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What are your favorite toys for your ten month old?

TryTheTilapia — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:23:57 -0800

Our son will be ten months old soon and I'd like to get him some new toys. I get overwhelmed by the toy choices I'm seeing on Amazon and in the toy stores, and a little advice would be greatly helpful. Toys that would last him for a year or so would be particularly great.

As I said, he's almost ten months old. He's very much into cause and effect right now. He enjoys things that play music, balls, things that he can pull up on, and things he take apart (i.e. - a little wooden farmhouse that is a series of interlocking blocks.) What he loves most - MOST - is anything electronic. Remote controls, game consoles, laptops, phones, iPad, anything with a button on it that he can press, you get the idea.

He's also pretty small, so some things that taller babies can pull up on easily are harder for him to manage, so if you've got experience with toys for shorter babies, that would be particularly helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Is there a list of TeenTalk Barbie's phrases?

mermaidcafe — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:21:54 -0800

I read that the TeenTalk barbie (famous for the controversial math statement) is programmed to speak 269 phrases (down from 270 after removing the math one). I can't find a list of her phrases anywhere and think it would be really funny. Anybody know of such a list?

What are the best IKEA products for ages one to three?

Xalf — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:44:09 -0800

We are making a rare trip to IKEA tomorrow in part to get a table and chairs for our one-year old. What are other IKEA items that we should look at for him? The last time we braved IKEA, Young Master Xalf was just three months old. I was impressed by the selection in the kids section, but that was a while ago and I didn't have the perspective I have now that he's one.

So, what are your favorite things for kids from IKEA? I'm willing to consider anything they sell: furniture, toys, meatballs, etc. I put ages one to three in the title because I hope to not go back for at least a year or two.

We already have the awesome BUSA tunnel. Here it is in use.

Toys and objects to deal with physical stress.

shimmer — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:34:33 -0800

So there is the stress ball. That one I know. Does anyone have any other ideas for dealing with nervous energy from stress and anxiety in the office that won't bother people around you so much (esp those moments when I can't just go for a long walk or to the gym, etc). It’s a fairly routine problem for me that even after the stressor is long gone, the nervous energy sticks around. I don't so much need the 'take a deep breath' or 'think positive' type of thing, I might not even be actively thinking or worrying about anything; and I already have a good doc for the long term aspects. Just looking for some ideas about the tactile and physical side of this thing, which tends to stick around for a while and can be pretty uncomfortable.

Easter has passed, but I'm still dreaming of a singing plush rabbit

alms — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:16:05 -0800

I would like to purchase the singing plush bunny shown in this video. I can't find it anywhere. Can you help me find it?

Can you identify this object / game / toy / mysterious item? [pictures!]

crazylegs — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 06:05:36 -0800

I can't figure out what this strange thing is. It resembles a set of dominoes with unfamiliar symbols on them. I'm sure someone out there will recognize it immediately. Thanks! picture 1 picture 2 picture 3

Online Sex Toys

ecollie — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:58:13 -0800

Simply put, if one goes shopping for such things in traditional shops, it's shocking the markup %. Does the hive have any recommendations for sites with broad variety and competitive pricing?

DIY Waterproof Toymaking

Doleful Creature — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:09:23 -0800

I want to make a floating castle for my kids to play with in the bath. How can I do this? My two young children have some plastic "army men" that they play with in the bathtub, except that they're actually knights instead of the green soldiers (same size, though).

I would love to make for them a waterproof-ish castle on a floating base that they could play with in the bathtub, and which could also serve as a housing for all the little plastic knights errant.

The design will be fairly simple: 4 castle walls on top of some kind of base. And it needs to float, so I imagine the base actually needs to be a hull, probably about 10 - 12 inches in diameter.

I have access to some really really nice woodworking tools, but I'm not really sure about making wood toys for the bath. Sounds like a bad idea. Is there another material I could use? Soumething lightweight, floaty and waterproof? I'm thinking some kind of plastic but don't know anything about working with plastic.

Can I do this for less than $100 USD?

Non-Toy Toys for Toddlers

benzenedream — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:58:31 -0800

For kids under the age of three, what household objects have been the most entertaining for your kids? I'm looking for household objects that your kid discovered and ended up being a cherished play item, not things bought in a toy store (e.g. buckets, bags, boxes, dead remotes, phones, etc.)? No electronics please.

Not Blue Enough to Be a Smurf...

Knappster — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:52:13 -0800

Does anyone recognize this Schleich PVC figurine? It's marked "Schleich" and "W. Germany", and stands about 2.5 inches tall (about the same scale as their Smurf figurines). Any idea who this character is?

How to occupy little one in car trips?

oink — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 04:41:51 -0800

One year old is very inquisitive and very active. I need to drive twice a week with a one hour duration each way. With a dislike of being in the car (or just being confined), little one has figured out how to undo the seat belts. Without getting new car seats, are there any good mobile toys or anything to keep this mind (and hands) happy? Stores are full of colourful toys which last all of 2 minutes. Was contemplating something along the lines of an easier version of rubik's cube. Open to all suggestions. Thank you. (Also welcome suggestions for iPad apps - preferably ones that require some thinking rather than just play music.)

