About Toys...The Beginning

Toys, toys and more toys, this is what I will talk about today...I have a crazy amount of toys for my 4yo, and I want to share with you my experience with those toys!...I want to make this blog as fun as possible, but I also need to give some recommendations, I am VERY detail oriented, and despite I don't have a lot of free time as a full time working mom, I do read a lot not only about parenthood and child development but also toy reviews, brands, materials, pros and cons, etc.

A little background, I'm not just a crazy shopaholic mom buying all toys in clearance (well, I am a little crazy but aren't we all?, and yeah I love clearance, that's not the point tho)...the main reason I research a lot is because my little one has some (mild) sensory difficulties, so, I'm always trying to give her the tools she needs and make it easier for her to overcome her limitations. I'm not going to lie to you I used to buy as many things before knowing all this, the difference is, I've learnt a lot since then, I don't just buy any toy like before, but I make my own research to understand the benefits of certain toys, and sometimes I look for advice with behavior or occupational therapist. the beauty of all the toys that I'm recommending is that they are not exclusive for kids with behavioral or sensory limitations but they can be used by ANY kid. Remember kids learn by playing, specially when they don't know how to read or write.

Please NOTE: If your LO has any severe sensory difficulty or any other behavioral limitation, check with your therapist before buying anything mentioned in this blog. 

Less is more

Despite the amount of toys we have, please note that I completely agree with the wisdom contained in the phrase less is more, mostly because I know when kids have an extensive variety of toys they end up having the "butterfly" effect and go over every single toy trying to decide what to do, what to play with, ending up in frustration, or else, playing for 5 minutes with something and then moving on to something else, constantly asking for guidance or attention, sabotaging the concept for "Independent playing" which is what we all moms want!, just to have a 5 (or more) minute break to sit and enjoy a glass of water (or wine).

Saying that, I want to start with what is fresh in my memory, meaning toys for my 4yo, don't worry, I'll go back in time and also talk about baby toys.

What to avoid!

My first recommendation is, try to avoid toys that require batteries, they tend to overstimulate kiddos (not to mention, they can drive us crazy when they are played over and over), it's ok to have a couple, but try for them to be a minority.

Try to avoid character toys, I'm not saying do not buy the Elsa doll, or the Hulk if your kids adore them, but limit it to that, there is so many beautiful type of toys (bowling sets, doll houses, building sets, race tracks)  and many of them have cartoons/movie/show characters printed on them, try to avoid those, I know, they look amazing and your kids will be thrilled, but unfortunately at some  point they limit children imagination, and it's not about playing dollhouse or a car race anymore, but about duplicating the show they just watched 100 times, and their playtime becomes  another episode of paw patrol in that race track or that peppa pig house, do you get what I am trying to say? 

Try to avoid giving your child a toy that is not age appropriate, I'm pretty aware that every kid is different and that's ok, you as the mom (or dad), know better what fits to your child, but always try to read what's the recommended age in the label and why (most toys manufactures explain why is recommended for 3+, 4+, 5+, etc). Zoe just turned 4 and she has some toys recommended for 5+ and 6+ I know she won't be in any potential danger so I let her have them handy. When labels explain the toy contains small parts that are choking hazard, I know exactly what could be dangerous for her, so if I see potential risk but I know it's something she will like, then I either get it and sit with her with that particular toy and store it away (unreachable for her) when we are done or I just don't buy it.  

Last but not least, screen time, I personally try to avoid screen time as much as possible, it's been proved that too much screen time slows brain development and has many other negative effects in children's behavior, verbal, physical and cognitive abilities. (Although pandemic events of 2020 that have forced us to stay indoors, working remotely full time with kids at home has change this particular rule, but that is ok)

Type of toys

There are many, many different type of toys out there, they are oriented to help your kids to develop different type of  skills, and you want to be able to identify this, why? well, you know your little one better than anyone else, so you will notice certain preferences and that will help you to decide the way you want to handle your kiddo skill set, some parents stay with the same type of toy because they want to focus in the strengths of their LO and reinforce them and that's ok. 

In my case, I know exactly the type of toys that will keep her entertained and I use those when I need a moment of calm, or when I'm having a meeting and need her to be busy, but I also know her areas of opportunity, the toys she doesn't like and why she doesn't like them, I know when she is out of her comfort zone and will get frustrated, so I use those toys when I have the time and patience to sit with her and help her develop and overcome her limitations (it's not magic, it'll take days week or months, and tons of patience from you and your child, but that's the beauty of parenting).

Before moving on
Bare with me, I'm going to be recommending a variety of toys, it doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune, or you need to spend at all, It was rare when I paid full price. Most of our toys, were purchased in clearance section for $20-$3 dollars or with promos of buy 2 get one free, lightning deals, subscriptions, coupons, black friday, etc.

For many of them, there is a way to DIY (do it yourself) with recycled materials, I know this is an amazing option for you to spend quality time with your LO. When you do it together they value those toys even more!, I just don't have the time, talent and patience for it, this blog will not explain the "DIY How To" (I may mention an idea here and there),  but mostly I will explain you the benefits of the toy, and where to get it and how does it look. and maybe with that on your mind you can search for tutorials on Pinterest or YouTube

Please, do not feel obligated to acquire any of these toys, this blog was created to let you know what is out there, as I mentioned before, there is a huge market, but I've done an extensive research, so I want to share it in case someone needs a shortcut or if you need any ideas for a special gift.

Do not think you need to have your LO entertained all the time, actually, it is ok for them to be bored,  boredom has proven to be the beginning of great inventions, boredom spikes creativity, imagination  and helps with independent playing, you do not need the items that I am about to list.

If your LO has a zillion toys, my advice is for you to put some of them away, I have a rotation system, basically big plastic boxes full of Zoe's used toys that I storage in the top of her closet, every 3-6 months I bring them down and exchange them for the ones she's been playing with for a while, and boom! new toys!. I am also very good at tossing/donating/selling damaged/used toys or the ones she outgrowths, keep it clean! Do not hoard old toys!!!, Believe me, if you don't sell them in less than 2 months, you never will and when least expected you'll have a mountain of old toys invading your house! just donate them!, they can be a huge distractor for your LO, and they will only take room in your house.

Ok Moving on!

Please follow my next blog About toys...My top 10 for more details