Recommend a new toy for my almost 8-month old

[expat-mama]

DS doesn't have too many toys and I think he may be getting bored with what he does have. Actually I'M getting kind of bored with his toys too.

We need something new. I think part of the problem is he's got toys that he can't quite use yet (shape sorter, big wooden trucks, etc.)- he likes to suck/chew on them but I want a toy that he can DO something with that is appropriate for his age.

I was reading that good toys for his age include things that he can easily take apart and put back together, filling/emptying toys and toys that give a reaction to his action. At this point I don't care if it's plastic or not- I've been looking at wooden toys and I can't find any that really fit the bill.

Anyway what toys does your babe like?

What toys entertain YOU the most when your babe is playing? (I know, I know that's kind of selfish, but hey I'm the one who has to watch him playing all the time.)

[tzs]

we liked the mozart cube and it's so interactive and cool that even i have fun with it so i imagine it could last for quite a long time. it basically plays several classical music songs and you can add or subtract individual instruments to change the effect. it is a noisy blinky toy but not that annoying.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267590

[LittleBirdy]

Ever since DS learned to sit unsupported he's really liked this toy that MIL got him for Christmas.  And there's so much going on with it, I kind of have fun with it too.

[icy02]

The best toy I bought for my DS1 was My Pal Scout. I bought it when he was around 9 months old.

http://www.target.com/LeapFrog-My-Puppy-Pal-Scout/dp/B001W30D2O

I actually think this was the ONLY toy I bought him during his first year. I programed it to say his name and his favorite food etc... He LOVED it :) It's not really educational but it saved my behind more times than I can count. Now DS2 has one too :)

[MacKinnon]

Sophie the Giraffe! We love, love Sophie!

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[MacKinnon]

Ok, I'm re-reading and seeing you want a "do something with" sort of toy. We have a couple "dump and fill" type things that were hits at/around a year. One that comes to mind was a Melissa and Doug aquarium themed one (clear blue plastic with cloth fish, etc you put in and take out). We also had a circus toy that was similar but each piece made a different noise as it went in. I'll have to come back and edit with links, as I'm on my phone now.

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[AislinCarys]

DD's favourite toys at that time included an empty tissue box which we stuffed some play silks into, she loved that! She also loved the washing rack, and the clothes pegs, and the metal container we keep the pegs in. She also liked getting cds out of the cd rack!

We had some real toys, but she she showed no interest in any of them until she was almost a year old.

[laurabfig]

I've just learned about the concept of heuristic play...basically an educational idea that children at this age enjoy exploring natural, real things that occur in their environment.  At around 8-10 months is when they can really start doing some of the things this model recommends.  You make a "treasure basket" of 80 (i think that's the recommended amount) things and then sit with baby while they explore the items on their own from the basket.  You can google heuristic play and find a lot of info about it.  I actually love this idea and can't wait to do it with my youngest, b/c it doesn't really involve having to buy more toys for his amusement. :)  I'm already collecting things from around the house to use in a few months.

[katelove]

Originally Posted by laurabfig 

I've just learned about the concept of heuristic play...basically an educational idea that children at this age enjoy exploring natural, real things that occur in their environment.  At around 8-10 months is when they can really start doing some of the things this model recommends.  You make a "treasure basket" of 80 (i think that's the recommended amount) things and then sit with baby while they explore the items on their own from the basket.  You can google heuristic play and find a lot of info about it.  I actually love this idea and can't wait to do it with my youngest, b/c it doesn't really involve having to buy more toys for his amusement. :)  I'm already collecting things from around the house to use in a few months.

We haven't done this intentionally but on the bottom of the change table I have a basket full of odds and ends. J discovered it one day and goes back again and again to pull everything out, examine each component minutely and cast it aside. It is one of her favourite things to do at the moment (just over 9 m.o.). 

[LittleBirdy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by icy02 

The best toy I bought for my DS1 was My Pal Scout. I bought it when he was around 9 months old.

http://www.target.com/LeapFrog-My-Puppy-Pal-Scout/dp/B001W30D2O

I actually think this was the ONLY toy I bought him during his first year. I programed it to say his name and his favorite food etc... He LOVED it :) It's not really educational but it saved my behind more times than I can count. Now DS2 has one too :)

Mine too!!  "10 minutes of bedtime music" was the only way we could eat dinner for about a month.  And Scout was the only way DS will do tummy time. 
 

[BetsyS]

I have an 8 month old.  He likes to chew on things. 