Replacement Remote for an RC boat

slogger — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:24:45 -0800

I have a radio control boat without a remote, very similar to the one pictured here. After much Googling, it doesn't look like a replacement is easily available. How would I go about setting up a radio control remote for this boat? What information and equipment would I need?

No puppies either; my sister would kill me.

jeffamaphone — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:40:18 -0800

What is the most awesome gift I can give a two year old these days? My sister and her 23.67 month old child are coming all the way across the country to visit my wife and me this month. We have no children. I know very little about children.

I would like to get the child something Really Cool, but I don't know what sorts of things would really excite a two year old. Price isn't really a factor, I just want something jaw-dropping that the child is capable of understanding.

E.g., left to my own devices I would go buy the biggest, craziest lego set on the market, but I suspect that would be too advanced at this time. So I will bide my time and take your suggestions.

Furthermore, I've read some previous similar questions and it seems that stuff with lots of parts (e.g. saxoflute) maybe are not the best as my sister probably has enough cleaning up to do, and I previously sent a wood block set (which went over well because of the bright colors and a love of smashing things).

I'm just going to come clean and admit that I'm trying to very passively and subtly turn their daughter into an intelligent thinker. Is there something I can get my niece that will make the sort of emotional impact I described above as well as have some redeeming value? I do not want to get some "gender appropriate" thing like a doll, but I also don't want force anything.

All suggestions welcome. Except dolls.

Talking dolls before integrated circuits

chengjih — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:50:31 -0800

Talking Tina, how do you talk? I'm watching the Twilight Zone marathon with Talking Tina. Given the technology available in 1963, how would such a toy work? The general talking part, not the evil inanimate object part.

Help me play tourist in NYC

dfriedman — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 08:57:07 -0800

Assume for a moment that you're a five year old boy. What kind of tourist tchotchke from New York City would you want? Background: I am going to visit an old high school friend and her family in Houston next month. She has two boys, a four year old and a five year old. I live in New York City, and have no kids.

What kind of present/toy/whatever would a four and five year old want that is emblematic of NYC? And, more importantly to this native New Yorker, where do tourists in Manhattan go to buy this kind of stuff?

Bonus question: I assume that I should mention to the parents that I brought the kids presents before actually giving them to the kids. Correct?

Thanks.

Future 15 month old wants something dangling that won't kill her

shortyJBot — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:35:49 -0800

Please help to give me ideas for safe Christmas ornaments/baby toys to hang on a tree for a 15 month old, that (individually) aren't too expensive. My sister has just one request for her new daughter for Christmas: ornaments that she can play with next Christmas, when she will be 15 months old.

They are overwhelmed with toys and books and clothes and baby things for her to use now through her first year of life, so I'd like to honor her request instead of adding to the baby pile.

I've only looked at Target so far, but the ornaments are all for ages 3+, and the baby toys would look odd on a tree and are kind of expensive for that sort of thing.

Can you help me think of ideas for baby toys that I can buy or make that would look pretty on a tree and that would be suitable for a 15 month old?

Best Christmas for Digger Man?

silsurf — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:24:09 -0800

what is the sturdiest toy excavator for my hard working 2 year old? My son spends most of his time playing with trucks, if we are out in the world he is asking to see any trucks we can wandering the street of Los Angele's.

He plays hard and spend copious amounts of time moving earth and rock piles to various places around or backyard.

We would like to get him the best, sturdiest, most functional excavator we can for Christmas?

He loves the Bruder trucks and owns a backhoe and a cement mixer from that manufacturer. But the truth is they really cannot handle hard, all day, rough and tumble digging. Too many parts.

Our boy is a stickler for details so we are hoping to find what ever is the best made, yet still anatomically correct, backhoe or excavator for our little digger man.

Thanks for your help!

What to do with family heirlooms when there won't be grandchildren

These Birds of a Feather — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:59:17 -0800

How do I feel better about the heirloom toys my mom designed when I don't want them at my house and when I won't be giving Mom grand kids on whom to bestow said heirlooms later down the line? I'm an only child with no desire to ever have kids of my own. My childhood was filled with wonderful toys, including some custom items that are very big heirlooms designed by my mom. This summer I moved out and finally have my own place, and my mom has asked me if I'd like to have those big items again, causing a lot of guilt to crop up. There's room at my parents' house to keep the big things, which is where I'd like them to stay, but I feel like I'm rejecting my mom by not transferring them to my new place, particularly because my mom keeps talking about saving it all for grand babies she knows I'm not gonna give her. There's just no place for these things at my apartment and I'd be embarassed to have, among other things, a giant dollhouse that takes up half a room, as I date and bring guys home. These aren't kitschy items in the slightest, otherwise I might try to incorporate some into my overall decorating scheme.

