apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We had one or two electronic toys. They held his attention for a short amount of time and then gathered dust. The only thing that had staying power was his exersaucer. Actually, the hideous exersaucer-branded version my MIL scared him to death. I really don't think that monstrous contraption is suitable for an infant.

We had this version which has a few electronic gizmos and some other not-electronic gizmos. I think this is more age appropriate and won't cause him or you seizures. (Yes, kidding.)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002U1SFE/bookstorenow81-20

Either way, we liked it a lot and got very good use out of it.

Nothing, nothing compared to his love of the doorway bouncer.

I have found these toys are all pretty much the same -press a button and hear a song and see some lights. I think having one or two is plenty. While for my boys, it was always cars, trucks, blocks and balls that kept them most occupied, one of their favorites was the Mozart magic cube. It is safe and enjoyable for infants and interesting also to toddlers and preschoolers. Each side of the cube represents a different instrument from an orchestra. When pressed, you hear various little mozart peices. My only complaint is that there is no volume switch.

http://www.target.com/Mozart-Magic-Cube/dp/B00004TFLB/sr=1-1/qid=1238436650/ref=sr_1_1/177-6883515-4027613?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Amozart%20cube&page=1

It's true, you don't need a roomful of electronic toys. And three months is really young yet--it's hard for a baby to hold a toy at that age, so toys that give immediate, easy gratification such as music make them happy. Just this morning, I commented to my husband that I was happy that I had gotten Haba's Kringelring for our now six-month old daughter. When she got it, just before she was three months old, it wasn't terribly interesting for her. But now that she can hold it easily, shake it and chew on it, it's a favorite toy. And it's pretty quiet!
http://www.oompa.com/baby-toys/item/HA1121/Haba-Kringelring.html?oompaItem=Haba_Kringelring

Don't get me wrong, we do have toys that light up and make noise along with the European wooden ones. It doesn't have to be one or the other. And if a loud toy annoys you, you can put it away for a while, the baby will never notice at that age. Which is why Mr Splashy Fish hasn't been around lately. ;)

We have tried to limit the electronic toys as well, but a few have made their way in to the toy room. We let her play with them, and if she still finds play value without the batteries, then we just leave the batteries out. Two examples would be her Fisher Price Castle and Circus sets. She doesn't even know that these make sounds as we didn't put them in. She spends hours with the knights and ladies and circus animals. All sound effects are her own.

If you are interested in more educational toys, try stores that sell teaching supplies (Here in Canada, Scholar's Choice and the Education Station are two of my favorites.) My family has had fun buying presents at these types of stores, and have remarked that shopping at a regular toy store just doesn't cut it after seeing the selection of fun, educational toys at the 'learning' stores.

So far at 15 months here is what my son continues to LOVE:

Leap Frog "Farmer Tad". http://www.leapfrog.com/en/fridge_phonics/fridgefarm.html
Attaches via magnet to the fridge/dishwasher etc. Little puzzle pieces, songs and animal noises. A little handle to carry it around the house finding other things it will "stick" too. My son carries it around like his briefcase, and before he could walk he would sit in front of it in the kitchen and try the buttons and animal pieces, then crawl around with the pieces in each hand. Yeah it does that annoying "QUACK-QUACK, QUACK_QUACK" on repeat when he keeps pressing the button at lightning speed...but it continues to keep his attention. It says recommended for 12mos , but we used it from about 5 months on. I highly recommend. Oh, and it has two volume settings!

Playskool Choo choo. http://www.hasbro.com/playskool/default.cfm?page=browse&product_id=19609.
These balls are such a hit. Trying to grab them as they come out of the choo-choo delights my son still. Again, it has annoying, loud snippets of songs. But he really loves it. And when he started crawling you can put it on a "go" setting and it goes forward for chasing.

Other than that, nothing electronic has been such a big hit. BALLS, balls, and more balls. He has LOVED the Melissa and Doug wooden stacker...mostly the red ball on the top :) http://littlefolks.stores.yahoo.net/meanddorast.html
Empty yogurt, butter, etc containers with lids (and balls inside-the FP roll arounds are great), and board books. I second the need for a good exersaucer. It will really give you both some peace (not quiet though!) or the regular old jolly jumper. But you don't need to have electronic toys...but a complete ban is not necessary either ;) Every kid is different so they are good at telling you what they need. Some will be a hit and you will delight in watching him be delighted by them. Then you can always do what my grandmother did...put them away for a month or so and bring them out a again for renewed excitement!

There are interactive plastic toys that don't take batteries. You can check Fat Brain Toys or Oompa. There are also plenty of wood/all-natural toys.

I found that toys that play music are not the devil. Musical toys are actually OK; it's the flashing lights that are totally unnecessary.

