Toys NOT to buy for xmas

[miggy]

Thought we could start a thread to warn people against wasting their money on certain toys for xmas. My vote goes to anything from the "ready steady cook" range. We have the popcorn maker-basically a light bulb that pops one kernel every 2 minutes, nearly as well used as the icecream maker which produces horrible slush from a sachet full of chemicals. Both have been used once and take up huge amount of space-utter rubbish!

Is the pants under the PJs thing a hangover from wearing a nappy at night and feeling weird without anything keeping yer bits warm.

Anything in bright plastic that plays silly tunes. My parents have already bought ds a truckload of this stuff and I yearn for nice quiet toys.

my vote definitely goes for anything that plays a tune or makes a noise - I hate them with a passion :0

And now a question for all you who got so het up about Zebra's comments - at what age do you start changing your kids at bedtime ?

I have a 9 month old who generally go to bed in whatever they are wearing, usually minus the outer layer. This is because a) the clothes are not dirty - usually a babygro anyway, b) they hate being changed - so not worth the screaming and the agro.

I have a 2 year old who I thought was fairly typical - he normally goes to bed in pyjama bottoms and whatever he was wearing on top through the day - a compromise which usually we get to without a major fight.

My concern is normally making sure they will not be too warm or too cold - what they are actually wearing is secondary.

Clothes are generally changed when dirty or just tired. Usually dirty involves food, water, or mud in the case of the 2 year old. Baths are usually for fun, rather than routine, and are followed by clean clothes, and often a lot of screaming as they hate getting dressed again (hence no routine bath - it takes all the fun out of it if you have to wrestle hysterical kids back in to clothes afterwards).

Reading this back I seem to be more along the lines of Zebra than many of you. Maybe its because I have 3 under 3 ?

I have always changed 19mo DD's clothes for bedtime (not for naps though). When tiny I just changed her day suits to a babygro. Since 6 weeks she has been in a Grobag sohave just changed her into a long sleeved vest (now a PJ top) and put her in her bag.

Ready through some of the suggestions of what not to but, thought this: how many of these are based on what WE don't want DD/DS to have for Christmas, rather than what they would like/not like to get?

I made a fascinating discovery last week that if I take ds's bottom half off for his naps(his clothes not his legs obviously) he will have a nap twice as long. Don't know if its because he's cooler or if his waistband troubles him, but he now naps - yippee!

oh - it's definitely what I don't want - my DS loves anything that makes a noise and always gravitates to those when we visit friends ! Still it makes no difference - if he gets given a noisy toy as a present I take the batteries out - what a mean Mum

Thats how DS sleeps BTB for naps. But thats because I have to change his pants to nappy and so have to take his trousers off. No point putting them back on just to get in bed.

Throckenholt my DS only wore babygros for bed at 9 months. He wore proper outfits in the day. I think this is the effect of your having 3 under 3 maybe.

My lot couldn't sleep in their "day" clothes - they would get far too hot in bed and personally I would hate to sleep in my clothes - I can remember how uncomfortable I felt when I used to have a nap in bed when I was pregnant with No 1.

My older 2 are now at school so it isn't feasible for them to sleep in uniforms - they would creased and untidy for the next day. Also, they always have clean underwear every day - they do their own "bottom-wiping" (being 8,6 and 4) although their underwear is never dirty, I feel happier knowing they are "clean".

I must have strange children as none of them have ever moaned/created a fuss when getting changed/bathed etc so dressing in the mornings has never been a problem (AND I had 3 under 4 at one point!)....still, each to their own I suppose.

Going back to the original thread, totally agree with the "Ready Steady Cook" range - got the ice-cream maker and it's c*. Saw a woman in Woollies the other day pointing out to another woman that she had bought her DD the "RSC Mini-Oven". Too late to tell her "don't do it!!".

Worst thing I ever bought for mine was a little Bob the Builder TV thing when DS1 was 3 - constantly played the BtB theme tune, so didn't replace batteries when they ran out

Have been meaning to start a thread like this for ages, so thank you Miggy. I have a 4 year old girl and a boy nearly 2, for reference (and ideas pls!) and we have had fantastic value for money on a cost-per-play rating out of the ELC sizzling kitchen - it's pricey (was £50 2 years ago) but they both love it and play with it at least twice a day (helps that it's upstairs in their bedroom so out of our way), plus they love all the accessories that go with it - start at around a fiver. Compared to eg the push along cart of bricks, costs 35-40 quid, which is fantastic when they are learning to walk and then quickly abandoned (excellent second hand buy), or the electric food mixer, not sure what cost but rarely touched (more fun for them to 'help' with real cooking)

Sinclair I thought the pushalong bricks were actually only £15-20. DS has revived his and packs it up with various other things (eg toy cars, farm animals etc) and then goes wandering around the house. Agree with the real cooking though - DS loves it.

