Good toys for toddler?

[KellyAnnW]

Hubby and I went to a major toy store to buy christmas presents for our daughter. We didn't like most of the toys. I dont want something that can play by itself. Electronic toys are out, as are most light and sound toys. I want something with a lot of playability. She has Legos, Megablocks, doll house, cars, wood blocks, dolls, wagon, ride on toy, lots of books. She's getting a reclaimed food safe tea set for her Birthday. She has pretty scarfs to play with. Lots of sensory items too, a ball pit, rice box, popcorn etc. I'm not crafty, I can't sew

Can yall give me some good toys? We can't have any foam in the house. I'd love some stuff to encourage her to play alone because she's not very good at that. Not a stuffed animal lover. And i'm looking for inside stuff. Thanks! Oh and my baby will be 2 in december.

[crunchy_mommy]

Some of my 20mo DS's favorite toys:
-tool set (basically the only plastic, battery-operated toy we have, because it still has a lot of creative play value & only makes real tool noises)
-metal (toy) pots & pans
-IKEA art easel
-musical instruments
-train set
-Animalz (little wooden animals that he can carry around/pretend with)

I'd also consider a good-quality toy kitchen if you have the space for it.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Do you have dolls? Doll stroller or cradle?

What about a play kitchen? Or a tent? REally, at 20 mos old, you're pretty far off from real independent play.

[ellairiesmom]

the play kitchen has proven to be a favorite here. and she has played independently w/ it for awhile.

i have learned that not every kid likes the kitchen...my niece isn't that into kitchen play whereas my nephew & dd LOVE it. we have the wood (elves & angels) christina's kitchen & jacob's fridge & think they rock.

[LindsC]

I ditto the play kitchen. We are getting one for our kids for Christmas this year.

She is also very into blocks, puzzles and her baby dolls/stroller right now.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

My DD is 25 months and plays with the following toys everyday.

~doll and stroller
~play kitchen
~Duplos
~wooden puzzles


When we are at my parent's house she loves these toys.

~train table
~cash register on a stand that has a scanner to pretend to ring things up
~three-wheeled little trike that is small enough to scoot herself around the house

[JessicaS]

Ds likes

Playmobile toys. His Playmobile T-Rex is one of his favorites
Train Set
Cars
Sit down ride on toy

[Wild Lupine]

Originally Posted by ellairiesmom

the play kitchen has proven to be a favorite here. and she has played independently w/ it for awhile.

i have learned that not every kid likes the kitchen...my niece isn't that into kitchen play whereas my nephew & dd LOVE it. we have the wood (elves & angels) christina's kitchen & jacob's fridge & think they rock.

And a little toy piano got a lot of use at that age.

[KellyAnnW]

I wish we had space for a kitchen or indoor slide! But our house is built a little odd, and as such we dont have room. I am trying to convience my DH to build a slide down our front porch steps but we live in a rainy area so it may not get much use.

[moonjunio]

Do you have room in your kitchen for a Learning Tower? This has been a big help while we're busy cooking. Our 2yo can get up and see what we're doing. Paired with some old kitchen bowls/utensils, and/or playdough, she uses it every day. It's also great for dragging over to the sink to wash hands. You do need a fair bit of room for it though. I think One Step Ahead makes a folding version but I think the original is supposed to be safer.

Plan Toys makes a cute wooden "baking" set with a roller and stuff that's good for playdough.

Another idea - art supplies! I would start with a pad of paper and some big thick triangular crayons. Ours are from Mellissa and Doug, but there are plenty of options.

You say you have dolls - mine really likes her new baby doll. Do you have one of those? It's nice because she can both identify with it and take care of it... she's interested in what baby wants to do (sleep, drink, potty, go down a slide, etc) which makes it unique among her toys. If it's a hit, then there's tons of accessory options that open whole new areas of play (stroller, high chair, outfits, diapers....)

It sounds like she already has a lot of excellent toys, so after you've picked out your present, try putting 75% of her toys away in a closet or boxes and then rotate them every few weeks. I just started doing this and she actually has more fun because she doesn't have an overwhelming selection.

[Nicole730]

Wooden train set is about the only toy that gets constant use here. We just set ours up on the (wooden) floor.

