Toys without Soul

It is so insane. The holidays make me feel ill. What I am really worried about is family members buying Gaea bad toys. Some of the toys that relatives buy for her, I have to give to Goodwill. I know that they mean good, and I wish I could make a comment, but I have to hold my tongue, and smile.
They are electronic atrocities that are made for the kind of parents who think "go play with your toy, and let me watch television". They have no soul, they are just empty. No real energy was put into it. Children can feel the difference if they actually are given the oppurtunity to.
For thanksgiving someone got her this puppy dog that sings, and tells her the bodyparts. Occaisionally it will let out "I love you", and "Yay"!!!! with a clapping audience...It makes me cringe. I was glad that she shows little interest in it. She played with it for five minutes, and then I gave her a carnation, and she ran around with it for an hour until it finally fell apart.



I really LOVE LOVE LOVE these kind of toys. This Christmas I am going to make her a Waldorf style doll, and cat.

http://www.threesisterstoys.com/index2.asp Beautiful toys made with love, and to cherish forever


Peace Love

 

I HATE electronic noise toys! Sage's favorite (she is just 5) are her wood doll house (but we need a new family, as our puppy ate the people) her Dick and Jane books, Duplos and wooden blocks.

She sees this crap on TV (aaughhg, I let her watch TV sometimes....) and she is starting the "I want that. Will you buy me that?" That personal "video disk player" that only plays one company's disks (all Nickolodean crap) is on TV all the time. I have been trying to explain to her that they just want to sell her MORE STUFF. It is hard with a small impresssionble person. She doesn't realize the evil intentions of these advertisers.

Less TV, that would be good. With so many kids in the house, and people coming and going all day, the TV is probably on too much. Gotta work on that.

 

I know just what you mean. Though, or because I'm so far from having kids, I'm in touch enough with the youth (in this case, the especially youthfull) to know that toys like you mentioned are just no good. It seems that toys like blocks, dolls, cardboard boxes etc. kids just love! I know I did, and you probably did to. But let me tell you, I'm thrilled to know that there are mothers out there who aren't buying into the leave-me-alone toys.

 

Totally agree

Years ago I decorated a huge cardboard box to look like a house for my godparent's grandson (he was about two at the time). He obsessed over it for ages.

See that's the real magic of being a kid, that something seemingly borning/pointless can become a perfect plaything.

I don't remember most of the toys I had as a kid. Just all the simple things that we had such fun with (I spent half my early childhood playing house down the back of the couch) that's what makes children happy and gives them good memories. Not that stupid plastic crap.

 

I hate electronic toys. When my kids were little they all went straight to the goodwill. Now that they are older, we finally broke down and bought a ps2, and a gameboy. But all those lights and sounds give me the creeps, plus the flashing lights are very bad for kids (my 6yo is epileptic) I know that gma and aunts ect... buy them because they love the kids so all you can really do is smile, say thank you and try to get rid of it. Try sending and email a nice list of things she would like. My little girls still love baby dolls and dress up clothes best of all. Tea sets are great for little girls and anything that perpetuates playing house. The other thing I hate are Mcdonalds toys, or anything that is more advertisment than plaything.

I am reminded of going to toys r us one xmas as I was looking around I went into the section marked "imagination play" I was so sad when I left there, there was nothing left to imagine!!! They sold everything in child size you could think of.

 

OOPS so sorry Lovngharmony, I didn't realize you were logged in when I made that post. So, the preceeding post was actually me, not paying attention.

 

Ellen, "leave me alone" toys. That's great!

The only electronic toy I have found to be of any value was the V tech alphabet board. Sage was learning her alphabet and the sounds letters make before she was two and she really enjoyed this toy. It's main limitation is that you can only make three letter words (and it won't make or say swear words, my dh and I as well as the older kids tried and tried LOL.)

But when Sage played with it I was always WITH her, it was a learning tool.

Do you have any idea how many offers for a "Leap Pad" I have turned down? EVERYONE wants to buy Sage one. The kid can read, and that toy can't do anything an adult (or older brother or sister) can't do. I have even had to return the "books" for it as my childless friends somehow assume all kids have one.

 

Oh yes, my husband and I were just discussing this. I was expressing nostalgia for the times when children had to actually use their imagination. Now it seems almost every toy lights up, plays music, and requires "AA" batteries. lol

Peace...

 

We have a rule that the person giving the obnoxious toy has to see Dakota play with it at least one time. After that it goes on ebay. We don't keep things that we don't approve of. Last night a friend gave us two bags of videos. We'll probably keep 2 or 3 of them.

