simplifying and starting over with toys...

[AnnR33]

I have an 11 yo, 8 yo, and 5 yo. We got rid of all baby toys 2-3 yrs ago and then-you guessed it. I now have a 1 yr old

So we are trying to simplify our toys which is mainly involving the 5 yo. We are keeping our massive block collection, puppets, wood food/toaster, select collection of plastic dinos and animals, playmobil, play silks, train set, selection of balls (textured, wool, etc) and the 11 yo has his stash of legos. We also have a 2 dolls and nice wood stroller we'll keep for the baby. We also have a massive book collection but that's another post

We are trying to weed out lots of the extra stuff that just don't get played with. My problem is now that the baby is 1yo she needs things to engage her too. She cares nothing for the hand me down "baby toys" we've gotten from friends-they sit in a box. So they are all going too. But she's not really old enough for many of the things the 5 yr old is playing with except for the blocks and balls.

I always wanted a wood play kitchen and never got one. The cheap plastic ones we got to save money were crap and I regret not getting a nice one that we'd still have. So do I pony up the bucks to buy one for the LAST child (no chance of more ) or do I just get a table top one for a play stand shelf? DH thinks getting one now is a waste of money but I know it will still get played with for the next 3-5 yrs. And the 5 yr old will play with it too. We have the food so no need to buy more.

I'm struggling if buying this would be a main toy that would serve multiple purposes so I wouldn't have to buy other toys....or is something else a better buy like a work bench or fruit stand type thing?

And what else is good for the 1 yr old to be really engaged? I'm kind of at loss for her because she doesn't "play" with things. She knocks things down and looks at books though .

I hate to buy more stuff KWIM? But not sure what "timeless" few things might work well for her for the next few yrs.

Hope my ramblings made sense to someone....
Thanks for any thoughts.

[crunchy_mommy]

I am constantly going over these very questions, only we're just starting out with baby #1.

What about getting something more generic than a wood kitchen... like something counter height (well, KID counter height!) with doors or drawers that could sometimes be a kitchen & sometimes be a lemonade stand but would also just be a nice piece of furniture to store clothes or items when they are too old to 'play' with it?

I guess I'd really hesitate to buy something pricey unless you could find a hand-me-down one... but I know others will probably just say go ahead & get it

Right now my toddler is pretty happy with the ugly (but still great condition) plastic 2' high one that my mom got for $1 at a yard sale... I would love to get a nice wood one but I can't imagine him playing with it enough to justify the price (he's just not into 'playing' really). Maybe if yours is more into playing than my little guy is!!

[AKislandgirl]

I'd get the kitchen. Think about it like this. If you were to only have one child would you not get the kitchen you wanted just because only one kid would get to use it? No, not likely. I think it would be a nice addition to the staples you already have. (blocks, balls, legos, play silks, trains)

As for engaging her with toys now. My DD loved play silks for peak a boo early on. She would play with herself and a silk for quite a while! Another thing which she has been loving a lot these past few months (she's 17 mo) is a plastic coffee container, just your basic folgers. The lid has 4 holes cut into it and a collection of straws that fit exactly into them. She plays with that over and over and over. A friend made it for her and I'm seriously thinking of taking it on the plane with us in a few weeks since she loves it so much.

[poppan]

My kids love their wood play kitchen but I think they love the plastic one just as much, if not more. I've had the thought over the years that some of these "fancier" toys that I buy them have given me more enjoyment and satisfaction than it has given to them. I got them a beautiful set of 100% wool felted fruits and vegetables... and Haba play foods made out of fabric and felt. They were given a lovely wooden tea set with cups, saucers, tea pot, sugar/creamer, sugar cubes, tea bags etc. What do they play with and like the most? The cheapie plastic food set and pink and purple plastic cups/utensils. My kids have no taste??

In the end I think my opinion is, I don't know how much it really matters. They will play and invent on their own. I guess a table top thing (and more importantly, a table ) might be more versatile from that perspective. But it seems like my kids play with a lot of things that aren't toys at all, and those tend to be their favorites. Their hands-down favorite toy right now? The water hose and a giant rubbermaid storage bucket = endless hours of fascination.

P.S. But if *you* like the wooden kitchen set... get it for yourself! It's your last kid after all... this is your last chance mama

[AnnR33]

Thanks for the ideas.
I'm going to watch craigslist for awhile to see if I get lucky on the kitchen but I'm going to do some more looking too on something versatile.

I might try to get DH to make one of the ikea ones too that I've seen posted.

I think for now I'm going to stop stressing about toys and just give her spoons, cans, boxes, etc.

[NorthernPixie]

You might consider adding some quality musical instruments to your collection. All of your kids could play with those. There are some lovely wooden things out there, and some decent plastic shakers/maraca-type things safe for putting in mouths, bells, drums...and then there's my brother who gave my not-quite-two year old a ukulele last Christmas. Other than the play kitchen stuff, (and vast quantities of stickers), the musical instruments are most played with. And I mean real stuff, not cheap toy crap.

I've ordered from the Music Together website when I lived in the US, and now order from www.empire-music.com, which is in Vancouver but ships to the US as well. They have terrific prices and a really great selection of things, and free shipping.

[treeoflife3]

for the wooden kitchen, do you or someone in your family have time to make one? Ana from knock-offwood.com has plans for a sink, oven/stove, and a refridgerator so that you can make your own. She also has plans for other city buildings like a library or post office too.

here are some links if you are interested
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/11...hen-stove.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/11...sic-stove.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/10...idge_7836.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/10...sink_9146.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/12...g-machine.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/12...-box-ever.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/12...or-graces.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/12...or-graces.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/11...aces-town.html
http://www.knock-offwood.com/2009/11...aces-town.html

sorry, I know that is a lot of links, but I wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to find the main kiddo stuff she has on her page (she has other furniture too including a cool play house and some beds) in case you really are interested. the first few links are the kitchen ones and the rest are all the play town ones.