I have a basket of baby toys (he's my 3rd baby; that's lots of Christmases and birthdays and "just becauses" that have all added up), and he just dumps them out, chews on them, discards them, and looks at the next.  Nothing really sticks out.  Just lots of little stuff that he likes to play with.  He has Little People cars (just slightly bigger than matchbox cars), and my big boys (2 and 4) like them, too, so I think they'll be a long-lasting toy. 

[sere234]

Blocks, musical instruments (DS loves to bang on his xylophone), Sophie, anything safe from the kitchen, wax paper, things with tags on them, women's scarves (DS loves a sheer one of mine with fringe on the ends). 

Those are favorites of my kiddo:)

[expat-mama]

Thanks for all the replies!

Check! - We have a box of odds and ends that DS likes to play with. It has little wooden spoons, a slinky, these weird spiky foot massage balls, some strange foam shapes with different textures, ribbons, a pasta portion sizer, and some other really really random things- he likes to take all the things out and suck on them one by one.

Check!- We have a Sophie.

Check!- We've got blocks.

I'm going to look into the Melissa and Doug aquarium spill n fill thing- DS loves fish! Also look into the Mozart cube and the My Pal Scout!

Thanks.

[Amanda1]

My ds is just over 9 months and we have bought a few great toys recently for the same reason.

We have realized he loves musical toys!!! Melissa and Doug has a great set of instruments, the toy is rated for 3+ but all but the triangle are great already. We also have a toy thats shaped like an egg and rattles... so simple but keeps him soooooo entertained.

The other new great thing is a stacker http://www.greentoys.com/green-toys-stacker.html . He is starting to get how to stack them and looks at us so proud when he gets one on the other, too cute
 

And as for entertaining us... the 3 of us sit on the floor with a different instrument and play, so much fun and hours of entertainment so far

[MacKinnon]

OK, I'm back with links!

Melissa and Doug Aquarium Fill and Spill (and they have a bunch of others like bugs in a jug, a tool box, purse, etc.)

Here's a Manahattan Toy's fill and spill that is somewhat like the other one I had

We also liked a set of fabric blocks like these Haba ones

We also liked basic musical toys, like these

And while looking, I came across this Whoozit Ball, which is just cool!

[coffeegirl]

My daughter who's 7 months old has a small tin bucket (about 6 inches tall, 12ish inches in diameter) that we keep in the living room as her "toy box". We fill it with her little dolls, rattles, sqeeze toys, plastic keys, wooden balls, teethers, etc. Her most favorite thing in the world lately is to just take stuff out of the bucket. She lays there on the floor on her tummy for hours taking each toy out, inspecting it, chewing on it, banging it a little bit on the side of the bucket if it makes any noise, then placing it beside her till she's surrounded by toys. We've noticed that she's just started enjoying putting some of the toys back in the bucket as well.

I can leave her there on the floor on a blanket with her bucket of little toys for hours. Every time I walk by I'll pick all the toys up and put them back in, and she gets to pull the bucket over and start unloading again! It never gets old for her.

[expat-mama]

Well just now I filled a small water bottle 3/4 full with water and put in some sparkly beads and marbles and DS loves it!

I figured he loves to knock over glasses of beverages and to play with bottles of liquid so why not make him his own?

This kid loves anything to do with water.

Lots of great ideas here. Still haven't decided on the shiny new real toy though! Going to look at those links.

[rachael07]

Originally Posted by LittleBirdy 

Ever since DS learned to sit unsupported he's really liked this toy that MIL got him for Christmas.  And there's so much going on with it, I kind of have fun with it too.

Agreed! DS LOVES his infantino activity triangle. He's had it since 5mo (he's 7mo now) and it is still his go-to toy.

We recently got him this Tiny Love Spin Ball:

http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Love-Spin-Ball-Toy/dp/B000H6CAJ6/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

Which he also really likes. At this age, my DS likes things that he can manipulate: twisting, turning, folding, moving, rolling, etc.

[osker]

A friend of mine kept all of the lids of the baby food jars, or really lids to any jars. She put them all in a little basket and let her twins play with them around this age. They loved them! Never got enough!

[expat-mama]

Interesting...

I made another toy for DS yesterday- I took some dried beans of different sizes, but them in a small plastic see-through contained and taped it shut. DS loves it- he shakes it and bangs it like a tambourine and turns it around and around to look at the different coloured and shaped beans in side.