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Original poster

parents who have 18mth old boys or older...

30 replies

hermykne · 25/10/2005 08:41

whats the best value present/toy they have, that they return to time and time again.
my ds is a bit of a wrecker, so i dont want to buy stuff thats a bit fragile as he'll definitely break it!
would he just like big digger/tractor/fireengine 's?
or one of thoose talking books by leappad?
he does like books and stories.

OP posts:
hoxtonchick · 25/10/2005 08:42

i bought ds a tool set from elc about 2 years ago when he was 2 & he still plays with it, if not on a daily then certainly a weekly basis.

edam · 25/10/2005 08:46

Either would be a good idea - ds was given one of those books when he was about 18 months old and is still playing with it now (2y 3 m). And he loves diggers and tractors - think that started around 20m.

The other thing would be a baby doll - ds plays with his a lot because he can copy everthing I do with him, changing nappies, picking her up for a cuddle when he says she's crying and so on.

TracyK · 25/10/2005 08:46

ds is 'into' cars/aeroplanes and helicopters at the mo. I've opted for the big chunky plastic ones - which he loves - but he also likes the medium sized metal ones.
He also loves handsized animals - frogs being the favourite. he can line them up on one table and then carry them to me and them back again.
Coming up for Xmas we are compliling a list for gps to get him stuff. Like the look of aquadraw and also want to get him some trains.

Pinotmum · 25/10/2005 08:49

I bought ds a roadmap mat which he uses constantly for all his cars and trains (it has a rail track on it as well). It's in his room but sometimes we take it down stairs for him. It cost about £25.00.

ScummyMummy · 25/10/2005 08:50

A garage is a great present to get at around this age if he likes cars at all- one of the ones with levels and a lift will do him for a good few years, ime and you can start with chunky wooden or plastic cars and later replace with cool hotwheels type ones.
Also Brio (or brio alike as it's expensive) train set- buy a small circle of track and one train now and expand as he gets bigger. My boys played constantly with their set from this age till about 5.
Some of the sturdier playmobil is great and will probably hold his interest for years- rubbish truck, fire engine etc. Do check for little pieces though.

frannykenstein · 25/10/2005 09:03

I second a toolset. DS is not at all a boyie sort of boy but my god, he loves his toolset. One of the greatest moments of his life was being allowed to 'help' Daddy while he put up some Ikea shelving. He's 2.5 now, and plays with it most days.

kid · 25/10/2005 09:08

My DS also has and loves his toolset, we got him one with a workbench. He also has a wooden trainset that he still enjoys playing with. Asda sell a good trainset.

MaggieW · 25/10/2005 09:09

Ds's top toy is his train set. He was given a figure of 8 set complete with Thomas when he was 1 and we've added to it over time - Tesco sells track, trains and accessories as do other supermarkets. At nearly 4 it is played with every day. Another surprising top toy is the travel scribbler - again it comes out most days. I bought a load of Happyland toys from Ebay recently and they have gone down a storm - they're chunky and very robust. Loves cars etc too, of all shapes and sizes. The bigger ones seem to be less robust though.

SenoraPostrophe · 25/10/2005 09:10

ds's favourite toy is the bashed up play kitchen that i found in the street.

he's on temper tantrums now so i'm convinced he's a budding gordon Ramsay.

bobbybob · 25/10/2005 09:17

Playkitchen with a subway sandwich set added.

Fantastic trike that he can cycle all the way to preschool on.

Wooden Train set with it's own table. it's the size of a single bed, but it was only about 70 pounds and we have added a few Thomas Trains. He spends hours each week figuring out ways to use up all the pieces. In terms of value per play - it was our best buy.

Complete set of Thomas TTE little books

Tape recorder with microphone

A shoelace and a cushion

These are all things that ds plays with every single day. He would also play with playdough and cutters if I got them out every day.

princesspeahead · 25/10/2005 09:31

good sized tonka tractor is the key thing in our house. but it is crucial that it comes with a trailer.
second the play kitchen - also got a great play barbeque from john lewis that my 2 year old loves.
brio/wooden trains also good
plastic animals very good - we have a big dinosaur set which is used a lot and also an assortment of small plastic dogs that get carried around all the time.
he is still very into his trolley (you know the kind that wooden bricks come in) - not so into the bricks, those get emptied out, but he pushes the trolley around ALL the time with various cargoes in it. Also a dolls stroller as well - loads it up with tractors etc and runs around the house.
My 2 boys have never been very into their toolset - funnily enough a very cheap toys r s doctors set in a see through plastic case has been very popular. it has a very chunky "thermometer", stethoscope, blood pressure thingy and various hammers to bang your knees. gets used a lot. and I'm all in favour of toys that come with their own cases to keep all the bits together....

hth

Nemo666 · 25/10/2005 09:33

DS loves the tractors etc in toys r us, always screams when he has to get off...he also loves his fisher price garage that we got last xmas.