Another thing to keep in mind: sometimes your infant will get bored with or will no longer be curious about a toy, but that doesn't mean a toy is dead. As development continues, the child can revisit a toy in novel ways. You can shelve it, bag it, whatever; then in a few months the child can rediscover the toy. You can tell when kids have completely outgrown a toy.

I second the comment about the Mozart cube. Our son has been fascinated with it since he was about 6 months old. He's now 18 months, and when we say "Can you go play some Mozart?" he will run over and press the blue button that plays the full orchestra. He also knows that he can change the song by hitting the button twice. I look forward to introducing him to the various instruments very soon. This is a great toy!

Wanted to jump in again to comment that I'm watching my 2 year old "play guitar" right now strumming on his play broom. Sometimes he'll use his little baseball bat for a guitar. It's funny because his Nana bought him one of those Little Tykes electronic guitars....he hardly uses it. I think it bothers him that it makes it's own sounds and not the little songs he likes to pretend to play.

ok, so sadly, as many wonderful reviews as I've read about the Mozart music cube, my kid just wasn't into it. (She's two now). She LOVES (still) the Fisher Price Baby Grand piano someone got her as a gift and she loves that it 'matches' the piano at grandmas. She loves the playskool ball popper, a family of the choo choo mentioned earlier.

We've also found that keeping the batteries out of the little people sets made them a great addition for creative play (and people love getting them for her as gifts). Good luck! Have fun! Pick toys you will enjoy playing with.

We only have a few electronic toys for my daughter, but she likes them a lot. She has the Mozart cube, which is wonderful. She'll crawl up to it, use it to stand up, press a button, and dances to the music. I know people whose children have played with it for years, since as they grow older, they find different ways to play with it.

We also have the Busy Ball Choo Choo train, and that has fascinated her for months now. She has really grown with it- first sitting and playing the music, and now she tries to get the balls and chases after it when it moves. Plus, it's not nearly as large and loud as the regular ball poppers, but it's the same general idea. I have a friend who has the ball popper, and it's banished to a closet, since it's so loud that it gives her headaches when it's on.

These are smaller toys but:

I like the vintage Fisher Price (?) radios and TVs that you crank and it plays a tune (Somewhere over the Rainbow, Toyland, etc.) while pictures move across a little box. My kids LOVE those. Circa 1980s or so, I have no idea about lead content, etc. but we got ours at thrift stores.

Also, the Parents cell phone is a favorite with my son, especially in the car. (The FP radio is also great in the car.) Sorry I'm not posting the link but you can get it at Target! The music it plays isn't annoying, you can record a message...hours of fun!

My husband and I try to buy most of our plastic/electronic toys at thrift stores or yard sales. That way, we save money, feel good about recycling, and the toys are very easy to clean for the most part.

My son (nine months) particularly enjoys his Leap Frog Musical Table, http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Learn-Groove-Musical-Table/dp/B000ETRENI It retails for $40-$60, but we bought ours on Craig's List for $10. He can use it to pull up into a standing position, and he can practice different hand motions with each of the mechanisms, i.e. pressing buttons, flipping pages, sliding a ball. I see no harm in playing with (recycled) plastic toys.

Our 17-month-old likes his toy piano--it's not electric, but it still makes a loud noise when you bang the keys.
As for electric toy options that provide button-pushing thrills without appalling parents, check out the Sweet Pea--it's an mp3 player for babies that's rubber-encased (so it can be thrown around), with a limited volume (unlike so many of those awful electronic toys) and simple buttons--your baby can choose on/off, next, and previous. You can program three different playlists and set the one you want for a particular situation (say, a lullaby playlist at night, or a rambunctious one for playtime.) The pre-programmed playlist isn't half bad, but we were also glad to give him a chance to pick his favorite Elizabeth Mitchell and Dan Zanes songs. He loves it!

Read "Parenting, Inc." by Pamela Paul. If you don't have time for a whole book, read the chapter on toys.
You won't need to buy anything after that. :)

I got the Sansa music shaker, and we love to play with it. In fact, I am just about to upload more songs to it.

My daughter loves to smash on an old calculator and pc keyboard.

An experienced mom bought our son the Fisher Price Peek-a-Blocks Press-and-Go Train. I was prepared to hate it but our little one adored it. The train moves when you push down on the front, it makes obnoxious circus music, and the blocks on the train go up and down and the critters inside spin around. This toy inspired my son to crawl and he was a total bump-on-a-log type! Every baby who has ever seen this toy at my house has been enthralled. It's one of the only ones I'm keeping for baby #2.

My 6 month old just got the Playskool Busy Basics Tumble Top http://www.hasbro.com/playskool/default.cfm?page=browse&product_id=17260
He can't get enough of it! Loves to keep pressing it to make the balls tumble. I love it too since there's no batteries and no repetitive music to drive me batty (and, I must admit, I've found myself playing with it every now and then - something almost zen like to all the whirling).