Worst Toys Ever

[SunshineJ]

Now that the kids have had a chance to play with some of their toys, I figured parents would have had the chance to determine which toys were unsafe, totally lame or just not worth the hype. This actually was brought on by our dd opening the Glitter Lava they got and attempting to play with this gooey stuff. It's AWFUL. It's a complete MESS. It does NOT wash away! Ugh! I'm cringing thinking I may be unclogging the bathroom drain at some point in the future from the bits of it that escaped down there.

What tops your list?

[lindberg99]

Mousetrap and Rumble in the Jungle (similar type of game). It is almost impossible to get them set up so they work properly and there are so many small parts that are impossible to get back in the box so you can close the box. My DD finally pitched her Mousetrap game last summer after realizing that half the pieces are broken, etc. Unfortunately we still have Rumble in the Jungle. Maybe some pieces will get "accidentally" stepped on soon....

Also, Shoots and Ladders, just because I hate it when I get all the way to the top and hit one of those long shoots and go back to the beginning!

[pomplemoose]

floam and moonsand. what a big disaster. floam is just colored balls of Styrofoam and glue. it has the consistency of warm rice crispy treats and the colors get mixed up far to easily. moonsand gets ALL OVER THE PLACE its literally like dumping a pile of sand on your kitchen counter, it doesnt stay together and I still have it stuck between my toes. great games though dont break the ice (DS loves it) but the biggest hit was the tee pee dh and i made them. yay christmas!

[NellieKatz]

I disagree with pomplemoose 100%...I guess it depends on the kid. My child has been playing with the floam for hours. And the moon sand is a total godsend. He plays with that for hours too. It is totally worth the sweeping I have to do later. (we use a giant roasting pan for the moonsand, and put it on the table, and he just plays and plays...). But that goes with my son's personality. He has ALWAYS loved materials he can manipulate, such as a pan of rice, or flour, or papier mache, or moonsand, modeling clay, sculpey, model magic....so when I saw the floam I said ee hah. And it was great. He, too, noticed that the colors stick together. But then he unstuck them.

totally depends on the kid's personality, I guess

[JessicaS]

It seems like a lot of people have said to leave any moon sand outside since it is so messy.

[SunshineJ]

LOL yeah my mom got MoonSand for the kids a couple years ago at which point I informed her that was a toy for her house. She has since banned it. The kids love it mind you, but the cleanup just isn't worth it for a lot of us! ROFLOL other than the Mousetrap game (I loved that as a kid, but yeah, it was a pain to set up!), are you noticing a theme here? I guess Play-doh still rules the roost on that kind of toy!

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by SunshineJ

Now that the kids have had a chance to play with some of their toys, I figured parents would have had the chance to determine which toys were unsafe, totally lame or just not worth the hype. This actually was brought on by our dd opening the Glitter Lava they got and attempting to play with this gooey stuff. It's AWFUL. It's a complete MESS. It does NOT wash away! Ugh! I'm cringing thinking I may be unclogging the bathroom drain at some point in the future from the bits of it that escaped down there.

What tops your list?

Could not dissagree more!!!!!!! Jordan's GL hand made pictures are stunning! We followed the directions for drying time, and everything worked perfectly. My sliding doors are covered with her artwork.

[SunshineJ]

Originally Posted by KirstenMary

Could not dissagree more!!!!!!! Jordan's GL hand made pictures are stunning! We followed the directions for drying time, and everything worked perfectly. My sliding doors are covered with her artwork.

How was she able to work with it and more importantly - how were you able to get it off her hands (and everything else)??

[ChristyMarie]

A mini harmonica. For a 3 year old who doesn't really understand that the point is not to blow into it as hard as possible. Over and over and over.

Thanks Grandma!

[leighi123]

Little car that has a battery in it to make it go- it goes until it runs into something and then sits there with the wheel spinning making noise. So anoying.
My new step-grandpa got it for him, it was his only new toy with a battery! Luckally I assigned him to entertain Levi while he played with it, once he goes home the battery is comming out.

[AllyRae]

LOL...I totally disagree with moonsand. We just keep it in a long flat tote and use it on the kitchen floor. I love it and bought the kids another 8 bowls of it for Christmas. LOL!!

Now, pixos, I hate. My 6 year old was so looking forward to them and they don't work well at all for us.

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by SunshineJ

How was she able to work with it and more importantly - how were you able to get it off her hands (and everything else)??

Strange. It never stuck to stuff. It was like a clay that spread really easily. It only stuck to the Plexiglas and came right off after it dried just like it was supposed to. It was awesome. Then her designs went right on the window.

[SunshineJ]

Originally Posted by KirstenMary

Strange. It never stuck to stuff. It was like a clay that spread really easily. It only stuck to the Plexiglas and came right off after it dried just like it was supposed to. It was awesome. Then her designs went right on the window.

That was NOT like the stuff that we got! Our's is the consistency of slime, very, very, very gooey and stringy and slimy. You literally cannot do anything with it other than look at your covered hands and go "Eww". 6 jars like that. Ick.

[Polliwog]

Originally Posted by AllyRae

LOL...I totally disagree with moonsand. We just keep it in a long flat tote and use it on the kitchen floor. I love it and bought the kids another 8 bowls of it for Christmas. LOL!!

Now, pixos, I hate. My 6 year old was so looking forward to them and they don't work well at all for us.

Same here. I use an old Rubbermaid under bed bin and the Moon Sand stays in there. You really need a big container to control the mess.

But if you eat floam, the little balls will look exactly the same when they are in a child's diaper.

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by SunshineJ

That was NOT like the stuff that we got! Our's is the consistency of slime, very, very, very gooey and stringy and slimy. You literally cannot do anything with it other than look at your covered hands and go "Eww". 6 jars like that. Ick.

Oh, ick!!!!!!!!!!! Ours was not like that at all. Did you get the desk?

[BrittneyMarie]

My brother bought his girls moonsand a few years ago, and left it outside "by mistake" and threw it away while they were asleep. when they remembered he told them the racoons took it because they didnt have any toys to play with. ever since they've left toys out for the racoons because they felt bad for them. precious! but that stuff is AWFUL!

[Caneel]

DH and I had the same conversation over and over and over again. No, I don't think an electric train set is a good idea.

Why? Because our DS is not developmentally ready to play with it.

So what, why can't I get him one? Because I don't want to deal with the frustration, crying and breakage, that is way.

What does DH go out and buy? The smallest, most fragile, most breakable electric train set and track ever manufactured.

After 15+ hours of continous screams of "mommy, fix my trains!!!!" DS finally broke a tiny piece off the track and it is totally broken.

Is it wrong of me to be happy?

[Storm Bride]

Nothing, so far. I find Moonsand a PITA to clean up, but the kids love it so much that it's worth it - sometimes. It's not something I let them play with every day, but we get it out sometimes.

This year, the kids did well. DD1 got two Barbies and a Bratz doll, but I'm okay with it. She really, really, really wanted Ballerina Barbie (dd1 is in ballet right now), so ds1 got two of them for her. My brother and SIL got her another Bratz doll. I don't like it, but for various reasons, that's just not a fight I'm going to have.

[SunshineJ]

Originally Posted by KirstenMary

Oh, ick!!!!!!!!!!! Ours was not like that at all. Did you get the desk?

We just got 2 of the 3 packs. Of course DS thinks it's "totally awesome!" DD and mom, not so impressed!

[BellinghamCrunchie]

Barbie dolls. I just hate them