Baby Tissue box

OneRealRosePlayer · 2024-08-21T05:31:05+00:00

My DS loves tissue boxes. I was thinking about buying him a fabric baby tissue box to play with. But i don't know if this would encourage him to pull all the tissues out of the normal tissue boxes and think all tissue boxes are toys. Should i buy or not?

YellowHatt · 21/08/2024 07:18

Fabric toy tissue boxes with fabric tissues are a great toy.

Just keep normal tissue boxes out of reach. Especially as he may end up putting real paper tissues in his mouth.

BertieBotts · 21/08/2024 08:43

I'd do it and keep the others out of reach. Or if it's overpriced, save an empty tissue box and keep filling it up with folded muslins/hankies/scraps of fabric. When it gets too battered buy a new box of tissues and let them have that box when it's empty.

This kind of play is developmental - it's how they learn about the world. You can't realistically stop them from engaging in it, so it makes a lot of sense to provide something where it can be done and it won't drive you bonkers or waste a load of resources.

It's likely part of the enveloping schema so you could also look at finding other ways to give objects where they can fully hide items and uncover them repeatedly, like boxes with lids (egg boxes, shoe boxes etc) and toilet roll/kitchen roll tubes perhaps with a cover over one end that they can post things into and then tip them all out. Stuff smallish toys into socks. Cut the toes off holey socks and stuff things into these stretchy tubes as well. Fascinating to a baby/toddler in the enveloping schema (which is all about discovering how things can be hidden but continue to exist). Toys which pretend to "eat" things or where you can post coins/balls/etc into slots or tubes and they later get pushed out are also interesting.

Giving them an appropriate outlet for that kind of exploration helps prevent them stuffing things into holes where you'd rather they didn't. Not many people have a VCR any more, but that used to be a common one!

Over time they will outgrow this kind of play so no need to worry that it will build unwanted habits - though this is more like years than weeks.

Original poster

OneRealRosePlayer · 21/08/2024 09:44

BertieBotts · 21/08/2024 08:43

I'd do it and keep the others out of reach. Or if it's overpriced, save an empty tissue box and keep filling it up with folded muslins/hankies/scraps of fabric. When it gets too battered buy a new box of tissues and let them have that box when it's empty.

This kind of play is developmental - it's how they learn about the world. You can't realistically stop them from engaging in it, so it makes a lot of sense to provide something where it can be done and it won't drive you bonkers or waste a load of resources.

It's likely part of the enveloping schema so you could also look at finding other ways to give objects where they can fully hide items and uncover them repeatedly, like boxes with lids (egg boxes, shoe boxes etc) and toilet roll/kitchen roll tubes perhaps with a cover over one end that they can post things into and then tip them all out. Stuff smallish toys into socks. Cut the toes off holey socks and stuff things into these stretchy tubes as well. Fascinating to a baby/toddler in the enveloping schema (which is all about discovering how things can be hidden but continue to exist). Toys which pretend to "eat" things or where you can post coins/balls/etc into slots or tubes and they later get pushed out are also interesting.

Giving them an appropriate outlet for that kind of exploration helps prevent them stuffing things into holes where you'd rather they didn't. Not many people have a VCR any more, but that used to be a common one!

Over time they will outgrow this kind of play so no need to worry that it will build unwanted habits - though this is more like years than weeks.

Wow thank you for the ideas. i definitely want to make some of these. Hes also just discovering things can be inside stuff but tissue boxes and wet wipe boxes are amazing.

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