"Toys" around the house for the littles
As I type at the kitchen counter, my one-year old crawls around at my feet, swinging open the low cupboard doors, clanking around and finding entertainment. Despite my husband's requests to put babyproof those cabinets, these areas remain fully accessible to all. They contain lunch bags, bulk dry goods, tupperware, lids for pots and pans, cloth napkins, and other various housewares.
He loves the tupperware area. He finds a container then works to find the appropriate lid. The activity makes his so focused! Lately, the little one has enjoyed finding our stacked plastic kiddie cups. There are a stack of 3 of them, and he takes them all apart and sets them side by side. Then, he stacks them again. Of course, he doesn't put it back, much to my husband's chagrin. I have been trying to teach him to "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere...." Just now, he found three concentric star metal cookie cutters. He has been so concentrated for many, many minutes putting them all within one another, then taking them out of one another. So I think: it's not such a bad idea to let him tinker in the cupboards to find entertainment.
What kinds of everyday items around the house have you found that make great "toys" for the little ones?
My grandma's trick was to put a small plastic cup over a baby's hand and let them try to figure out how to get it off. Measuring cups, any kind of tube you can put things in and anything with moving parts (like the garlic press) are my boys favorites.
Posted by: Joie | September 18, 2010 at 07:29 AM
i remember those days! of course you've got to move sharp and toxic things up high, but everything else is fair game. i don't know how we ever would have prepared a meal during our daughter's first couple of years if she didn't entertain herself endlessly with whisks, funnels, tupperware, and oh yes the garlic press! you can clean up (or teach cleaning up) with "toys" or kitchen tools all the same. side benefit was that our little one knew the name and function of every kitchen tool by the time she was 2.
cloth napkins are still favorites (at 4 they're doll blankets). tongs are great. the little box for setting out pills for a week - with 7 lids that snap shut...
Posted by: jojo | September 18, 2010 at 09:13 AM
My 8 month old is just starting to get into this phase. She loves tin pie plates! The kind you get with a pre-made pies. She like how loud they are and how light. Watching her bite down on them makes my teeth hurt but I think the corrugated edges must feel good on her teething gums. I agree with jojo about using utensils to distract while making dinner. Last week she wanted to be entertained so I just put my whole counter-top jar of cooking utensils down on the floor in front of her and she was thrilled! I got the whole meal cooked with her being entertained. I then just scooped everything up and rinsed it in the sink. She also of course loves phones, computer cords, remotes, pretty much anything that I really don't want her to put in her mouth.
Posted by: Emily | September 18, 2010 at 11:08 AM
Mine loved emptying and exploring the kitchen cupboards at that age too. Stuff would be spread all over the kitchen everyday, but he would be so entertained & I could get stuff done. It was worth the mess. He also loved emptying the paper recycling box at that age. He is almost 3 now and still loves napkins, kitchen towels, wash clothes etc, which he stacks up to make 'beds.' He likes mail too - opening & 'reading' junk mail.
Posted by: cg | September 18, 2010 at 02:03 PM
Our guy is 7 months and loves to chew so we gave him a new toothbrush to play with (supervised of course) and he loves it. He also has a few, tiny, old metal spoons that came from grandma's house that he like to gum. We let him use measuring cups/spoons, funnels, colanders in the tub. We have a miniature Mason jar that once upon a time held pesto that has now become his water glass. He love to hold it and "drink" from it even when it's empty.
Posted by: amber | September 18, 2010 at 09:44 PM
Mine little guy is there right now too, since we spend most of our time in the kitchen together he finds all kinds of things to "explore". His favorite is the salad spinner. He will find something small to put in and watch it spin around and will get frustrated if the object he chooses is too big to spin. Tonight he had a wooden spoon and was "mixing" his Cheerios as mom mixed her dinner.
Posted by: jsd | September 18, 2010 at 09:51 PM
Awww he is such a good lid putter onner. I have seen these skills in action and they impress. My buggaboo enjoys putting a tennis ball in a tennis ball tube and then removing it. She could do this for 30 minutes at a time.
Posted by: Tanya | September 18, 2010 at 09:53 PM
This week it is the stash of *free* USPS boxes we have on hand when we need to click-it-and-ship-it. My son has been stacking them, making himself a robot only to crash them down after a few seconds, and using them as a big-red-ball-whacker. Good invention for all.
Posted by: Michelle Lasley | September 19, 2010 at 07:20 PM
Mine spend more time playing with the box the toy came in than the toy itself. And they'll do whatever it takes - much to my chagrin - to get to that cardboard tube (you know, the center of toilet paper and wrapping paper). It's called a dert-da-dert. We have a cardboard fort, as well. From our washer/dryer purchase two years ago, with many add-ons since. Not as big as the one at CHAP, but someday..someday.
Posted by: lea | September 20, 2010 at 02:47 AM
When mine were little, I took a trip to the dollar store, and bought a bunch of kitchen utensils for the kids. I stocked the bottom drawer with their utensils, plastic cups, plates, etc. They would have their stuff to explore while I cooked. I liked having their own set because it made clean up easy - just throw it all back in the drawer. No washing necessary, because their utensils were "toys". Once they grew out of that stage, we washed em all, and put them to use in the kitchen.
Posted by: mamatothree | September 20, 2010 at 12:07 PM
Mine as well! He's 15 months last 9/28, and he enjoys going through a drawer I call his. All his baby plastic containers, cups and bowls. :) He just opens that one, and do his thing while I prepare his meals or for the family. He walks around opening and closing cabinets, and of course entertain himself with the fridge alphabet magnets I have for him low down so he can reach. I'm not sure I want to baby proof the cabinets until later...maybe when he knows how to do more than opening and closing..LOL
Posted by: Lind Mizar | October 02, 2010 at 06:48 PM