A guest post for Toy News I thought you guys might like to have a peek at… 😉
As a first time mum, toys are a daunting prospect.
Whilst contending with a tiny, shrieking, nipple-destroying turd-ninja your attention isn’t really on stacking cups and crocodile xylophones… you’re more focused on managing mascara on both eyes and finding a pair of leggings that aren’t too ‘crispy’ to wear that day…
Toy-shops are terrifying places for new mums… a plethora of moo-ing, gyrating, motion-sensing anti-matter where small children will literally tear out their own kidneys to get their hands on a Peppa Pig scooter… I need a massage and a litre of gin just to recover…
No toys should ever be allowed to come in white. EVER. Or should come with a warning that advises giving anything neutral-coloured to a toddler is very bad for your health. And alcohol consumption levels. And will most likely result in tears (yours – obviously), anger, and violence (theirs – of course)… along with making them even more determined to colour in your sofa with lasagne.
Boy/Girl toys also seem to mean nothing to a toddler… my daughter uses her doll buggy to play ‘chicken’ with my cats and won’t go to sleep without a yellow plastic dump-truck and a calculator…
I haven’t a clue if she has too much, too little, would be happier playing with her own faeces… I mean, there is always a mum that turns up to play group with their one year old driving a motorised, miniature pink Mini, carrying a talking handbag reaching for a rice cake from their personalised musical cookie jar… and always another whose child is wearing their trousers as a hat, chewing on their nappy, clutching a partly-digested receipt… *whispers* ok, the second example is my child – shhhh…
Plastic/Plush
Books/Puzzles
Wooden (Makes us feel middle class and come out when we have visitors. We also use our posh indoor voices.)
Never. (AKA Musical)
So what am I saying? Well – not much due to the baby-brain/toddler-delirium and all the gin… but I think if she’s having fun and I can still hide in my bathroom with Tanqueray and a Toblerone while she destroys my living room, that’ll do for now.
#ToysTanquerayandToblerones
I was wondering about your idea about splitting toys into 4 groups and then into boxes…do you find that if you get one box out, then your children will only play with that one kind of toy and get bored quicker?
We do it the other way around – have a few boxes with all kinds of toys in each, so with 1 box out there is a variation to play with. Then if they get bored (you know, like after 5 minutes!) we swap the box with another one.
Definitely agree on the musical toys. I refuse to buy anything that doesn't have an off switch. Uncles and Aunts seem to be the worst culprits in buying these kinds of toys as presents!
ReplyThe box thing does seen to work but they get pretty mixed up as she 'tidies' things up! She still gets bored with everything pretty quick but we have play stations around the living room which she can swap between… 😉 when people but her musical toys we beat them to death with them now. Seems to send a strong message… Lol x
ReplyHa! You do make me chuckle. Love your 'posh' box of wooden toys and your description of the two different types of kids. *whispers* Mine's the one eating the receipt too. Sounds to me like you have the toy activity sorted though lady.
Replyoh yes – just for guests that one… just for guests 😉 lol x
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