This past weekend, I went through all of the kids toys. We threw a lot of stuff away (around 6 grocery bags full!) because of damage/missing parts/etc. We have a whole pile (stuffed animals/puzzles/kid computers/etc.) that we’re delivering to charity on Saturday.
It was interesting to see what stayed in the “keep” pile. That’s how I picked several “Toys-That-Are-Actually-Worth-Buying”. Here are the seven toys that my husband and kids would not let me get rid of (just in case we adopt a third child):
1. Leap Frog’s Learn & Groove® Counting Maracas: Appropriate for ages 6 months to 3 years, these little maracas are a lot of fun for the kids. There are three different “modes”: 1.Counting – each shake allows the child to count to 10 in both English and Spanish. 2. Colors – introduces the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple in English and Spanish. 3. Music Play – music plays when the infant shakes the maracas. This is another toy that parents can see their kids grow with. (Initially my kids would just mouth the maracas, look at the lights and enjoy the music. As they grew older, the playtime became more meaningful. This is one of my favorite gifts to give to parents of small children.)
Price: $16.49
2. Leap Frog’s Fridge Phonics® Magnetic Set: Appropriate for ages 24 months to 5 years, this is a set that will grow with your child. At first I was a little thrown off, because Leap Frog has changed the look of this set. (I and many of my friends have the former version on our refrigerators!) However, I was happy to see that the core of the product is still the same. The set comes with 26 colorful, magnetic letters and a magnetic letter reader that easily attaches to your fridge. When placed in the reader, each letter both talks (teaching the name of the letter and the sound that it makes) and sings (fun, little learning songs). Many kids love playing with magnets on the refrigerator and this is a great toy to make that playtime educational.
Price: $21.99
3. Little Tikes’ Jungle Jamboree™ Tiger 2-in-1 Piano: Kids ages 1 1/2 years and up will love playing music (AKA banging) on this little combination piano and xylophone. There’s a reason that I see this toy in almost every home with young kids that I visit (including my own home) – it’s cute and fun! Four music sheets with the notes to popular nursery songs are included with the piano. (Most young kids – except musical prodigies – won’t use the sheets, but they are enjoyable for the adults to play songs for their kids.) This is an item that I highly recommend and often give to toddlers as gifts
Price: $19.99
4. Hasbro Tonka Wheel Drivers Scoot ‘n Scoop 3-in-1 Ride-On: Recommended for children 9 months to 3 years old, this is a great 3-in-1 dump truck. Both of my little boys love it! They enjoy playing with the shape-blocks and playing with the steering wheel which makes noises, have lights, and vibrates.
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 39.99
5. LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set: Appropriate for ages 12 months to 3 years, this award-winning toy has been popular with both of my sons. (I also see it in the homes of several of their friends.) This is a great, fun way for kids to both practice matching skills and be creative with mix-matches. The matches include animal names, sounds, facts and songs. This is an all-around great toy.
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 14.99
6. Fisher-Price Little Superstar™ Classical Stacker™: Recommended for ages 6 months and up, this has been a popular toy with both of my sons and many of their playmates (including their group classes). There are four sparkly stars that light up while the music plays. It helps the kids gain a variety of skills and it gives us parents a visual of their growth. (It’s cute to see how they go from banging the stars together and putting them in their mouths to actually figuring out how to stack them, spin them, etc.)
APPROX. RETAIL: $ $10.00
7. Discovery Toys Measure Up! Cups: Appropriate from 12 months to primary school, these cups are a great learning tool. (In my quest to figure out my “after-corporate” life, I sold Discovery Toys for about 30 minutes – until I realized that I HATE selling. My kids got some great toys out of the experience though. This is one of the best.) Kids fill, dump, stack and much more with these colorful cups. One especially neat thing about the cups is that they are “volumetrically correct” (i.e. the contents of cups 3 and 4 really do fill cup 7).
APPROX. RETAIL: $10.99
(Obviously, we spend a lot of money on “Leap Frog” products – we should buy stock in that company!)
In any event, you can find other toy suggestions at Works-For-Me Wednesday.