Do you only buy toys that don't need batteries?

[nappyaddict]

If there's an alternative then I will buy the no battery version (for instance DS has the wooden kitchen appliances from ELC and he had basic shape sorters not those musical ones and his cars etc don't make noises)

But what about when there's no alternative. EG remote control toys, motorised trains to go on a train track, those battery powered ride on toys where you press the pedal and they go, torches, toy guitar, toy saxaphone, toy keyboard, pretend laptop, pretend camera, pretend mobile phone, those finger painting etch a sketches for babies, DS had a fisher price race track where all the cars bump into eachother, a car launcher where you press a button and all the cars shoot off etc

Do your children not have any toys like that?

I think I get where you're coming from now. It's about the child using their imagination to do it themselves.

Would you buy anything that has to be plugged into the TV like a kareoke machine or dance mat?

With the train I didn't mean a battery powered train that makes a noise, I meant like the Brio ones where you flick a switch and they go around the track. You would prefer the child to push it around the track themselves than let the train go around by itself?

With the remote control car you would rather the child pushed the car around themselves than control it by some knobs and switches?

What about a remote control aeroplane or helicopter though? You can't really get one to actually travel through the air by itself without the aid of a remote control. And you can't get a car to do stunts up ramps and things without the aid of a remote control.

Will have a look at the websites and see if there is anything suitable. Do Zolo ship to UK and is it expensive as I notice the prices are in dollars.

You say if it needs batteries you will put it back. Is that same if it includes a rechargable battery or you have to plug it into the mains?

Sorry for the uber long post, but I am really interested in all of this and hope you can answer all of my questions. Partly because I am thinking of sending DS to a steiner school (a whole different thread) and so it would be good to get into a similar mindset, partly because I want to reduce the amount of crap he has.

No remote controlled stuff here - we dont have uggins of toys despite lots of kids

yes we do have a LOT of playmobil etc and we are lucky with space so its all out a lot ...

the teens do have a never used dance mat and sing star thing

Ooooooooh I love sing star!! (I am terrible though!)

Got DS some playmobil and duplo today for Christmas. Got the playmobil camper van, recycling truck, cement mixer and the duplo petrol station and some thomas the tank engine duplo. Hope he likes it!!

Do you prefer playmobil stuff that doesn't require batteries as I know they do RC stuff and some of the boats have motors that are powered by batteries and I think some things like the ambulance, fire engine, police car, police motorbike and maintenance truck do aswell?

Would you get a working wooden till with a calculator like this or one like this

I saw these which I thought looked quite unusual. What do you think of this or this?

Sorry to be a pain but you didn't say whether that zolo site ships to the UK or not? I love the playsam and hibba stuff but it's soooo expensive I couldn't ever justify buying it. Love this too.

Oh and would either of you get this It doesn't require batteries but it does have to be plugged into the mains. I think real potter's wheels have electric foot pedals as well and it seems like quite a good toy for creativity and imagination.

Oh and what about this I saw it on offer in TJ Hughes. Another "creative" toy but requires batteries.

Hi nappyaddict - were you on mn at 4am this morning or do you live overseas???
If you do live in the uk - get yourself to bed woman!

Although from my mega list it looks like I have a wooden toys obsession, I dont honest!
It is true that wooden toys tend to be more expensive though- hence most of ours are christmas/birthday presents
Also many are joyous charity shop finds

Also board games, jigsaws, soft toys, dollies, dressing up and construction toys - all can be found inexpensively if you hunt about

I just dont do batteries - there is no need
And my kids rarely if ever notice the absence of beeping, flashing, stuff in their lives

I see now that you are interested in finding a gift for a friends child who thinks as otter and I do - how old is the child?

There are 3 of them - 3, 5 and 8.

I was a bit up and down yesterday and couldn't sleep that's why I was up so late.

Awwww -Im a bit of an insomniac atm as well - its pants

For those ages what about dressing up stuff. board games or jigsaws

Or a plastacine/arty crafty set
Or a gift set of pens, pencils, crayons and paints

Wikistix are fun too

My ds is currently having fun with magnetics and a cheap mecanno set combined together - he is 8

On saturday dd tied two cardboard boxes to the back of a rocking horse, put a load of her teddies in the boxes and annouced it was her 'rocking train' - she still loves it today and wont let me move it

Are these the wikkistix? They look good.

Do you know if you can get that set in the UK?

wiki stix

We havent got any though! Bear in mind that they are a bit like plastacine/playdough - ie they dont last indefinitely
would make a nice gift though!

nappy a lot of the 'creative' toys you site are imo hampering the kids own creativity by bombarding it with stimulii

i bet plato played with a stick in the dust

Surely theres a middle ground though between no batteries and a whole house of flashing beeping stuff?
IME little ones love the flashy beepy things. When they are young enough to only be able to press a button and not much else, then you can see their face light up when they press that button and it makes a noise or flashes.

My DH very clearly remembers a good friend of his from school when they were young was not allowed to have anything with batteries/electronic etc. This boy was very disapproving of the fact that DH was interested in computer games.
Years later, other boy applied to join RAF and after all tests and checks was turned down on one particular test that was v v similar to playing a computer game! Cant remember what it was testing, but some important skill I presume.

Otter (BTW I thought we didn't get Christmas names until after 5th November?)

What is it about the potter's wheel and the copier that you think hampers a child's imagination and creativity?

its so NOT a christmas name!

Well technically I suppose it's an Easter name but I thought it was for Christmas as we are closer to that holiday than Easter!

its just a funky name

nappyaddict- we have this and it's had two year of non stop use. my son can ride it inside and out, hids things in the middle bit, feeds it, etc, and as a bonus, it's at least a third of the price of the electric one!

for slightly older boys a fab, no batteries game is jenga

Other fun games are twister and guess who.

I grew up in a house with lots of board games and building toys. We used to play as a family and with friends. As an adult I watch less TV than most of my friends (still have a mumsnet problem though!)

Well there is that Otter I can't keep up with your name changes

BTW what did you think about the plantoy drum set and the till? Would you get one with a working calculator (which would therefore need batteries) or not?

Hehe beat you to it thumbwitch The shop is called fun and games

I've heard of people opening up their childrens presents to get them out of the packaging (which can take ages) inserting the batteries etc - so all set to go as soon as child opens present on Christmas Day.

I thought this a brilliant idea.

If you don't buy toys that need batteries you don't have to bother

nappy don't know if you're still on the lookout, and these might have been linked but see here:

solar powered kit, could be fun in the build and learn about solar (could be problematic in england though )

clock that runs on water

wooden marble run set

solar link

Thanks

On your email to me you said you wouldn't buy toy versions of adult things (like the copier) What about a no battery version of a calculator, camera, musical instruments, computer, phones, clock, wind up tv (you know those ones babies have, kitchen, workbench, shop etc