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Toys toys toys toys toys toys toys.... I am obsessed.

2K views 15 replies 16 participants last post by  NicaG 
#1 ·
I admit it. But you know what? It isn't because I want to provide DS with a constant barrage of new toys, it is because I play with him all the time and after a while his toys BORE me! That is my justification.

So... any new great finds? Spam me with links!
 
#2 ·
Ha! I so relate! I was so sick of doing the same puzzles over and over again so I went out and bought some new ones. DH gave me grief because dd was content with the ones she had, but come on, how many more times can I look at that same scene of animals on the arc, kwim?!?

So I'm not sure about new finds but the things that I can play with for a while without getting bored are: Legos (Duplo), wooden blocks, puzzles, train sets, toy kitchens, and books (off the top of my mind). Oh yeah, I also like the Playmobil 123 toys. Luckily my dd has the same taste in toys as I do. LOL!
 
#8 ·
bnak

I'm right there with you. I hate shopping for clothing, groceries, household items, shoes, cars, home repair stuff, you name it. There are very few things I like to shop for...but one of those things is toys or stuff that can be used like toys. I even *play* with my kids' toys more than they do. I swear in some ways I never grew up LOL.

Things I love to shop for my kids include but are not limited to:
  • All things Montessori...I have about six Montessori catalogs in my bathroom for "leisure reading."
  • Dolls. For a while I was obsessed with finding a cloth but anatomically correct doll for ds as he was first starting to learn body parts. I never found it but did end up getting him a plastic potty teaching doll. Now I am lusting over just good old fashioned Waldorf-inspired dolls.
  • Real musical instruments that are a kid-friendly but not kid-exclusive size, really for the adults as much as the kids.
  • Train sets.
  • Sensory materials and things in which to contain them.
  • Everything having to do with swimming...I am a total water baby!
  • Wooden animal sets.
  • Ride on and rocking toys
  • Climbing toys
  • Real tools for the kitchen that are on the small end
  • ...and lately I've been on the hunt for the *perfect* wagon, but have yet to find exactly what I am looking for. I should start getting a patent on my ideas LOL.
I spend a lot of money on this stuff, but I always buy quality materials. This reduces waste as well. And I also do a lot more *shopping* than buying because, well, money doesn't grow on trees.

To balance out my obsession with what is developmentally appropriate, we never have all toys out at once. We have a select minimal handful of toys out, the rest in the garage, and all but a few key toys rotate in and out. This reduces my boredom and thus need to spend/buy too. We try to live a lifestyle that doesn't foster excess consumerism. We also go through our toys a couple times a year and take a big-- and I mean *huge*-- batch of donations to the foster care office...we do this usually after the winter holidays or a birthday when other folks have been buying us a ton of stuff too.
 
#9 ·
Let's face it, toys are FUN!! I agree, I hate shopping for almost everything else, but I love toys. And I am kind of addicted to ebay for kids' clothes, though I'm trying to curb that too.

The thing is, we've got relatives coming out our ears, and they all buy toys for our kids, so it's not like we NEED ANY toys.
 
#10 ·
Like Sierra, I'm trying to balance finances, consumerism and my own desire to add toys to Jett's stash.

Sierra, check out Berlin Flyer" wagons. They are hand made in Ohio and are REALLY nice. We just got this one. I had intended to buy the one with inflatable tires, but I found this one on craigslist for $40!, so I couldn't pass it up.

The svan scooter and Rody are big hits around here...HUGE hits. (Rody should be a lot cheaper than that site, by the way!) Here is DS riding and kissing Rody the day he got him.

His brio push cart gets tons of use, carting rocks and ferrets (this morning,) and model airplanes all over the place. Technically, the thing is a doll pram
but I don't know how!

Oh, yeah...ferrets are great toddler 'toys.' but I don't exactly recommend that.


He's big into lacing toys, too. We have three: The Melissa and Doug transportation set, the Haba lacing beads basic set and the Ryan's Room lacing snake. The snake is awesome because it has a wooden "needle" attached to the end and at 21 months, Jett can do this one. The others just have shoelaces and he can't get them all the way through the beads yet. So, the snake is the only one out in our living room right now.

We've had a ring around style Gertie ball for almost a year. It's a constant hit. It's a very frictiony material, can be underinflated for easier handling and is way indoors-safe. We play with it tons.

Those are the top toys around here, long term.

Oh, and a Caterpillar dump truck and a Hess tanker truck. Those get played with daily. And ... matchbox airplanes.

Oh....I could go on...I love toys.
 
#12 ·
Hmmm, you ladies make me feel like I am normal after all. I was just condidering getting into therapy because I am obsessed with toys, even if I don't buy them, I search for them on Internet and dream of them. But now, I see, I am not alone... LOL.

Currently my newest obsession is getting my dd a bookcase dollhouse and I think I already know which one I want: http://store.platinumgalleria.com/ki...elf-14600.html
This one is the size that will fit in our small space and will serve a double duty, too.
And yes, I know, as soon as dd gets it for Christmas, I will find another must have toy LOL.
 
#13 ·
I'm actually a recovering toyaholic. Now that my kids are 4 and 6 and I have basically bought one of everything, I have moved on to obsess on other things. In the interim, we nearly went broke and my husband thought I was nuts...

I was particularly attracted to wooden toys (still am) but, I can see that if I buy anymore for my kids, I will be creating little compulsive insatiable consumers...best to get it out of your system while they are young enough to forget how much stuff they had.

Enjoy!
 
#14 ·
Great thread! We have tons of toys but most of them are hand-me-downs or gifts and are, sadly, PLASTIC. Although I'm not a plastic snob - DD loves 'em, we keep 'em.

However I haven't actually bought her many toys in a while so I signed up for the catalogs linked in an earlier post...I'm looking forward to reading them and getting an idea of what to spend my money on...more fun and less overwhelming than going to a big toy store.

Anyone got any other catalog links, or links to online stores?
 
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