Okay, so it's easy enough for me to not buy plastics for my 8 month old. She prefers her soft dolls and wooden blocks anyway, and about the only non-natural-fiber/element things she plays with are books.
But I also have a 5yo self-proclaimed diva-girl who likes sparkles and play makeup and those jelly-clothes Polly Pocket dolls. She loves her wooden play kitchen, wool food, and playsilks, but would totally flip if she couldn't find her My Little Pony collection.
Then there's my 8yo son, who is a video game expert and loves collectible action figure toys (often purchase-able only via eBay). He collects rocks and plays with wooden swords, but he'd cry mutiny if I even suggested getting rid of the xbox (as would my husband!!
)
Many things that older kids want to play with just aren't plastic-free. And the older they get, the more their opinions should be respected...right? So how is this issue navigated in your homes? Do you just ban all commercial, mass-produced toys regardless of age? Do you let them choose what they want to play with from the beginning and not worry about any potential risks from plastic? What are your methods and feelings, and why??
(yes I'm picking your brains
)
Cause it's pretty defeating to have my 8 month old finding and mouthing my 8yo's Pokemon figures when I'm not looking!
But I also have a 5yo self-proclaimed diva-girl who likes sparkles and play makeup and those jelly-clothes Polly Pocket dolls. She loves her wooden play kitchen, wool food, and playsilks, but would totally flip if she couldn't find her My Little Pony collection.
Then there's my 8yo son, who is a video game expert and loves collectible action figure toys (often purchase-able only via eBay). He collects rocks and plays with wooden swords, but he'd cry mutiny if I even suggested getting rid of the xbox (as would my husband!!
)Many things that older kids want to play with just aren't plastic-free. And the older they get, the more their opinions should be respected...right? So how is this issue navigated in your homes? Do you just ban all commercial, mass-produced toys regardless of age? Do you let them choose what they want to play with from the beginning and not worry about any potential risks from plastic? What are your methods and feelings, and why??
(yes I'm picking your brains
)Cause it's pretty defeating to have my 8 month old finding and mouthing my 8yo's Pokemon figures when I'm not looking!
)
), but we don't go out of our way to get something simply because it's "Dora" or "Spiderman" and the kids would like it...We actually have avoided buying DS Legos modeled after Sponge Bob and shoes that had Spiderman on them, and he was frustated, but understood our feelings and actaully says he's glad since they wouldn't have fit in with the castle kingdom he now has
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