Reviewing Toys

There is an interesting article up at Mothering Magazine by Josh Golin, Putting the book back in Book Fair. Josh Golin is the program manager at Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood and puts a strong point across in his column: book fair should be about books, not another avenue for corporations to catch kids and parents to spend more money on crap. I think this is a pretty important subject because consumerism and children is pretty out of control.

Golin points out how many TV shows now target children with fun, attractive books. This is so hard for many parents because reading is often seen as an alternative to watching television when kids are young. My parents had a strict ‘no TV after school’ rule and because of that I began an avid reader. For them, reading was a way for to learn and have fun without worrying about all the advertising crap I would be absorbing if I was in front of the TV. But now many children’s books are just melted down version of the most popular kids shows. Of course, the counter argument is that reading is something that is often hard to get children interested in and giving them books that are related to their favorite shows makes reading more accesible and less tedious for them.

Overall though, Golin is spot on about book fairs needing to remain about books. It’s a pretty simple concept.

Mothering Magazine, book fair, Josh Golin, Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood, children’s books, reading, learning to read

I love these Romping Animals! I don’t actually own one but they look like they would be great - no sharp edges to poke eyes out or dent little heads, no horribly offensive colours and annoying useless appendages to be pulled off and stuffed down toilets or behind couches. And it might last for more than a week. $70 - I’m not sure how good/bad that is because to be honest I’ve never bought a toy that big for my kid. But it does seem a little, teensy with high….

I should give credit to Super Cool Baby because that’s where I actually found the link to Babesta.

romping animals, Babesta, Super Cool Baby

Before Bea was born, the concept of baby-boredom seemed ridiculous to me. Surely the simplest things would entertain babies, how could they possibly get bored of toys? Of course, as soon as Bea was old enough to focus on objects, I quickly realized that baby boredom can happen. I’m making it sounds like a disease - ‘Watch out or your child could pick up….BABY BOREDOM!’

It’s not that bad, but it is frustrating when a toy that has worked for weeks at keeping them entertained, suddenly seems to them to be the lamest thing ever invented. This is especially frustrating when you’ve spent MONEY on it. Babies and infants can get bored of toys but don’t throw them away! If it’s a toy that obviously still has hidden depths that your child can discover at an older age, just put in the cupboard. Also try rotating toys on a bi-weekly basis, or even longer for older infants. This often works like a charm for two reason: a) they don’t even remember it to begin with and think they got a new toy and/or b) they might remember it and also recall how much fun they had and jump right in playing with it.

baby boredom, baby toys, toy rotation

Bea recieved a little Elmo Mini-Plush in the mail today! Just the right size, not too big, not too small. The Tickle Me Elmos that are so popular are a bit too big for her and also I think they can be slightly overwhelming for a little baby (7 months), considering the toy is as big as her.

Sesame Street Workshop is a non-profit educational organization, so buying their toys helps fund their programs, which is always a good thing. Sesame Street was one of the few shows that I was allowed to watch when I was a kid and I’m going to have to start searching YouTube so Bea can watch them in Europe.

Sesame Street Workshop, Gund, Elmo

Just came across Absolutely Bananas, a mommy blog that you should all be linking to. She has a great post (from March…) about top 5 toys you should never waste your money one. Please read it! So funnny. Actually I don’t agree with the train set on her list, but it’s child-specific and in the words of Lewis Black, we are all unique snow flakes. What’s on your list of top worst toys?

Another present that my mom brought (picked up at the airport). She thinks these are a bit tacky but I love them. Fair enough, considering how much they cose (around $50) I’d expect to have the Mona Lisa painted on them but instead they have badly sketches little pictures that aren’t all that educational. But Bea loves them and I think they will last a long time in terms of entertainment factor.

I still can’t get over the price. Yes, the UK is more expensive, I know, I know. But Hamley’s is also a bit of a rip-off toy store. It’s great to take your kids there because it’s got a billion floors and you can spend hours playing with toys without actually having to buy anything but as far as economising, it’s the last place you want to go.

toy blocks, wooden blocks, alphabet blocks, baby blogs, educational toys

The Herald Tribune has a good series of articles covering the increase in product recalls, specifically children’s toys.

