Dec 20 2007
Gift Ideas To Scratch Your Head By
Three toys I saw online made me scratch my head. We’ll get to those after a brief, topical discussion (210 words — short for me!).
On my lunch hour Monday, I heard Dr. Susan Linn deride children’s exposure to television commercials and media-based toys. Her organization, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, suggests buying toys that don’t have pre-packaged personalities or complete histories laid out in a show or a movie. She had an even lower opinion of toys that allow a child to be entertained at the press of a button. Give them room to apply their own imaginations, she suggests.
I like that idea, and our son often makes up his own stories and narration for various animals and vehicles. At the same time, however, he has a bin full of Cars characters. Even with those he makes up his own stories, so I think we’re maintaining a fairly healthy balance.
Dr. Linn did not address outdoor play. Benjamin and I bundled up twice last weekend for a ride on his “big wheel” (does everyone know what I mean when I use that term?). He constantly aches to play outside. I love that.
The first of the strange toys below seems like an attempt to combine indoor and outdoor play and take away the weather concerns. The others? Well, they just seem a bit odd.
Fisher Price Smart Cycle
“A stationary bike, a learning center, and an arcade game all in one.”
“Cycle plugs right into your TV.”
If your kids want to be sedentary, make’m pedal for it! Now, if it required pedaling, then we’d be getting somewhere (so to speak). “Bikes of New York,” anyone?
YOUniverse Deluxe ATM Bank Machine
“Realistic ATM machine for kids.”
“2005 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal”
Because they’re never too young to learn this skill. Makes the perfect partner to that timeless board game classic, Monopoly.
IM Me
“Instant message (IM) family and friends from anywhere in the house and chat in up to 3 sessions at a time.”
“Play Time of Less Than 30 Minutes”
Because, parents, as long as you don’t see the sexually illicit Internet chats, you can avoid them altogether. Parenting just got easier!
I’m going to go seemingly off track here, but I figured it’s only fair to recommend a gadgety toy after making fun of a few.
One item I can recommend wholeheartedly is the Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera (a video with sound starts playing automatically on that linked page). It has dual eye holes, like a Viewmaster, that eliminates the problem toddlers have squinting one eye, and it takes some pretty good knocks. It does not take pretty good pics, but every kid who has played with Ben’s doesn’t want to let it go. In sunlight the pictures are acceptable. Here are a few (previously published) pics from Ben’s first time out with it (and this was an overcast day):
Ben captures me walking along the sidewalk.
And then, from inside the minivan, captures some passersby.
Finally, he cants the camera for a Micheal Bay shot of our front yard (which ends at the untapped cable TV access point that lost a battle with a lawnmower).
So, seen any goofy or good toys lately?
Hah, I beat Simon today! *LOL*
I wouldn’t worry so much about perfect parenting. Some times, even perfect parents create serial killers, and broken homes create geniuses.
I think it’s all in the love. (which you and Shan have in abundance)
Face it, Ben is going to be Ben, not Mini-Mark, or anyone else (which in itself is pretty cool).
Great post bud….
I’m with you on th ebutton pushing stuff. My rule of thumb when family and friends ask what kind of toys Norah wants for whatever occasion is this, “Will it still be fun after I take the batteries out?” This is not to say thay I WILL take the batteries out…only that if the toys only fun is gained by stuff the toy does FOR the child instead of things the child can do with the toy itself…then I’m probably not interetd. Generally speaking, I’m not all that curious about what some toy company things that little ar should do or sound like…I’m interested in what Norah thinks that little car should do or sound like. Of course it’s a balance. She gets no end of joy from pressing and repressing that Hallmark sledding snowman and dancing like a fool while the little dog and penguin sing along.
I had seen that peddlig thing and assumed that you HAD to pedal to make the game work. I thought, “Sad state that we’ve come to this…but probably a good idea.” But if the pedaling is optional…it’s really just a chair with footrests.
As for the ATM…I’m not sure. Norah loves trying to grab my debit card and she knows just where to swipe it to pay. So, she’d probably love playing with something like that. But despite the fact that I had my own little toy cash register, it does strike me as vaguely “consumer in training”
Have you seen the robot horse? That would not pass my battery test…and it’s a bit creepy to boot.
Dave - Very good points. Benjamin is loved and he loves back. That part we know we’re doing right, and like you said, it’s a huge one.
Moksha - I figured I was “preaching to the choir” on this one (although that doesn’t really fit in most cases, because we all know the choir is the biggest group of heathens in church!).
Ben gets no end of joy out of the musical greeting card that hangs from our pantry door. When opened, it plays a good chunk of the original recording of “I Will Survive.” He smiles wide each time it plays.
Somebody (not saying who) will get one (or more) of those mechanical ponies somehow and make a homemade horror movie.
that camera thing is freakin amazing!!! Declan would love that. He is always wanting to play with out camera and we actually gave him our old digital when we got our new one.
