To miss the days where things were just things?

[HeathcliffMoorland]

For example, my baby has a scarf that plays music. She has a put-the-shape-in-the-hole board that praises you and plays music. Her play mat has hundreds of functions.

DS has such delights as a singing measuring tape and some toy cars that talk.

DD1 has a mirror that delivers compliments. Her bicycle has a little attachment that makes it sound like a motorbike.

This is topped by prams that vibrate, and mobiles that light up...

In a way, I just hate the noise... but part of me misses the simple times. AIBU?

[Minxie1977]

YANBU to miss the simple things but just stop buying all that noisy crap

[Tippychoocks]

No. I am of the stick-and-cardboard box brigade. DD loves the flashing nonsense however.

BTW, where do you get a mirror that delivers compliments for a 31 year old who is looking haggard?

[PacificDogwood]

Only toys without batteries allowed in this house for that very reason.

YANBU.

[PerpetuallyAnnoyedByHeadlice]

YANBU

[Eglu]

YANBU. I purposely look for stuff that doesn't make a noise. It drives me crazy.

[pjmama]

Take all the batteries out!

[HeathcliffMoorland]

Minxie, it's gifts! I remove batteries as soon as I can, but there's always that period where I feel mean... And I'm strict!

Tippy, I would love the same thing - unfortunately the one at home just keeps calling me a pretty princess!

[HeathcliffMoorland]

Also, when the gift-bearers visit I sometimes re-battery out of politeness...

[Tippychoocks]

Dammit. Still, any compliment is better than none. I'll have it when you get sick of the noise

[TheCrackFox]

It is amazing the amount of toys that had their batteries taken out are broken in our house.

YANBU

[PigeonPie]

It's amazing how many toys which could take batteries never had them put in in the first place and then the others which we don't seem to have the right batteries for / don't have the right screwdriver to replace them!

So, no, YANBU, but you don't have to let on that they take batteries in the first place

[TheCrackFox]

I like you style PigeonPie.

[PigeonPie]

However, I can't understand why everything has to have batteries these days. We have some old ELC 'powertools' jigsaw, circular saw etc which ran with a pull cord, made very effective noises for a short time and then stopped.

There is just no need for all this noise!

[Mowiol]

OK, I confess!
I took great delight in re-paying the favour when friends and family had children after us by giving very noisy annoying delightful gifts to their children.
Just like they had given to ours.
E,g, BoomBats, Drums, Things that played irritating tunes

[sethstarkaddersmum]

My ds1 has been having hours and hours of fun with a simple plastic spanner that came with a magazine.
He goes round the house mending things all day long. it's great. And quiet.

[Mowiol]

I agree actually about the simple stuff - you can buy them all the fancy stuff and they really do just love the cardboard boxes!
Or just copying mum and dad - I gave mine dusters and floor brushes as soon as they were capable

[drfayray]

I would like the mirror.

[UnePrune]

Count yourselves lucky. DH fancies himself as a bit of an inventor. He rescued a box thing with dials on (it probably has a name) from a skip once and has wired it up so it is an amp for ds's Nintendo DS, it has a sensor and does a klaxon noise if you go into his bedroom, etc. More features to come, apparently.

The other day I was half scared to death by a home-made vibrating spider. I am pretty sure that when I was 6, it was all toilet-roll tubes and crepe paper...

[ProfYaffle]

Agree with PigeonPie. We bought a Littlest Pet shop set from a car boot sale at the weekend, was pleasantly surprised to discover the moving parts were clockwork so no batteries.

I gave up replacing batteries a long time ago, mainly due to laziness.

[mumbar]

Oh what a refreshing thread I thought I was the only one who is an oversensitive miserable cow annoyed by noisy toys that don't give in.

My DS now loves lego, playmobil, cars etc which which are thankfully quiet - but he did get the childs drum kit for his birthday - stored cleverly that I chose and limit bashing time

[mumbar]

ok that oversensitive miserable cow comment was meannt to be crossed out not made bold

I really did think I was the only one in the world who couldn't stand it. It makes me aggitated to the point of dispair.

[mrsunreasonable]

My personal bug bear is when I'm sneaking downstairs for a wee in the dark and some piece of plastic crap chooses that moment to think "I've been left turned on and not played with so I'll turn myself off but just in case anyone cares say GOODBYE really loudly and completely freak MrsU out!"

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

YANBU. Luckily my DD prefers books to toys, but in her younger days everything she had made a noise. I told her when she was very young that once the batteries in whatever horror she was playing with ran out they couldn't be replaced because they were special batteries. I actually got to the point of putting a couple of those pretend mobile phones in a sink of water to stop them making a noise. Poor little girl.