Could you tell me what toys your 20mo really likes?

[Wonderstuff]

DD's toy box is looking a bit sad, we haven't really brought her anything since Christmas, problem with having a winter birthdy I guess. Anyho, want to buy a few bits, got a budget of about £40ish for a few books and a couple of toys. Can't get anything too big because our flat is so tiny. Best buys?

bump {impatient, me?)

Dressing up stuff, playdough, play food / kitchen utensils. And definately books!

books, her doll and cheap buggy, a cheap beach type ball from the market that she can bounce and kick and her most favourite at the moment is magnetic alphabet letters which she likes to stick on every appliance in the house and then put back in the pot and then stick everywhere and then put back in the pot ad infinitum

Cool. Does playdoh get everywhere. Dh is scared of it! Hadn't thought about a ball. Books are her fave. And a few dressing up things may stop her raiding my wardrobe? Any more thoughts?

DS is also 20 months and we had a trip to the toyshop yesterday. We got some of those old-fashioned model animals which he absolutey loves (he loves animals generally). He also likes anything that involves putting in and taking out - you should have seen me in the shop, making sure that all the animals I chose would fit into the tip-up truck that I'd also bought!! He loves vehicles of any kind, jigsaws (the peg ones) and he still likes his shape sorter (he's got a really tricky one). Absolute favourite things are books, and he's starting to follow stories now - we love all the Donaldson/Scheffler ones (Room on the Broom is my personal favourite). On the craft front, I've tried him with playdough but he has zero interest. He loves drawing, though - crayons and a pad of paper keep him happy for hours. And I got him a Night Garden magazine the other day and discovered that he adores stickers. He also likes his big plastic farm (a lot more than I do!!), but something like that might be too big for your flat.

books (get them from 2nd hand shop eg oxfam, or ebay or amazon??)

ds (21mo) loves mog the forgetful cat, the baby catalogue, all spot books and amongst hundreds of others

playdoh def - just put some sheets to protect carpet but its not bad. you can make it for pence, just buy a few moulding thigs - store in airtight bag/container

train set - ikea do brill one like brio but much cheaper

crayons and paper - or ikea easel with chalk one side crayons the other

sandpit (messy) you just need a washing up bowl and some cups, and some sand (not builders sand, there is special kids sand)

there is a great book by usborne called educating and entertaining pre school kids or educating babies and toddlers (this is the frist few chapters of pre school book so don't buy both) with great cheap ideas

Oh, and Lego, Lego, Lego!!

Anything belonging to her older sister!

But most particularly Little People in their schoolvan, a Peppa Pig rocket, and the teaset. Lots of putting in and taking out, and role play.

As for books, her top faves are the Shirley Hughes classics (she has very good taste IMO.)

DS is almost 19mo and he is currently obsessed with his little dustpan and brush set..

Crayons are his other current favourite.

All the expensive toys are gathering dust in the toybox.

luvaduck, thanks for the Ikea train set idea - going on Monday so will def get DS one!

oh, forgot about his teaset too.

ds liked books with more of a storyline (like gruffalo, elephant and bad baby, the shorter mog the cat ones); sandpit (messy but occupied him for a looong time); footballs. he was starting heavily on the vehicle phase by this age as well but that might not be your dd's cup of tea. cheap paddling pool if you believe it might ever be hot enough this summer?

Kentishwoman my dd can't work out her shape sorters yet she just doesn't get why they can't all go through the same hole!

Thanks for all your ideas, went on a bit of a hunt today, brought a cheap aquadraw type thing (crayola version) which kept her entertained for all of a minute when we got home. So I gave her a bowl with some water in it and a brush, cloth and some plastic spoons so she could 'wash up' with me on the kitchen floor, went swimmingly for ages and I was feeling dead impressed with my ingenuity right up until I turned my back for a minute and found her with the washing up brush down the toilet!!

pretend kitchen, pans etc
tea set on a tray with her beaker of water so she can decant it into cups and bring me cup after cup of "tea"
lego/duplo
stickers, stickers and more stickers
"singing" books with music that we can sing along to
sand pit
bloody hobby horse that I have to hide as I am sick to DEATH of riding it round the lounge with her
farmyard animals

Nearly all of dd's toys are second hand from friends/charity shops or ebay, that was I save HUGE amounts of money on toys which I think are great but she inevitably spends no time with (unfortunately aquadraw was one of those purchases)

fisher price little people or the ELC happy land is good from about this age if you'd like to start a collection!

My ds is 21 months and he mostly likes emptying the kitchen cupboards and putting saucepans all over the kitchen floor.
he also likes turning on the kitchen taps and flooding the place .
these could be a cheap way to enteertain your lo .
If not he loves the Bing Bunny books - they are really cute, and also Shirley Hughes (I think Shirley Hughes 'grows' quite well as my 4 yo still loves them).
Also little animals.
Little dinousours
Mostly cars/fire engines/tractors/buses etc.
We got a street rug with roads all over it for £11, and got loads of toy vehicles from Freecycle, and every person we know that has ever had a toddler!
Also toy food/cooker/pots and pans etc.

And turning the television on and off when older dd is trying to watch Handy Manny - that os free and entertains him for hours

www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/20/184/Playskool-Busy-Ball-Popper/743

My little guy has a lot of fun with this

tummytickler I think flooding the kitchen would be right up dd's street, thankfully she hasn't worked out how to get to the taps YET! Turning the telly and anything else she can find a switch for (lights, washing machine, tumble dryer, oven) is also a favorite in this house.

{off to scoure Ebay}

calypsoblue A friend has one of these, dd does love it

ooh yes i second the ball popper dd loves it (although it does eat batteries rather quickly) and i do get sick of the constant demands to "come 'ere, catch balls"

Can you tell I get easily bored by the repetitive playing

Yesterday I went and got some hide and squeak eggs (after looking at the mumsnet reviews section) and some stickle bricks (because I remember having fun with those myself) Most successful toys yet, the eggs may well become my prefered new baby gift.

The eggs look great, where did you buy them from?

A strange department store in Oxford! I'm sure they will be online somewhere.

My son's all time favourite has been those stacking cups. He's almost 3 and still loves to play with them, stacking them in different formations, lining them up by size or colour.

the eggs are really good i got them off amazon along with this