The Toys That Have Kept On Giving

[Sycamoretree]

Do your DC's have certain toys that have just stood the test of time, worth every penny you paid for them and become much loved and returned to favourites, long after you expected your DC(s) to have tired of them?

My DD 2.6 has played, every night, with her bath time teletubbies and house since she was about 9 months old. She hasn't watched the programme for over a year...She keeps finding new and ingenious ways to develop her play with them, and I'm just astounded by the value for money they have proved to be.

Care to share?

Forgot to say, bran- I love that your son is nnto both weaponry and baby dolls.

Lego.

dd LOVES her fisher price Litle people house.She has played and played with it.

Sticklebricks. Although DH seems to get even more fun out of them than the DD's. He builds trains, helicopters, microscopes, dinosaurs... DD1 (2.7) uses the pieces to set up imaginary picnics, and make 'ice cream lollies', and play shopping, and sort them into colours... the possibilities are endless. DD2 (6 months) likes to chew on them and knock the container over The only problem with sticklebricks is that they keep getting lost hidden all the time.

elc happy land..original firestation bought when he was 18 months old.. he is nearly 5 and he still wants more for "his town" from santa this year

Another vote for Fisher Price Little People here, we have quite a collection now, all 3 DDs still play with them, the Ark and House have been the best value.

Trampoline
20p till from a jumble sale
Tesco/Asda/Saisnbury's cheap baby dolls

All played with religiously by DD in various ways for over 2yrs now.

Peppa Pig house - DD has played with it everyday since she got it a year ago for her birthday

Ride on Car (£10 from mothercare) - bought for DS 1st birthday, he is now 6! DD also loves it. It is played with everyday by both!

Nursery rhyme book (£1 from Co-op) - read everynight to DS from age of 2yrs until 3.5yrs, now DD has is read everynight to her for the past 10months!

Trampoline
Playmobil
PLay food and kitchen
Barbies - dd now nine and loves them as much as she did at 3
Oh and second marble run

Playmobil
Polly Pockets
Scooter
Finger puppets
Stacking cups
Any tiny figures/animals that can be hoovered up

first was a stacking ring set like this (except ours was cheap plastic). www.elc.co.uk/toy/wooden-stacker/

Both children loved it as babies and also used the rings later to play at hoopla games.

Train sets and trikes then bikes were also very popular and our dolls house was played with by both girls and boys. Balls and climbing frame got played with a lot and I wish we'd had somewhere flat to put a trampoline!

Although not quite in the same league toys that were well used included water-pistols, tills, tea sets, a dolls push-chair, tractors and toy farm, Knex, junior then adult Dingbats, nintendo Ds and wii. Another very popular game was building dens with a clothes horse and cushions/sheets/ anything they could find.

Failures were skates, the shooting range that was played with constantly for a few weeks but now lives in the cupboard, a remote control dragonfly, a toy hamster, sculpture kit.

For computer games Roller Coaster Tycoon was fantastic value and Legend of Zelda did pretty well too.

Cheap Plastic Teaset

Big bucket of wooden bricks

Duplo and Lego; the possibilities are endless.

Wooden train track. DS1 (7) was obsessed at about 18months and rekindled his love of it when we got it all dwon from the attic a few weeks ago for DD and DS2 to play with.

Little Tikes Toddler kitchen with shape sorting ice cube dispenser and bubble and frying sounds. A firm favourite that gets played with daily by all three.

we have a crappy little plastic yellow teapot and have had it for 7 years. DD played with it and now DS loves it. It's currently in the bathroom as a bath toy but has been utilised for many a game in the garden, it came to France and it's been used for endless other made up games. I almost chucked it out the other day whilst decluttering but think the kids would go loopy!

Other than that - barbies played with to death and lego too.

Playmobil
Brio train tracks (more with ds2 than ds1)
Bob the Builder machine toys
Matchbox cars
Garage
Hot Wheels racing track thingy (looks flimsy as anything but has stood up admirably to frequent use)

Playfood - shopping trolley, cash register and ELC kitchen...used every day for the last 7mths. Ahhhh!! Now 18mth old is obsessed too.
Nothing else has come close.

Wheeliemoo- Dd is nearly 6 and still flies around on it. Gets used eveeryday. I like the fact its not an(other) ugly lump of plastic in the sitting room

The garden. Its their top toy. Except yesterday when they were arguing over a stick. Garden is full of sticks but they both wanted the same one...

Apart from that, any kind of sword, and also Buzz Lightyear (though his arm broke so he is now the drunken Mrs Nesbitt).

Playmobil and Lego

Both not cheap but still played with (once they are into them - DS1 not bothered with Lego until he was 7 but now plays all the time (he;s 10).

DD (8) still likes Polly Pocket which I have been buying for her for at least 3 yrs maybe 4.

DS2 still likes his papo knights. Also he loves his football and always has tho I am not sure if that counts (it's not so much a toy as a lifestyle choice...)

Lego (so far 8 years for dc but life-long if we're anything to go by as adults!)

Bucket of wooden blocks still played with by my 9 and 6 year old dd's.

Lego.

Nintendo ds also worth the money, even though I do not really approve.

That's the one ScummyMummy.

Both DCs play with it in the bath regularly althoughg they haven't watched the show for years.

Play food: the wooden kind is worth the money and has been in almost daily use for five years. The pretend plastic tins that have peelable labels and the little cardboard cereal packets don't last but very popular too.

Tea/dinner set: we have some plastic stuff and an Ikea china tea set which was not expensive. Both get loads of use.

Stacking cups: we have two sets one downstairs and one in the bathroom. Ours have been in action since DD1 was three months old and she is now 5!

ELC folding toy pushchair for dolls and teddies.

Duplo.

Sand/water table, buckets and spades.

Another fan of: -

lego
wooden train set
Play-doh
Trampoline
toy cars

Oh and you can never have enough paper and pencils - get used far more often than many of their expensive toys!

I'm a massive fan of computer games etc. myself but my DS's (5 & 6) are not as yet!!

Wooden train track
Small cars
Marble run
Lego
K'nex
Sofa cushions.

Lego isn't cheapo but I am surprised how good value it is. It is really good plastic that still holds up after years and years of use. And when you think about what you can pay for a doll's pram or garage etc that only has one function, and eventually breaks - for a similar £20 or £30 you can get enough Lego to do loads. You can ask relatives to top it up at birthdays and christmas too. I love it.

Buzz and Woody that were bought 12 years ago (approx)..or whenever toy story came out. They were bought for DS1 who is now 14..and they have been passed down through 4 of his brothers and now his youngest brother and sister (twins) play with them.

Buzz no longer has wings..and woody no longer has the string to pull but they are still loved!