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How To Choose Toys For Children

17 replies

karven · 13/01/2014 09:55

Choosing toys for your kids can be quite a challenging task. This is because, on one hand, you need to choose toys that they are fond of and, on the other, make sure that the toys are educative as well. Don’t make the mistake of buying toys for your children that you think are wonderful. Toys should be bought according to your child’s liking, but with his/her development in mind. Therefore, it becomes important to consider a variety of factors. This article comes up with some wonderful tips on how to choose toys for your children. Go through them and determine the sort of toys your child will like, bringing that instant smile on his/her face.

Choosing Toys For Your Kids

Consider Age & Gender

Age is a very important determinant of a person’s likings and preferences and so is gender. It is hard to appreciate anything that fails to suit our age. Similarly, a young kid would not be happy, if handed a toddler’s toys and vice-versa. Similarly, toys that are more appropriate for boys may not be liked by girls and the same thing goes for boys as well. Some apparent boys’ toys such as stuffed dinosaur presents(toyswill.com/dinosaur-c-17_109_225.html
) are not suitable for girls, and vice-versa. Choose toys that make sense for your child’s age and gender, lest they end up serving no purpose.

Seek Opinion

One of the best tips to choose toys for your children comprises of seeking their opinion. There is nothing more important than to consult your kids and know their preferences. Who else than the children themselves can determine which toys they will like? Ask your child, rather take him/her to the toy shop and let him/her choose toys of his/her liking. However, a toddler may not be able to decide on his/her choices perfectly and you will have to check out his/her expressions to decipher the toy that he/she likes the best.

Recall Your Childhood

Trying to recall what you liked as a child will be of great help, while buying toys for your kids. It is, usually, said that one needs to think like a child to understand a child completely. Your choices as a child may be different from your own child, but the basic mindset will surely remain the same. It will help you better determine what toys the child will prefer. If not that, at least you know what toys you didn’t like at all and will be able to avoid them altogether.

Go For Educative Toys

Though toys mainly serve the purpose of playing and fun, they are should be educative as well. Children learn better while playing, because they feel completely stress-free at that time. Play helps them communicate ideas and develop many other important skills. So, go for toys that can educate your child and involve him/her in some mental or creative activity, like puzzles, crayons, etc. Do keep in mind the age factor, when you choose educative toys.

Ensure Safety

While selecting toys for your child, it is important to make sure that they are totally safe to play with. Don’t buy toys that can harm your child or jeopardize his/her safety in any way. Toddlers, especially, can’t be expected to be too careful while playing, so in their case, you will have to exercise extra caution. Do not buy toys that are too advanced for your child’s age, as he/she might get injured because of them.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
ErrolTheDragon · 13/01/2014 10:01

Choosing by gender? Hmm Those dinosaurs are totally suitable for girls - my DD would have loved them far more than any doll.

Please let me point everyone to Let Toys be Toys

AuntieStella · 13/01/2014 10:03

Applauds Errol

rrreow · 13/01/2014 12:11

Dinosaurs are not suitable for girls...., really?
How To Tell If A Toy Is For Boys Or For Girls

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DevonFolk · 13/01/2014 12:14

Oh for fuck's sake!!! Please please please OP, come back and explain in very clear terms, why on earth a dinosaur is not suitable for a girl. I'm genuinely interested to hear your argument.

LeMousquetaireAnonyme · 13/01/2014 12:17

Thank, you rrreow I just spat my cheese on the keyboard! That is brilliant and all that you need to know about toys!
DD1 favourite books was harry and the bucketful of dinosaur she would have loved one of those "soft dino" errol.

Teladi · 13/01/2014 12:18

Sadly I did not read this informative post before my 2-year-old DD was born and now she loves dinosaurs! OP can you advise what consequences she will now face as this toy is not suitable for her???? Hmm

SpookedMackerel · 13/01/2014 12:23

Ah, so dinosaurs are only for boys, who knew!

Hey, maybe that's why they became extinct, because there were no female dinosaurs!

MiaowTheCat · 13/01/2014 12:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rrreow · 13/01/2014 15:16

she's going to catch penis

Grin

What would the equivalent of that be for boys? So I can use it whenever someone suggests some toy/colour/piece of clothing my DSs have is for girls

LeMousquetaireAnonyme · 13/01/2014 15:24

technically it is : "He is going to catch vagina"

LeMousquetaireAnonyme · 13/01/2014 15:25

or perhaps "he is going to catch clitoris" so it rhymes!

MiaowTheCat · 13/01/2014 16:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EduCated · 13/01/2014 16:53

Phew, luckily I don't have children yet, so I can make sure I only buy the right toys, and not damage ten like you horrible dinosaur-enforcing parents of girls Shock

TheSporkforeatingkyriarchy · 13/01/2014 17:02

OP, why the thread? Surely it doesn't need to be so regimented as you have put across.

My kids are pretty open about toys they want, I keep an ongoing wishlist of most of what they want (that I remember, the most common phrase when we go shopping from me seems to be "I'll put that on your wishlist") and pick from that and things I'd think they like. Or things I'd think they'd all like to play with together. For my youngest who is too young to tell me, it's mostly what do I think he would like that is least likely to break from being smashed and thrown into everything Grin.

ErrolTheDragon · 13/01/2014 17:31

Actually my DD probably wouldn't have liked some of those dinosaurs - especially not the pink one Grin. She preferred the hard plastic 'realistic' ones.

cory · 14/01/2014 09:07

This is a joke, right? Nobody could write that naive and pompous prose for real, could they? It is clearly taken from an advertising site ("that instant smile to their faces") but what advertising firm writes like that these days. Captain Harkness, your staff have been playing with that rift again.

exexpat · 14/01/2014 09:11

Of course dinosaurs aren't suitable toys for girls. It's not as if a woman has ever been a paleontologist or anything, is it?

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