Nemo666 · 25/10/2005 09:34

oh and of course for his 2nd bday he just got a wooden train set and train table...fantastic spends ages playing with it.

suzywong · 25/10/2005 09:38

IME, anything that you are reading, trying to write on, or attempting to conserver the thing that they will return to time and time again, oh of course there's always drawing Groucho Marx moustaches on their own faces with a biro.

HTH

stripey · 25/10/2005 09:46

Got 2 dss and they both adore trains (especially the Thomas ones) we also have a tool bench which has been regularly played with for over 3 years now. Cars are great too and Duplo lego bricks. In Summer the favourite is balls and water toys.

Bozza · 25/10/2005 10:00

DS at that age was obsessed by cars. He's had 100s of all sorts, many of which he has wrecked. I got him a car mat from ELC for £5 which also got much play, as did the little garage. But now at 4.8 he is much less into cars. I would say that the greatest longevity has been the wooden train set. DH made a board that slides under his bed which can fit on a figure of eight track with mountain tunnel plus sidings plus engine shed and he has several Thomas trains and has it out several times a week still. Then we have lots of additional track and sometimes make bigger tracks on the floor.

Original poster
hermykne · 25/10/2005 10:01

oh my god, thats great, i love some of these wee stories! budding gordons and moustaches!
thanks so much

i am from a family of girls so the boy thing is still new! even though dh is from all boys.

OP posts:
Tommy · 25/10/2005 10:26

lego is always very popular in this house - my DSs (3y9m and 2y2m) love it. We have the bigger size stuff at the moment and although it is quite expensive to buy the sets, if you can get to Legoland, you can get a pick and mix box for £25 which I reckon is excellent value.
Probably the thing that they play with every day.

LucyJones · 25/10/2005 10:28

Ds' favourite toy is a Chad Valey tub of blocks. He always has one in his hand and loves putting them in other bigger blocks. Only problem is he often throws them and that can be a bit painful

albosmum · 25/10/2005 10:30

both my dss one 18mth one 10 years have both played with cars of any sort, trains, train tracks, garages etc for ever and ever and ever - no other toys especially leap pad books come close

frannykenstein · 25/10/2005 13:09

LOL at "a shoelace and a cushion". Can you buy those in Toys R Us? Ds has been trailing around the house all week with the drawstring out of his Dad's tracky bottoms. Apparently it's a mower (most things are, round here).

scaryclary · 25/10/2005 13:22

I agree with scummy and others, Brio (or Brio-alike) is a great-value toy which ds1 (6) still plays with quite happily.
Also our ELC garage is a big hit atm with ds2 (2).
And playfood, shopping trolley, cut-up veg etc they all like as well.
All pretty indestructible!
(frannykenstein, lol at drawstring!)

zippitippitoes · 25/10/2005 13:28

a robot claw hand seems a big hit at the moment in our house and only 3.99

tassis · 25/10/2005 13:49

Ds is 2.5 and the 2 toys that he's played with most are his fisher price train set and garage.

Does he have aquadraw? These look great.

A wee wooden trike has been a HUGE hit from around 15months. He's really into his scooter too. Also likes is £5 stroller from ELC.

I got a hue shoe box full of play food (lots of it velcros) at a NCT sale and this has been played with a lot too.

Trampoline?

Wheely bug?

Brio type train set would have frustrated ds beyond belief at 18months, but I reckon he'll be ready for it by Christmas.

Millie1 · 25/10/2005 14:02

For us definitely brio trainset which we buy ELC engines for along with ELC wooden farm set and a stack of tractors (preferably Brittons, Suku etc as they don't fall to pieces after 5 mins!). Both boys (4 and 2) will go back to these day after day. Oh, and Lego is very popular now too.