Zebs,

A bit of solidarity for you.

I sometimes put my 15 month old dd to bed in her day clothes too (and then change her the next morning) - especially if she seems really tired and is not in the mood to change into pjs(she does have some). Must confess I sometimes also sleep in the top I was wearing that day - it then goes in laundry basket next morning.

Plus dd gets bathed about once per week - largely because she HATES the bath. She doesn't get especially dirty and unlike some toddlers doesn't, thankfully, seem to smear food into her hair!

am still laughing about this

I couldn't bear to sleep in my clothes. For his afternoon nap I take off all ds clothes except a t-shirt and put him in his grobag. His pjs are supercomfy stretchy waistbanded cotton jersey things and, I think, much more comfy than cords & jeans etc. Anyway after wearing the same clothes day and anight without a bath my boy would stink and we'd have to use a chisel to take the caked on food off. Hey ho! On a 'selfish' note I just love having a clean, pyjama'd boy on my knee for milk and storytime.
Anyway back to the orignal thread - totally agree - do not buy anything frome the Ready Steady cook range. We gave our ice-cream maker (which doesn't make anything bTW) to a charity shop after one use. What a waste.

My ds hardly ever wears clothes in the house. He's 21 months. As soon as he gets in the door off come the shoes and docks, quickly followed by trousers (tantrum ensues if he's wearing dungarees and can't get them off). The t-shirt/jumper or whatever on the top half is pulled at so much that eith he or we take it off him. I have to pin his wraps to his nappies to stop them coming off and sometimes he manages to pull them down anyway. Luckily most of our house has hard floors! He would be naked all day every day given half a chance so I have just given up dressing him unless we are going out. He also takes his own grobag and pj's off, sometimes in the midddle of the night (so I pin his night nappy too).
Dd who is coming up 4 has started taking all hers off too, copying him. One day last week (this is October in the Outer Hebrides!!) I found them both running round the muddy back garden in their wellies and nothing else.

There is more than one way of saving on the washing! Ds has had the same jeans on for a week. He's naked eating his breakfast so the weetabix washes right off! My best friend is a social worker and is appalled - she knows of one family who had children removed for them being naked in the garden (though, when I think about it, there must have been other reasons too I am sure) but she doesn't have any children so has no idea what the issues are when it comes to putting clothes on my children.

My other tip - don't buy any toy that has a american accent - unless you area merican or live there. It is the toy thing that irritates me the MOST!

Do not buy Chicco Magic Telephone (6mths+). The first one was given to us as a gift and stopped working before the guests even went home, so they took it back with them (when they returned it to the shop the shop said that they weren't going to stock it anymore as they had had so many problems - but I didn't find this out till much later). A few months later I saw one and actually forgot about the one I had briefly recieved and bought it and it stopped working within 4 or 5 days. I looked everywhere but couldn't find the receipt. I e-mailed Chicco and got a couple of replies and they seemed interested in redressing the situation, but nothing ended up happening. I actually really like other Chicco toys - so colourful and durable etc, and their clothes are nice too, but my faith in the brand has been pretty rocked.

Bron I was intrigued by your last comment so read the whole thread. Thanks zebra and TC its the best laugh I've had all day

This thread is so funny I showed it to dh who comments that he once wore the same underpants for three weeks in a foreign holiday situation and that "it wasn't so bad". His grandparents live very far away indeed.

Zebra - I did think your original post was quite reasonable, and it was only when I got to ThomCat's response that I started pissing myself laughing (must do more of those pelvic floor exercises).

Off topic slightly but have to admit I am mystified by those who take their knickers off and put their PJs on. Is this an English thing? After all, you change your knickers every day, so does this mean you change your PJs every day? I personally wear knickers to bed for the same reason that I wear knickers during the day, although DH wears zilch.

yes - I have clean pjs every day =

I dont see how you scatch yer bum with nothing on ---eurrgghh

You into bondage then, beety?