Can anyone recommend some cool toys for a 2.5 yr old? - Page 2

[dolphindance]

thanks for posting your questions cuz it's really helped me with ideas too!  many of the suggested toys are for 3 years and older. i'm not trying to steal your post but just wondering... how many of you buy older kids stuff for your 2 year olds?  or what age did you do start and why?  i'm just always so nervous to do it for my 27 mos. old.  he still every now and then sticks things in his mouth!

[FischK]

Originally Posted by dolphindance 

thanks for posting your questions cuz it's really helped me with ideas too!  many of the suggested toys are for 3 years and older. i'm not trying to steal your post but just wondering... how many of you buy older kids stuff for your 2 year olds?  or what age did you do start and why?  i'm just always so nervous to do it for my 27 mos. old.  he still every now and then sticks things in his mouth!

I let DS1 play with toys that are beyond his age (he's almost 27 mos), mostly because toys for two-year olds don't do it for him or only keep him busy for a couple of minutes.

I've noticed though that there are sometimes two ages on the box. Some boxes of lego duplos - my son's favorite - say 2 years and then there's a warning that children under 3 shouldn't play with it because of small parts, and that is the kind of information that I choose to ignore because it severely limits his options and I believe it's just the manufacturer covering their backs (try swallowing a duplo block or one of those wooden puzzle pieces that come with the Melissa and Doug puzzles for 3-year olds). There are some toys - like multi-piece puzzles - that he's only allowed to use if I play with him, but for the most part, I let him play on his own with most of his toys while keeping an eye and and an ear on him to avert choking or swallowing accidents.

[KayPea]

My daughter, 28 months, spent over an hour bringing her little Schleich tiger out into the yard, dipping it into a basin of water we had, and bringing it back in to dry off with a towel. She knows where our drawer of towels is located, since we get her to clean up her own messes and spills. I'd also recommend real cleaning and gardening tools, child-sized, so that your child can work with you as you go about your chores. You can find these at Montessori supply stores online. A learning tower will also help your LO work with you in the kitchen - you can get him to "wash dishes" by filling the sink with soapy water and letting him use a clean cloth to "wash" a bunch of plastic or non-breakable dishes. kids can do this for a long time while you prepare dinner. My 2yo also likes to help make dinner by washing lettuce or other veggies in an enamel basin, ripping the lettuce up for salads, stirring the salad dressing or batter, dumping ingredients. 

We don't have piles and piles of "toys" for our daughter - she has a couple of dolls, Schlech animals, and stuffed animals. She has blocks, puzzles, finger puppets, a basket of musical instruments (including a toy accordion, a real ukulele and a real Glockenspiel) and a lot of arts and crafts supplies, including an easel. She has a homemade play kitchen with IKEA stainless steel pots and pans, and handmade felt food, and some wooden play food too. She has outdoor toys like a rubber ball, bubbles, pail and shovel, and of course her real gardening tools. She has a tricycle and a run bike, and a red wagon. Mostly her toy storage is a magpie nest of stuff pilfered from around the house and included in her play - thrifted silk scarves, plastic lids, wooden spoons, shoes, hairbrushes, boxes, cups, you name it. We do a lot of sensory stuff - playing in flour, dirt, water, cornstarch and water, beans, sand etc. She plays with things like riding toys and toddler cars, slides and single-purpose toys at our local playgroup, and that seems to satisfy her. 

My DH and his dad are going to build her a doll house as a "big sister" present for when the baby comes. Imaginitive play with her favourite stuffies and dolls is what she's up to most of the time these days.