Developmental toys

There are numerous toys on the market that promote making your baby smarter, more social, more talkative, more curious, more likely to dress himself at nine months......You get the point. I admit I am guilty of buying some of these toys. Commercialism does get to me sometimes.

That said, I think I am much more careful than the average parent when it comes to spending money on a toddler toy. Yes there are a lot of benefits to buying a kid a toy drum set, but what's wrong with a pot and wooden spoon? They get the same benefit from the baking apparatus, you likely already own it so it's free, and the best part? The dishes already have a home in your cupboards so you don't have to magically come up with more storage space for toys!

There are many ways to use what you already have to your advantage. For instance, I just read an article that recommended buying toy brooms, brushes, and dish sets so children can play make believe with real daily activities. I say ridiculous. And I say it loudly! Give the toddler a real brush so he can actually brush his hair instead of pretending to brush it. Give a toddler some plastic or paper dishes so he can actually eat off of real plates, instead of pretending to eat fake food off a fake plate. And give that child a real broom already! Eddie is fifteen months and he already sweeps the floor. Not well mind you, but still.

If you still have the urge to go out and spend  money on something for your child, put it into an RESP or buy some clothes for the next stage of growth (because you know they're going to get bigger soon).

 Here's another example to drive the point home After dinner at our house is family chore time. I give Eddie a wet cloth and he wipes his tray. Then he gets the dust buster for all the food he has dropped (or thrown) onto the floor. Then he knows to put all his toys in all their buckets, and he knows the right ones for them too! He cleans better than many adults I know and he's very happy to do it.. I really wouldn't force a toddler to clean if it made him miserable.

So give the kids real stuff whenever it is safe and convenient to do so. They will learn a lot more from it, and it will save you tons of money. Of course, imaginary play is important too, so give them a banana and pretend it's a phone, or turn some boxes into whatever you want. That takes more creativity from a child than a ready made toy with all the fixings.

One last thing. There are times when toys are better than the real thing of course. Like power tools, ovens, etc. I only hope you can save some money by picking and choosing what to buy. And although I can't see any developmental benefit to it at all, I believe every toddler needs a ball popper/popcorn maker push toy thing. Just not when I'm home please!