic but stable pram,you certainly don't need lots of toys that do the same thing.Maybe something to ride on.That sort of thing.

I try to have one or two toys that are a little ahead in case they show an interest.

Our ELC has a day each week when you can go and play,and they often have stuff out besides.Take your little one in and see what catches her attention. 

For Mia we got her a rampoline because she loved bouncing at that age & still does, a play tent, books & jigsaws. I know what you mean with limited toys out there. There seems to be no end of toys but they all basically do the same thing. I find toys that challenge her are great but some are too advanced so we put them away for later. Colouring is great but I let her do that in her highchair were I know she can't escape & get to the walls. There is a great website I found with educational toys so they have thought more about challenging children & keeping them interested. It is also used by some schools so it has some toys that develop toward key stages for school. It's worth having a look & delivery is really quick. www.gltc.co.uk. Good luck. Oh, play.com also do some toys and quite cheap. I just bought Mia a Waybaloo Lau Lau that plays peek-a-boo. it was £27 everywhere else I've looked & only £16 there so she got some extra jigsaw treats.

Grant is 15 monthe but I have found that because he often plays with his older cousins he has learned how to play with toys which should be "too old for him" I think each child will take to different toys.

Grant likse posting shapes and any toys which involve walking, his cousin loved jigsaws at this age but he shows no interest. I often get toys from my local car boot sale as if he dosen't play with them they didn't cost much and I can always put them away to sell myself when I have my next clear out.

 Do you go to any mother and toddler groups? these are a good way of seeing which toys they like to play with before you buy.

Hi Clare

You'll always find someone somewhere telling you what your child should/shouldn't have and should/shouldn't be able to do by now! ... I've always judged my little one's toys on what stage he's at really... When he lost interest in his 'baby' toys e.g rattles, soft toy things etc I put them aside and tried him with something new like stacking cups and rings, a push along walker before he was walking, shapes sorters. Although he wasn't ready to be finding which shape fits where, and didn't stack the cups at the time he still found it fun as it was something different to explore and play with - stopped him getting bored.

The ages on toys are only a guideline, the main importance with them is for toys with small bits that a baby/toddler could put in their mouth, but apart from that judge it on what you think really. ..... All the HappyLand toys in ELC say 3+ but my son's had them since he was 1 ... there were a few smaller bits in there like animals but i've put them aside, and that's his favourite toy - a year on and it's still his favourite! He's just changed the way in which he plays with it as he's got older... first of all he'd push the cars about whereas now he puts the people in bed etc and has more imagination with it all.

My son was never interested in crayoning at 14 months so I wouldn't worry about that! He really didn't like anything creative but we tried him again when he was 22 months and now loves it!

x

Hi Clare

 In my experience, at that age they're starting to become a lot more mobile and able to more dextrous with a better understanding of what's going on around them. 

 I love wooden toys and but it's important to get something that is engaging but is also tough and durable and with some new teeth often starting to show through, something to bite on which is non toxic can be wonderful for them. 

 Ultimately, I think children at this age will start to get their hands into everything and anything they can as they really start to explore the world around them so a toy they can hold and walk around with is great. 

 I hope this helps!

I agree, that stacking cups are a toy well worth buying. My son is 18 months now and can build a tower with them but he's enjoyed other games with them for months. They're great for putting things in, having pretend drinks/food with a spoon, with a spoon they can also be spread out upside down to make 'drums' that all have a different tone when banged or tapped, they can be hats, hiding places for small toys, they can be counted and of course stacked in many ways, my son is amused by them for hours & they're great to slip in my bag to keep him entertained at other people's houses! (It can also be amusing to see my friends panic when they think my son's going to knock over THEIR tower before they've finished building it!)