I just have to add that I also beat Simon here. His fault. I happen to know he was just on here.
That pony thing is creapy, saw it in Toys-R-Us. What stuck with me was the sign stating the little barn and fence were not included as displayed. A deal breaker for me. Although, I could have looked at it as an opportunity to build an indoor barn for my new $300 fake pony.
And I really like Moksha’s battery test. Will have to remember that. I must add that the best “toy” I ‘ve found for a little one is another little one, at least so far.
I kinda like the rocking horse that sings “Home on the Range” in an annoying voice. Now there’s something to pique the imagination of a child! An annoying horse!
Interesting. I agree with you about the top 3 being absolutely ridiculous - and I love the idea of the camera for kids. My nieces are all getting keychain digital cameras for Christmas, they were only $10 a pop, so we’ll see if they get to upgrade to a better camera from there. :-)
You see? Now it’s a competition between me and my wife about who gets here to comment first. Geez…
I also thought that pedal bike thing NEEDED to be pedaled to work. Sort of really silly if that’s not the case. The digital kids camera would go over like gangbusters with Dex. We’d maybe have to change his name to Ansel.
The toys that require imagination to run versus batteries are definitely better, both financially and for the kids using them. That said, this summer we’ll be breaking out the monstrous, battery-powered Cadillac Escalades that Amy’s dad got both boys for Christmas last year. Dex should be big enough to reach the pedals by then. Look out neighbourhood!
My MIL was going to get that bike toy for Austin, and I told Ryan to tell her no way! If Austin gets toys, I like for them to be something that he has to think about or use his imagination. Austin IS however getting the digital camera for Christmas, from his Aunt. Oh yeah, my MIL is now getting Austin hooked on phonics now. (with other toys)
It’s great that he’s already taking beautiful photos just like his daddy.
We were 4 girls in our family, and aunts and uncles drowned us in Barbies and Cabbage Patch Kids…meanwhile, we played with boxes. My mother collected large appliance boxes; we cut out doors and windows, we wallpapered them, and soon our basement was filled with a whole village and we let our imaginations took us to far more places than Barbie ever could.
I like the “take the batteries out” strategy from Moksha. What a great way to gauge the impact of a toy!
LC has all types of battery toys, and other than the learning ones, he doesn’t care for them at all. In fact, he’ll discard them. We got him a rocket booster train to push his Thomas trains around the track, and he always takes it off and turn it off when I get it out. He wants to power it himself, and narrate as it goes along.
Hot Wheels and the cheap track that I bought are the best though. I actually found individual pieces and connectors once at Toys R Us, and bought several pieces. I haven’t seen it since though.
I think Mark posted some video once of a track we had set up in LC’s room. LC and I make something similar to that at least twice a week. In fact, he’s pestering me to “come play race cars” right now. Gotta go….
That TV cycle thing is hilarious. How can that possibly be as fun as seeing LC try to make the driveway/front walkway turn going too fast resulting in a face-first over-the-handlebars crash into the front bushes, and also taking out a landscape light on the way?
Then getting up and saying, “Wow…Dad. That was a close one. I almost knocked my teeth out of my head again.”
By the way, he’s almost knocked them out twice, but to our amazement, they’re still in tact. They’re a little darkened from the blood that gets in the pulp, but they’re functional.
Now that’s entertainment.
Amy - Declan definitely would love it, and of course following that, so would Tavish.
Josh - I can see you building an elaborate barn for that robotic pony. You know your little girl would love that pony, Josh. Heck, so would your boy
Pops - Ben still rides that horse! He makes it sing sometimes, and without fail I sing right along with it. Home on the Range is just a catchy tune.
Frigga - I’ve tried a keychain digital camera, but it was one without a screen on it. The biggest kick the kids get is seeing the immediate result of pushing that shutter button. Ben never cares a bit for seeing his pictures on the computer screen, which is funny because the low-res screen on the camera is not a fair representation of them. I agree, though, $10 is a good start.
Simon - I’ll never get in the middle of a competition between you and Amy. It just isn’t wise, because at some point I probably would try to take your side, which probably would be the losing side.
Gimpy - Hooked on phonics, huh? I guess there are worse addictions for toddlers. Like, say, candy canes!
Jay - I am hoping he’ll be photographically inspired just as I was by my father.
I didn’t know you had that many sisters. Cool decoration idea your mom had. I can imagine it.
Charles - Even though you and I played outside a LOT as kids, we had a few batter-powered toys we loved, but not until we were several years older than our boys are now. That miniature pinball machine sucked down the D batteries, and of course the handheld basketball and football games needed a 9-volt. Not to mention Galaxians.
Hot Wheels are Ben’s favorites. He even turns over the car and proclaims, “See, it has a Hot Wheels logo.”
Somehow Benjamin has avoided the tooth knock thus far. I guess they’re both a little “like father like son” in that regard.