I have guilt about throwing certain things away as it is... What can I do to cancel out the guilt this is causing, particularly about the no grand kids stuff? I'd be devastated to lose these wonderful gifts from my mom but I just can't have them right now. (Yes, rewatching Toy Story 3 was the catalyst for this question.)

Best org for angel tree?

greta simone — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:41:29 -0800

Best organization in NYC in which to participate in an angel tree kind of thing? I'm nannying a 8, almost 9 year old boy and he has expressed interest in buying something for a boy his age in need for the holidays. I have have previously participated in Stockings with Care, but you are mostly randomly assigned a kid of any age. I have also done the Barnes and Noble angel tree, but I think my charge really wants to go the toy route--something that would be fun for him to pick out (he reads, but doesn't get as excited about books as he does about toys). He wants to buy for a boy his age (8 or 9).

So what organization can we 'pick out' (for lack of a less crude phrase) a kid to buy for? In the past in my home town, the local mall had a tree with ornaments that stipulated a gender and age that you would pull from the tree, go buy for, and drop off with the organization. I'm looking for something like that I guess.

His parents are cool with the idea, in case it's relevant.

Thanks!

Cat toys that work for hours?

JJkiss — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:40:02 -0800

What is a cat toy / thing i can make that will keep my cat exercising all day at home? My cat has a weight problem and expresses lest interest in playing than most and is in need of some serious weight loss. He's pretty darn picky about toys but seems to love ear buds and a shiny jingly ball that rolls around. I would just get more balls but sadly they're small and always get lost under things in my large home. I've tried the larger battery balls that roll around but I find animals dont care about things to chase if they're bigger than they're own head. He also has no interest in the laser toys that run on their own. What has worked for you?

Please help my old tired brain recall a beloved childhood toy.

Little Orphan Ennui — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:47:19 -0800

Nostalgia Zone - Does anyone remember a little yellow duck/duckling toy that had a cocoa or chocolate scent? It's from the early 80's and was a hard toy but it was really soft and fuzzy. PLEASE HELP because I can't sleep until I figure this out. Thanks!

Help me give out the best treats this Halloween!

loquat — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:58:55 -0800

Halloween treats to delight all ages! What would your child want to get from trick or treating? This is my first halloween in a long time where I live somewhere Kids will come knocking. I love my neighborhood and want to give the kids something that isn't just every-day candy.

I am looking at glow sticks, mini playdoh, cool pencils and such but I'd love some suggestions from those who have kids and maybe are dying to go trick or treating themselves. I want to keep it under $200 and expect to get about 200 kids coming by so anything that averages a dollar or less would be good. I am keeping in mind that there will be little kids for whom most toys will not be suitable and older kids who are not going to want a pencil. I will have candy available.

Are full size candy bars still a big deal or should I take more effort to really please the neighborhood kiddies?

Good toys to encourage a two-year-old to play by herself?

kitcat — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:08:34 -0800

My daughter's second birthday is coming up. I'd like to see her begin to play more on her own (she has no siblings). What toys or games have occupied your two-year-old in independent play? I'm thinking about getting her a Leap Frog-type drawing/learning toy, so suggestions for a particular one would be appreciated. (We have an iPad, but I don't let her play with it for very long - it's just too addictive and becomes the only thing she wants to do). I also want to encourage her to play 'pretend' (we bought her a doctor costume with stethoscope, etc., she has baby dolls and a toy stroller).

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

**Also, I realize she's a bit young to be expected to play alone for long at this age. I just want to see if I can begin to encourage it.

What's a Great Gift for a Public Transportation-Loving Toddler?

Bunglegirl — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:02:16 -0800

What are your favorite public transportation/travel gifts for toddlers available in the U.S.? My friend's little boy is turning three soon and he loves trains. Not just any type of train, he specifically loves the Chicago L train. Last year I bought him two wooden Blue Line Trains (the train he rides) with magnets on the ends for his train table from CTA Gifts and he loved them. He even went as The Blue Line for Halloween. This year I'd like to get him something possible train-related but unique (not a set of wooden Red Line trains, for instance).

Perhaps there's a few great books or other toys that he might like? Have you come across cool kids books with public transportation in international cities? He also just took his first ever plane ride to France so a plane/international travel theme might be worth a shot as well.

The first toys are the best toys

cyndigo — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 20:22:42 -0800

Can you help me find (a) Mr. Bun? Beloved childhood toy, gone these many years.... Someone gave me Mr. Bun when I was wee, and I loved him with all my heart. He was actually a plastic piggy bank (odd toy, but I was an odd child) and left behind in one of many early childhood moves. Lately I've been thinking I'd like to find another large yellow plastic rabbit piggy bank on eBay or something, but needless to say google's not much help with this.

If anyone will know, MeFi will.... thanks from 2-year-old me.