What toys are good for a 1yo and nearly 4yo to play together?

[BrandyButterPie]

We are now at the point where poor DD1 can't have her lego, buttons, crafty stuff or anything like that, unless DD2 is in bed. Poor little DD2 can't do her throwing things about and chewing them as DD1 wants to "play PROPERLY, silly baby".

We have found that chunky cars are good, as DD2 can wheel them back and forth while DD1 does her games, but we still have parking related disputes.

Is there a magic toy that two children can play with, or do I need to spend the rest of my life trying to distract DD2 and shouting "SHARE NICELY!" at small children?

Or do I just leave it to survival of the fittest, stick them both in a room with a doll and a drum and go and have a glass of wine, then collect the winner after an hour or so?

I suspect that you'd make a fortune if you could invent such a toy :)

Play dough is fairly damage free. Especially if you make it yourself and have a decent sized lump each.

Having said that, it would provide your baby's entire salt limit for the year.

what about shape sorters, stacking cups maybe i know this would initially seem babyish for you 4 yr old but my sister had a similar issue and found that the older child was more than happy to show her sister "how to do them properly" and tell her the colours etc.

Blocks were another good one.

We have discovered that they both enjoy banging spoons on pans .

This is not ideal. Esp given that I was drinking baileys last night.

Duplo? Playmobil 123?

Duplo, though the sharing thing is still a problem, as long as you have a big enough pile it works

My two of the same age love to play with the cushions off the sofa - all piled up together like a mountain.

They also play weel with the garage and cars, but not the train set because the baby just pulls it up.

Building blocks/stacking cups are good, but only in the variation where the oldest builds a tower with the expectation the baby will knock it down.

Play kitchen gets a lot of use by both, though often ends in tears too!

Balloons and bubbles always good

Music and some mad dancing kill a few minutes

DD2 is only just one, so anything construction like is out for a while. Although I suppose she will learn soon.

Duplo is still good - it's not all about building stuff - lots of little figures to play with etc. My 1 year old loves to get it out. His favourite game is emptying it out, throwing a few bits around then putting it all back in the tub. And repeat!

the Manic Martians game from the ELC.
the worst thing is construction toys or railway IME because the baby breaks the things the older child has made.

balls and skittles are good. musical instruments - because the older child can put on appalling tuneless shows for the baby which the baby will love.

Well my DCs are similar age to yours, and Happyland type stuff has gone down a treat :)

little people of any kind, eg Playmobil 123, ELC Happyland, because the baby will blunder round doing its own thing and grabbing at them from time to time and the older child can make the little people shout 'Help! We're being attacked by a giant baby! Oh no, it's putting me in its mouth!'

remember the best toy for the 4yo is, in fact, the 1yo

OK, I think Santa will be bringing some kind of duplo/happyland/playmobil thingy for DD2 this year then!

(DD1 is getting a workbench, so she can hammer - I suppose DD2 can play with that too)

ha ha ! Agree Fisher Price Little People, Happyland or Duplo willl give them some options for parallel or cooperative play longer term but inevitably the one yr old will want whatever the 4 yr old is playing with. Try to have some toys specifically for her which you can get out when the baby naps and have soft books and a pot of bits on standby for the baby to empty out and put back (ie cotton reels,stacking cups) within your reach so you can distract her from whatever dd1 is doing if she interferes. You could also look at a playhouse and some role play toys like teasets, play food and shopping trolley to allow them room to play "together" but not in conflict.

Mr Potato Head is that for us - but you need the family bucket, not one with just one spud of course.

Duplo does stuff like ambulances, fire engines etc nowadays - in Boots in the buy 3 for 2 offer. Was v tempted.

The other thing both my boys loved at 1 and 4 is a bubble machine - many hours of fun popping bubbles - and a CD player (watch the one year old with it) from ELC...

Happyland :)

My neices are 1y and 4.5y. I bought my 1y neice a Happyland house and family for her birthday - she and her sister (and my 8y DD for that matter) played with it together all afternoon.

Have been having a good giggle at this thread - like "remember the best toy for the 4yo is, in fact, the 1yo ". Mine two are a similar age - 11 mnths and 4 and a bit. Big sis likes to drag, cuddle, squeeze, pick up, talk to and generally annoy poor baby - in a 'loving' way of course! He likes to empty stuff out of tub trugs. I'll be watching for more toy ideas!

These toys are ALL lovely IMO. My DD's 2 & 4 love playing with the Campervan together

A little collapsible tent/playhouse, bubbles, one of those roll out keyboards that go on the floor.

Best toy ever for any age is large cardboard boxes.

Playing with dried beans and saucepans and spoons and pots! I have a 5 yo and 2 yo twins and they all love it (boys and girls). [Guess it depends how much your 1yo puts things in mouth, mine didn't do it much past 7 or 8 months).

A garage is good, but I think you have a dd - would she play with it?

Buggies. As soon as they can walk they love buggies.

Ballpopper thing, I think it's Playskool. Older kids love it for some reason.

Anything with buttons. We have a baby toy that makes noises when you push buttons. 2 yo's still love it, and ds1's friends all play with it when they come round (they're FIVE!)

linspins - do you find the 4 yo will be doing stuff to the baby and you'll be going 'Stop it, you'll hurt him!' and the baby is loving every moment and laughing his little head off?

your baby emptying stuff out reminds me - dd liked to empty stuff out; ds1 was amazing because he used to love emptying stuff out then putting it back again - much better!

my ds is 7, dd is 11 months and has a bucket of elc blocks. ds builds fabulous constructions then yells
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh Todzilla"

dd gets hysterical knocking them down.

Megablocks are good too.

Second Fisher Price little people and happyland too for your age group especially.

Yes Sethstark, much of the time I think she's being to 'hands on' (putting it politely) with him, but he crawls back for more. It makes no difference if I tell her to leave him alone, she has great selective hearing. But she does sing to him and pull lots of funny faces, and keep him entertained if I have to leave the room for a moment.

They both like duplo and stickle bricks - she builds, he chews.

The Wow toys are great - DS played with them at 1 and still loves them at nearly 4, particularly the bin lorry and the tractor. He's been the same with his wooden train set, building ever more advanced tracks as he's got older.