Best and Worst Toys

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Allegra

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I’m in the process of choosing birthday gifts for my kids, and I’ve already received requests from the grandparents for Christmas gift ideas. So, which toys did you buy your kids/grandkids/nieces and nephews that were totally worth the money, and which were a complete waste?

For my kids, by far the toy they’ve gotten he most use out of was the sandbox, followed by the wooden trainset. The best thing about both is that we can continue to buy accessories that go with them, so future gift giving occasions are covered. The biggest waste of money for me was actually something I bought for my niece. When I was a kid, my aunt was a “Discovery Toys” seller, and my cousins had an amazing set of Marbleworks. They’re the little plastic racetrack towers that you can build and then the marbles roll through them and make wheels spin and go through all sorts of tunnels and ramps. Cool, huh? My niece apparently doesn’t think so. I bought a set for her and she decided that putting the pieces together was “too hard” and hasn’t touched it since she first opened it. I suppose she might decide to give it another chance as she gets older, but so far, it’s been a bust.
 
Oh, I always feel like my nieces and nephews are impossible to please. Kids these days.
 
How old are the children?

Our kids all liked little tikes cars they drove, play ovens, larger jigsaw puzzles, stuffed animals and playdoh sets.

I think classic toys are better then trendy ones that do too many things.
 
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the mini-drone was a waste.

The BB gun was and still is a hit. Its not something the kids do on their own though.
 
It really depends on the age and the kid. My two big kids (girl and boy) loved their train set and it grew to Sodor-size–but baby sister (age 4/5) is meh about it. However, she’s obviously rather excited about our Hot Wheels track system that lives in big sister’s drawer and comes out for company. Baby Girl also into Capsela. She likes play doh, but her interest comes and goes. We have a kid table devoted to play doh, with a box of plastic cookie cutters underneath.

This is a fun play doh set if you like My Little Pony:

https://www.toysrus.com/product?pro...bUWqIZoWSu6GJThn3MoPYDEqv7_W_MEIaAjWEEALw_wcB

(warning: the tubs of play doh are really small.)

Both big kids (especially the boy) love their LEGO.

Baby Girl enjoys art supplies (in fact, it’s rather a challenge to keep hers under control). She also enjoys little action figures for her favorite shows (as a space saver, I just mostly buy the small figures, not their play sets).

Baby Girl doesn’t really play with her well-stocked kitchen set by herself, but it really comes into its own when we have company.

A simple set of letter magnets on a cookie sheet can be a lot of fun for a preschooler.

Scooters (with a helmet) can be a lot of fun–but careful on safety. (A friend’s two kids once raced ahead and had a near miss with a car–kids are really fast on scooters, so you can barely keep up with them.)

Bath toys are also fun.

Maybe play it by ear and don’t over-invest? A trip to Toys R Us can provide a lot of inspiration.
 
My stepdaughter (almost 13) loves books so that’s what we commonly buy for her. Back in the day, Barbies were another big hit.

My personal recommendation: do NOT buy a toy that makes noise for someone else’s child. The farm set that plays “Old MacDonald” looks cute, but when you’ve been listening to it all day, and you’re about ready to tell Old MacDonald where he can take his farm and shove it, then it’s not so cute anymore 😃

I also make toys - I make sock animals by hand and I also like to stitch plastic canvas.
 
His_helpmeet said:
My personal recommendation: do NOT buy a toy that makes noise for someone else’s child. The farm set that plays “Old MacDonald” looks cute, but when you’ve been listening to it all day, and you’re about ready to tell Old MacDonald where he can take his farm and shove it, then it’s not so cute anymore 😃
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Yeah.

Also, when buying for somebody else’s child, be scrupulous about observing the age recommendations.
 
Do they still make the A.C. Gilbert chemistry set?

With Toys R Us going bankrupt, I mourn the loss of the opportunities to gawk at all those toys.
 
I’ve heard that chemistry sets are a lot less interesting than they used to be.
 
To me this makes sense, and the reason is that from what I understand, back in the day most chemistry sets were actually not very safe. Of course, what children want is to see something “cool” - an explosion, a fire, or something. Unfortunately, these reactions can also be very dangerous. Today, I think the idea is to have fun WITHOUT potentially blowing up the house 🙂
 
Flimsy plastic and things with too many moving parts is something I stay away from through bad experience. Also things with button batteries. They are either impossible to get out because of being behind a screwed in panel, or too easy to get out and an awful health hazard to little people who can swallow them. Very serious.

Plus side, Lego is tremendous. Until you step on it.
 
If you’re buying a toy, legos, wooden toys, etc are the way to go.

If someone asks what they can buy your children, always suggest “consumables”. Art supplies, play dough, bubbles…etc. They can be used up, don’t take up too much room and are expensive to buy a good supply of.
 
Yes. If you buy a toy with a button battery, make sure it is so locked up, there’s no way a kid can get it out. My daughter swallowed a button battery that someone left laying out at her baby-sitter’s house and she nearly died. She was in the hospital for two weeks and on a feeding tube for six weeks. Very scary!
 
Legos (and before that Duplo) blocks definitely a big hit around here. Expensive, but I like that they literally last forever. The new ones always fit the old ones and they are practically indestructible. Nice thing is as mine are outgrowing them, I get to keep them and play with them myself till the grandbabies are old enough to join me. 😃

Beyond that Melissa & Doug make some nice wood toys that are good for the younger set as well.

Worst toys are ones that aren’t made well and break. I’ve stayed away from Mattel and Hot Wheels sets for that reason for years.

CJ
 
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