[KittyM]

When my daughter was that age, we had a lot of fun with a flannel board and felt shapes for storytelling. When she was a little older. we made our own shapes (just cut-out, no sewing!) and decorated them with fabric paint.

-Also agree with the play kitchen, if there isn't space then maybe just a nice selection of play food and dishes to go with her tea set, or a picnic basket - easier to put everything away.
-Art supplies are great, maybe a tabletop easel, or just a bunch of paper & crayons, glitter glue, etc.
-A pop-up tent or tunnel
-Lacing shapes or big beads to string
-abc and 123 puzzles
-percussion instruments (triangles, maracas, xylophone, etc)
-some colorful block shapes to add into her wooden block set (there are some like windows, or with colored water or sand inside, arches and other architectural elements, some cool ones from the German companies that are more free-form shapes and colors)

She'll get more used to independent play but it does take awhile!

[crunchy_mommy]

We don't have room for a big kitchen but we do have a tabletop kitchen on this this idea (though ours is not nearly as nice) along with a basket of little metal pots & pans, wooden bowls from the thrift store, homemade felt food, etc. DS also loves this grill set that I managed to get brand new for free, he plays with it all the time & it's good for deterity... So you could always do something on that idea so she can have the fun of a kitchen without it taking up your entire room!

[Jenine]

I'm really liking this company right now, http://justb-byou.com/toys/ when we're shopping for more mainstream toys. We just bought the Sugar Chute and Critter Clinic and will be buying the Fish and Splish at Christmas. DD loves them both, she will have to grow into being able to use the keys for the critter clinic so we just leave the doors open for now. It looks like about half of their toys would fit your prefrences. The colors are great, they're well made and I like that we can just go and shop for them at a local store (target and barnes and noble) as so many of the other toys we choose need to be ordered online.

[ellairiesmom]

my friend didn't have room for the kitchen & got them a stainless steel looking tabletop one that also has a fridge. i could have sworn it was pottery barn or ikea but i can't find it at either site right now. ???? i'll keep looking or call her.

the play food alone is very entertaining for this age group. every kid 1 to 5 who comes here LOVES any of the wood cutting foods & tea sets dd has.

green toys makes the $20 recycled jug plastic tea set (& pots & pans) & we use that for real water & for bathtub play. and now that dd2 is scooting around a little, we are ok with her chewing on the cups & "playing" too.

and yes-a kitchen/learning tower combined with play kitchen stuff for your counter would be great. our kitchen bites & has no room, so i just use a dining room chair with arms & its been great since she was 2ish.

[ellairiesmom]

Originally Posted by Jenine

I'm really liking this company right now, http://justb-byou.com/toys/ when we're shopping for more mainstream toys.

That's the old "Parents" company. They just went through a big re-branding. We have a few of their toys too & love them. I keep debating on their Dr's kit vs a wood one for DD at Christmas.

[coyotemist]

What about puddle pants so you can go outside more?

http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm?...roduct_ID=1714

[gbailey]

What about a shapes sorter? When DD was close to 2 she just loved it and played with it for long periods of time. This is the one she used.
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-L...2&sr=8-1-fkmr0
Now though she uses it to store her crayons. LOL

Also, she loves her get dressed with Elmo book especially the buckle. She's had it for awhile and it's still one of her favorites. If you don't want a character there are a lot of "quiet" books that have buttons, zippers and buckles.
http://www.amazon.com/Dressed-Elmo-8...8125431&sr=8-4

[gbailey]

Originally Posted by Jenine

I'm really liking this company right now, http://justb-byou.com/toys/ when we're shopping for more mainstream toys. We just bought the Sugar Chute and Critter Clinic and will be buying the Fish and Splish at Christmas. DD loves them both, she will have to grow into being able to use the keys for the critter clinic so we just leave the doors open for now. It looks like about half of their toys would fit your prefrences. The colors are great, they're well made and I like that we can just go and shop for them at a local store (target and barnes and noble) as so many of the other toys we choose need to be ordered online.

Thanks for posting this site. I'd never heard of it before. Been wanting to get DD a pair of keys that look more like hours and they have it. There's a lot of nice stuff on this site.

[KellyAnnW]

I'm loving the websites, thank you! I sent several of these ideas to my mil.