Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Play To Learn Toy Inspiration - 0-2 Years

***Updated: November 2020 ***

I've always kind of considered myself a toy snob, although not at all based on cost (one of my son's favorite toys is a piece of PVC pipe). Clutter stresses me out and I don't like waste, so I've always been kind of picky about what I buy my kids.  So many toys are played with for a week or so and then left to collect dust.  I always look for things that have high replay value and will last for years. So much learning happens through play, I want to make sure the things I buy provide ample opportunities.

Recently several people have told me that we always have great toys and have asked for help shopping for their little ones. Since I love shopping for kids and helping out other mamas, I thought I'd create and share list of toy ideas.  It ended up being GIANT to try to accommodate different genders and interests and provide lots of inspiration.  I'm sure I'll add to it as I find new things.



General Tips:

  • I usually look for something open ended.  If it can be used in flexible ways, it is likely to be used more often.
  • I try to avoid things with lots of lights and sounds.  Now there are definitely exceptions to this rule, but if a toy does all the "work," then kids will lose interest quickly. Once they have pressed every button, they have kind of exhausted the toy.  Also, my husband is an audiologist and says a lot of baby toys are loud enough to cause hearing damage.  He recommends putting tape over speakers of loud baby toys.  
  • Materials that will last through a beating are always a plus.  For babies and toddlers I try to avoid too much plastic, since it all feels the same.  Instead, I try to find a variety of textures.
  • Collectibles and stuffed animals really depend on the kid.  While some kids love them and will get a lot of use out of them, that has not been the experience in our house.  Action figures, stuffed animals and other collectibles just end up in a toy bin forgotten (Lego Minifigs being the exception).
  • Not a tip for buying toys, but for extending their use is that any toys with lots of parts and pieces need an easy to use container with a lid.  Toys are no fun if you have to hunt down all their pieces.  I keep all the boxes (mostly cheap plastic shoe boxes) of toys in the basement and then rotate them upstairs.  I don't even mind if multiple boxes of toys being used at the same time, as long as everything finds its way home when it is done.

Younger Babies

    
  


Older Babies and Toddlers

        
  • Poke a Dot Books - These are cute little books that have little domes to poke on each page.
   
  
     
  • Toobs* - We have tons of these.  Because of their wonderful detail, they were initially used for vocabulary development.  They've been added to the bathtub and water table.  Now they get combined with blocks or Magna Tiles to build zoos.  Dragons, Mythical Realms and Knights can all be used to have battles.  Fairies and Days of Old could be added to blocks to make castles or enchanted forests. (Last year, I put Toob figures in the Advent Calendar we made)
  • Squigz* - The have been used on tables, floors, glass doors and in the bathtub.  Archer likes just chewing on them too.  We have the regular ones, but that have some that stick to tables too.
  • Touchable Texture Squares
  • Instruments* There are lots of fun instruments for kids.  I like having a Xylophone and a Lollipop Drum
  • Fine Motor Friends - Spike the Hedgehog - I'll admit, I was skeptical about this one at first, but Archer still plays with it.  The spikes also seem to be a great chewing consistency. There is also a Pedro the Peacock and some colored peacocks
  • Max the Moose

Active Play


 
Bath Toys
Blocks 
We operate under the belief that you can never have too many kinds of blocks!


 
  • Pretend Play Blocks* - Pretend play is supposed to provide an outlet for kids to learn empathy and problem solving.  Add that to building blocks and you get some adorable toys.   There are blocks with people and cars, as well as farm blocks with barns and animals. Janod also makes adorable story boxes and block figures.
  • Tegu Blocks - Magnetic wooden blocks
Magnetic Tiles
These end up getting their own category because they have been used pretty much constantly since Xander was 2.  We've slowly added move sets over the years.  Friends always enjoy using them also (as do adults). We've built on the ground, fridge and light table.  There have been geometric designs, skyscrapers, ramps for toy cars, zoos with Toob animals and much more.
  • MagnaTiles - Now these are a bit of an investment, but they're great quality and have good magnets (which allows for better building).  Two years in a row his only real birthday present was a big set of these.  We also have the Glow in the Dark version. 
  • Stardust - these have glitter and mirrors.
  • Big Base Plates - provide a wide base on which to build.
  • Fences and Doors - Allow for different kinds of buildings and pens for animals.
  • Tunnels and Domes - more fun shapes to extend the play
  • Geometry Shapes - has pentagons and hexagons
  • Magna-Qubix - These are not tiles, but three dimensional shapes. They are much smaller than the tiles and don't really work with them, so I hesitated to put them here, but Archer LOVES them. He particularly likes the cubes, which actually makes the cheapest set the most cost effective, per piece.
Play Food*

Puzzles
 
Vehicles


Art

* - Items with an asterisk appear on multiple lists due to being able to fit a wider range of kids, depending on ability and interest.

Affiliate links are used, at no cost to you.

Check Out My Other Lists




2 comments:

  1. when does baby start playing with toys?
    when should i offer my baby toys? she is a month and a half :) which toys do start with?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It depends on the baby, I think. Mine started with baby paper/Taggies and the Winkel at probably a couple of months, because they're light. Infant stimulation cards with high contrast are great for little babies (you can even print your own). A baby gym or mobile with things to look at and reach for is also pretty great early on, although learning to reach out and grab is a skill that takes some practice! As she gets bigger you could add a mirror and other safe things of different textures and materials.

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...