When I announced on my other baby blog that I was going to be blogging here about toys, someone left me the following comment:

Althought I know babies are amused and kept distracted by lots of the new toys, I’m not sure they NEED them. I think this field is just one more example of consumerism gone mad. Babies and young children are often just as happy with pots and pans and bright colored magazines. We should think carefully before sinking lots of money into many of these things that will serve for a few short weeks.

And yes I agree with them, which is why I wanted to write this post about time. Now, for most new parents time is the most valuable commodity. There is never enough time to brush your hair, put in that last load of laundry, call your best friend on her birthday, finish washing the dishes, make that delicious and healthy dinner for the whole family, help volunteer at the local [insert charity of choice] and about a million other things. You constanly feel like you never get a second to yourself and if you do its used up doing the latter chores, not for something really relaxing such as taking a long bath (to wash off the layers of baby spit up) or just READ a book. Remember that? Remember non-parenting related reading material?

We often buy/make toys that we think will occupy our kids for long enough to get a few seconds to ourselves. Of course then you meet a parent whose child has just gone off to college and then remind you that you’re going to blink your eyes before you know it that tiny baby will be moving into dorms and you better cherish every moment with them now. And you get that horrible parent-guilt for wanting a few minutes to yourself, even though you know that if you got some time to yourself one in a while, just to center your crazy core, you would be a better parent. It’s a great catch-22.

We should remember that TIME is often the best toy. Kids (up to probably the age of 13 and then you might as well not even exist) often can be entertained by hanging out with you, helping you with chores (as long as you make it into a game!) or doing ‘grown up’ things. Especially for babies. How many times have you read in baby books that the most best toy a child will respond to is your own face.

family, time, parenting, toys

My mom arrived from the USA two days ago, along with a suitcase full of goodies for Bea. The best one of all was the activity walker that I couldn’t find anywhere. So far she’s spent a fair amount of time in it and she loves it. It gives her some indendence and makes her feel like she’s deciding what she wants to chew on, yank on and drool all over.

Baby walkers get alot of bad press, with good cause. Out of the plethora of baby toys, walkers have the highest injury rate. BUT not because of the walker itself but because of lack of supervision. Parents often don’t realize how quickly babies can get around in walkers. You baby-proof your house, usually for crawling (covering plugs, making sure there’s no wires to chew on etc…), but when they get into crawlers, babies suddenly have access to a whole new level of ‘toys’ to get their hands on. Bea has already been pulling the diaper bag off the changing table because she could reach the strap.

Main injuries are from falling down the stairs, burning themsleves, tipping over and eating unedible items. Of course, these can all be avoided if you are as vigilant as when they are crawling on the floor.

Saftey tips:

- Make sure the walker is on a smooth surface to avoid tipping over.
- Check that all items that are in their reach are baby-safe to avoid injury and burns (i.e. don’t do something incredibly stupid such as leaving the iron cord in reach!).
- Close all doors and gates that access stairs (even one step can send them crashing!).
- Make sure they don’t have access to a water source.
- ALWAYS, ALWAYS supervise them when being used!!!

Do walkers help with learning how to walk?

NO! This is one of the misconceptions that parents often have about walkers. Read this Q&A by Dr Greene to find out why walkers don’t help babies learn how to walk and can sometimes delay walking.

So why the hell should you still buy one?

Because they are fun and if used safely, kids can have a blast in them. Remember that not every single toy needs to be about pushing those development milestones and all toys should be used in moderation, meaning don’t stick your kid in a walker for three hours a day and then leave the room!

baby walker, activity walker, development, development milestones, infant development, Dr Greene

Do I even need to introduce these toys? I think most of us can remember a time when we tried to make our own paper dolls and clothes for them and ended up wasting alot of paper, getting very frustrated and throwing it all away. Or was that just me?

I still love the more tradiational dolls that wear lace dresses like Polly Prat.

Legacy Pride has a whole range of traditional dolls, for a price.

However, since these are supposed to be for your children, they might find these modern celebrity dolls more entertaining. At StarDoll you can make your own paper Desperate Housewives, with a change of clothes, or make your own little Brad Pitt (remember it’s for your KIDS to play with!). It’s a bit odd but I would rather they be playing with these than whining to buy the latest Britney doll for more money that it’s worth.

paper dolls