Help me help my 2 yr old with his toys!

[MommaKitten21]

All right, I need some help mama's!

I want to cycle out all the "baby" toys and go for more montessori/waldorf/non mainstream toys... but honestly don't know what is worth the money, or even where to start really. I would prefer to not spend outrageous amounts of money, but for some things that are "must haves" I wouldn't mind paying some money for.

However, I have no clue where to start. What do your toddlers like? Unfortunately, all my friends/family are mainstream parents with Cars/Disney/etc etc.... I want to stay away from all that. Prefer non-plastic toys, but not shutting them out completely.

What do your 2 year old boys like? Links/pics/reviews are MORE than welcomed! lol.

[BaMo]

DS is 25 months old and this is what he is into right now as far as toys:

*legos (I've been looking for wooden blocks but I want him to get pass the throwing/hitting stage first).
*Brio Trains - we recieved a non-motarized set as a gift and DH loves it.
*Quite a few wooden toys from Idea Factory the alligator rollie is his fav.
*Wooden pull bunny and grasshopper. We recieved these as gifts and I'm not sure where they are from
*Potato heads
*Baby doll (he has a boy baby doll) that likes to play with
*Balls - loves to throw and kick them all

HTH's!

[Nicole730]

We have loads of toys. DS' favorite is his wooden train track. Most all the sets are interchangeable. He would play with these all day, every day if we let him. I keep trying to make myself get rid of some of the stuff he doesn't play with, but it's hard.

Outside he plays with balls and dump trucks- in his 'rock box'.

[Kaimamasan]

I filled a long shallow tub (the kind you use for under the bed storage) about a quarter full with cornmeal and black aquarium gravel, stuck in some of his smaller wooden and metal trucks, and called it a construction site. We just put the lid on an stored it under the sofa when not it use.

My truck obsessed 2-y-old was delighted, and he still plays with it at the age of three. Not bad for an almost free toy.

This is best used as a porch, backyard or kitchen floor toy (as opposed to a carpeted area), because some dumping of the 'sand' is inevitable.

[BaMo]

Kaimamasan ~ I love this idea. I'm totally stealing this one. I think that DS would love it.

[MommaKitten21]

I was thinking about the Brio train set.... we saw Melissa and Doug has one, but our experience with their toys have not been the greatest. They seem to be not that great of quality... or ds is just not gentle

[mama2soren]

another vote for trains! the first thing DS says in the morning (well, after "nurse? OOO-kay!") is "mama? come sit? choo-choo's?" He loves his trains. We have a mix of hand-me-down brio and Thomas, as well as Ikea and M&D track and trains. I think the M&D quality is fine. I wouldn't buy the Ikea ones again, though. They're supposed to fit with the other brands, but they don't fit together very smoothly, and DS gets frustrated.

What about a balance bike?

[JudiAU]

Ds just turned 3 and he has always loved toys. Favorites in the last 18m. Are duplo blocks (nicer I think than the mega bloke version, better colors fewer "characters", can often get on bay), grim and spiel four elements (wave, fire, rainbow, cave), schliech animals, puzzles, plan toys train sets (not branded, very cute, durable, nice design, can expand with generic tracks) I also like the maple landmark tracks and lovely bridges, fancy haba blocks are awesome. And play dough, my god, so much play dough.

I've had lousy experiences with M&D. Several toys have been recalled, many have broken or chipped, the design is usually bleh, and that is just in two years. It is cheap and readily available but I have to stop myself. I am almost always happier with something else. The real issue with expense is how you feel sbout toys made In china vs. Everywhere else. Lots of companies doing wooden & open ended based there (M&D, Hape/Educo, others) . Some ares have good thirft/yard sales but not ours But I don't trust them and my family are wish-list shoppers and will buy the exact thing I requested so i can be picky.

We don't do characters (every--I am very sensitive about branding for children) and I try and avoid toys made In china.

And books! Two is such a wonderful age for books.

Some toddlers love dress up and imaginative play at this age and some like it more later the plan toys cutting food is awesome and we have some other items but ds is just getting more into it now. I'd skimp on the quality if art supplies nowunless you are truly a purist, cheap is fine at this age. We get no more value from the fancy watercolors and fancy crayons than the cheeps.

[Friday13th]

DS1 is 2.5 and lately has been really into imaginative play so his kitchen and his barn are getting a work out. He really likes making his toy animals talk or building things for them with his blocks. He likes puzzles a lot too.

[firecat]

2.5 here!
He loves to do water play in the sink with just regular cups, bowls, soap, etc. (nice cause it's totally free, except for the water i suppose)
Any kind of truck or train he loves and I am going to use that idea about the "construction site" too.
Some friends of ours have a water/sand table with scoops which he was really into last night.
Drums/ musical instruments are fun as long as you can handle the noise factor.
And he likes puzzles too. I have some that are really simple jigsaws that we do together and then he has some cut out type ones too that he can do himself now.
I really want to get him a baby doll or two for x-mas this year.
Oh and TOOLS. He has a big workbench that we got him for his birthday last year and he plays with that all the time
I agree with the pp about M&D, not the best... I too love those haba blocks but we don't have any right now
Our local bookstore has those wooden cutting toys you can cut apart and put together (sandwiches/food type things I think) and he likes to play with those while we are there.
We do playdough, watercolors, markers/crayons, beads and string are fun but I haven't done that at home yet, and bubbles.