We have told people that we want Thomas or Brio trains for the holidays. But I know some people will get the noisy electronic crap. So I'll be on ebay again in January.

Kathi

 

I'm glad you started this thread, because I couldn't agree more. I have two boys and every single Christmas they get a ton of plastic battery operated toys and I really really dislike it. However I do like the little people toys. My boys will play with the animals for a long time and we just don't put the batteries in.
here's some suggestions for some natural toys online. I love magic cabin they have a lot of neat wooden toys but it's very expensive!

Hearth Song
Magic cabin


Valerie

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with having a toy that talks or video games or anything. I believe that these things are fine in moderation. The problem isn't the child with the toy that says "Mama" or "Dada", or the child with the Gamecube, the problem is the child who is given only these toys to play with. The problem is the child who spents 12 hours a day on the Gamecube.

When I was little, I had a Super Nintendo which I did play. But I also loved my books and my art supplies and musical instruments. Talking toys are only a problem if that's all they play with.

 

definitely jesi, I too had a super nintendo and i loved playing games, especially with my mom, but i remember when i was even younger my friend and i would stand on the couch and face the back and hit it and itd make little waves and we'd pretend they were alligators or once i had a big box and i painted it red and it became a car!

ah, childhood

 

Hehe my fave childhood toy was HappyToYou my dolly i got her for my 3rd birthday and i still have her. I couldnt say Birthday so thats why she was called Happy to You.

I also still have my Blankie (and still suck my thumb too )
I have a Sega Mega Drive when i was about 9 ..but i hardly ever played with it. i justr had hundreds of dolls and teddies but my mum kept throwing them ut cosi had too many. Also i had My Little Pony and barbie dolls but i didnt care if they were barbie or sindy they were just dollys.

I agree electronic toys arent ALL bad its just parents who ONLY give their child the electronic toys which cause problems.

 

Magic Cabin, Hearthsong, Learning Creations, Rosie Hippos are all good places (catalogues) to get good kid toys, (The doll house family from Learning Creations is MUCH cheaper than the Magic Cabin one!)

We don't have any video game box in our house. The kids have the Sims and Harry Potter and Jump Start games for the computer, but nothing violent or exploitive. My kids (the older ones) went through a "it isn't fair we don't have a Nintendo" phase, but I held fast. TV is bad enough, IMO.

I don't know what Sage and the others will get this year. It is getting harder to buy for my 18 year old. Our boy (age 13) wants violent crap, but will do crafts. He'll probably get Border's or Amazon certificates. Moon is easy to buy for, anything Middle Ages, books and stuff for her room.

 

there is a store called toys that teach you may be able to find it on the net. they have some great fun toys. Also a store called the learning express same kinda store. You can find toys made of wood online and on ebay. I tried to get my son things this year I know he'll get something out of. He's into pretending now so I got hime a wood dollhouse and some furnature to go inside, some little wooden people and things. I got him a kitchen from the auction (flea market) asd some play dishes and things for that.
There is this view master thing that can take any reels its a projector though so it can be used as a projector for the reels or a large flashlight for play. thats the only batery operated thing I got him. You can get trains on ebay too.

 

I always used to play with my wooden train set and linkin logs when I was younger, I've still got em, and plan on giving them to my kids.

 

linkin logs and tinker toys and these things called tree blocks...tree blocks are basicly just trees cut up into little logs easy for building..and fun.

 

I have specifically told my family no electronics/noisemakers or Barbies/Bratz.


Money is slim for us this year so basically all I'm getting is crafty stuff for the girls. Paints, colors, things to make, etc. And workbooks for Maddie.

 

The year that I bought my oldest son clays, paints, and crayons and spent the least amount of money was probably the best thing I have ever gotten him. It didn't cost a whole lot, and he had a blast. I think he played with that stuff more than anything else he received in the years after that.

Now, he's really into those Imaginext building sets. I think they're fun myself. And hey, there's no electronics or flashing lights, you just have to use your imagination. Those are really my favorite toys.

Hugs...

 

I think they're kind of cute to be honest. I read in the newspaper recently how Barbie wasn't getting as many sales as she used to due to the Bratz.

I played with Barbies as a child and loved it, but then again, I think that Barbies (now I've never seen a naked Bratz doll so I don't know what their body type is like) really portray an impossible image for females, unless they've had plastic surgery. That's not really a positive thing for a young, growing girl in a world filled with obsession over looks. But would I say "no" to having Barbies in my home? Probably not. I'd probably play with them too. lol It's hard to say though. Ask me again in another year or two.

Anyway.