Summertime Toys
This summer, Bean’s age has opened him up to a whole new world of toys and activities that keep him entertained. That has been so exciting, but it also has had the potential to be expensive! Every time Bean outgrows his toys, we can’t run out and buy the entire toddler section at Toys R Us. So, we’ve become creative in how we recycle old toys and how we purchase new toys.
I noticed that when Bean watched TV (not that he does it often…), he was pulling pillows off the couches and sitting on those. So, I mentioned to Chris that we should get him a little chair to sit in. But those little kids chairs are not cheap! And what if we spend money on them and he didn’t even use them? Well, last week I was going through some of our things we still have in storage from our move and I found Bean’s activity bouncer from when he was a wee one. I registered for this lovely little lamb bouncer when I was pregnant and it was great – soft and comfy and Bean liked it.
But this is pretty much all he could do in it…
So when he got a little bigger, I wanted a different bouncer that had a little more to offer him for entertainment. I didn’t want to buy a whole new seat because those are expensive, so I went to a baby consignment shop and found a gently used Fisher Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker. This seat could be used as a stationary bouncer and then as the baby grows, it transitions to become a rocking chair. I think I paid $8 for mine and it was still in the box.
Turns out, it’s good that I didn’t pay full price because Bean wasn’t really interested in this seat. So, we packed it away and saved it for our next baby and that was it. But when I was poking around in storage, I found this seat and thought that maybe Bean would have renewed interest in it now. So, I pulled it out and set it up like a rocking chair for him.
BIG HIT!
Another big hit right now are the things in his hands in that last picture – wiffle balls. Bean loves golf balls, but those are meant to roll and so they roll off all the time. He is constantly pointing under furniture and calling out, “Bawwww! Bawww!” So, I thought maybe if he had wiffle balls they might not be so rolly. And – bonus! – when I went to Target to pick them up, the bright orange ones were on clearance. I got a pack of 24 balls for $2. Which is excellent because golf balls are pretty expensive, so when he loses those it’s a bigger deal. Also, if he throws these at things (like the dogs…) they don’t do any damage, whereas those stupid golf balls were putting dents in all my furniture!
While we were at Target, we wandered into the summer clearance aisle and hit the jackpot! Our Target has all of their summer toys and activities 75% off right now. We got this set of small sports balls for $1.60. And the balls are just Bean’s size!
But Bean’s favorite toys right now are the easiest and cheapest toy that you can make yourself. My mom saw that Bean was constantly chasing his balls around under furniture because they rolled off while he was playing with them. So, she took some extra fabric she had laying around and bought a $0.50 bag of beans and made a set of bean bags for him. Now, when he throws these, they don’t roll off and (always important) he can’t do any damage with them either. He carries them all over the place and they have become a big hit at our house.
(Tip: If you make these yourself, be sure that you double bag the beans so that if your child is able to pick through the seam on the bag, they can’t get to any beans which are choking hazards.)
This kid is growing faster than a weed and I just can’t keep up in regards to his toys! One day he’s all about the trucks and cars and the next day he only wants balls and things he can throw. I’d go to the poor house trying to keep him entertained if I didn’t think outside the box every now and then. Especially during the summer months when it’s so dang hot outside that we spend most of our days indoors.
What are your kids playing with this summer? Have you recycled a purpose for any of your toys? Have you found something that wasn’t necessarily a baby toy that has been a big hit in your house? How are you keeping your kids entertained?
15 Comments
Cristy
Make sure you wash all the plastic toys first! A lot of the studies that have found lead on toys finds it in the packaging or as dust residue on the toys – that means it comes off if you wash the plastic toys with warm water and soap.
My little brother and sister’s favorite toy as toddlers was a big laundry plastic basket. They’d sit in one to play with toys or watch tv (we ended up putting a pillow in there to make it more comfortable). Their favorite thing was to be pushed around the house in these, though.
Kristin
A recent hit in our house is the container for our dishwasher tablets/capsule things. I buy the big economy size container, which is a sturdy plastic with a flip-top lid. I cleaned out an empty one the other day and my daughter loves putting balls and small toys in it and taking them back out over and over and over…
Nigeria Hunter
Wow those are good finds… maybe I can get try to find some things like that for my nephew. He’ll be one next month. Do you think he’ll like wiffle balls.
Also your mom always makes some pretty cool things. You’re so lucky to have her!
Heather Ben
kate loves to take the clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer. she is so good at it, especially when it is just little stuff like her clothes. i’ll go into the laundry room and say – let’s do your chores! hoping she associates fun with that word. not that i think it will work for long, but it’s something!
im not one to talk about limiting the toys – we have so many right now. but recent situation will have to put a curb to that!
Katie
I get lots of my son’s toys from freecycle. (www.freecycle.org) You can join a group near your home, and people email all the members with things they no longer need. So far, I have recieved a leap frog table, a walker, and lots of smaller toys. And it’s all FREE. You can also posts things that you are looking for and people with let you know if they have one to give away. It’s more than just toys too, clothes and hosehold stuff…
jen morris
Love the bean bag idea! Why did I not think of that? So easy and cheap! I have found that a big tub of dried beans with cups and funnels is fun too!
I love checking out consignment shops for new toys. Have you heard of Just Between Friends? (http://jbfsale.com/findevent/Florida). In my area is a semi-annual event (spring and fall) that you can buy and sell children’s stuff from clothes, toys, cribs, etc. If you don’t want to sell your stuff it’s a great place to find toys and clothes!
Casey
My boy is only 6 weeks old, but I am already seeing how quickly the need for toys changes. Toys that he loved 2 weeks ago are old news now for things that he can interact with more. I can’t wait to check out freecycle!
Maria
My Mom recently bought a small basement fridge and she gave my son the box it came in. Oh my goodness, I can’t believe the fun he’s had with that big box. He sits in his little chair and asks to have the box put over his head so he can pretend like it’s his rocket ship. Then he’ll lay the box on its side and play inside his “fort”. He has spent more time with that silly box in the past week than all of his other expensive toys combined! It’s so much fun to watch his little imagination go wild!
Julie
We are lucky to have older cousins who give us their toys for our boys when they are done. We have a whole set of Little People that they passed down, and they just outgrew their Imaginext sets, which are basically Little People for bigger kids! I can’t wait for them to outgrow their Legos – but I should probably wait until my boys are old enough for them.
Cindy In Owensboro, KY
I have a little girl so she loves baby dolls and everything that goes with them. I don’t buy her stuff new though unless its her b-day or x-mas because she doesn’t know the difference. I get stuff from Goodwill, the consignment shops, garage sales, and older friends who are getting rid of their kids’ toys. Why spend a lot of money. Thanks for the ideas.
Ann G-B
I do try and rotate stuff – put stuff away and then pull it out again later.
Right now we are huge fan of the balls that go in the busy ball popper, but damn they can roll under the couch fast! Those golf balls look perfect!
He had a blast the other day with a big bucket full of rice! It took a couple of handfuls to convince him not to eat it, but then he played for quite some time!
Angela
Big boxes are always fun to play with.
Or is he a little to young to play with those?
Sara @ embrylovescookies
We are also stuck in the house because of the hot HOT weather, so I got out an air mattress and put it on the livingroom floor. The kids (ages 2 and 5) played and jumped and took pretend “naps” on it for days. The would bring out pillows and blankets and read each other bedtime stories. Very cute! They both threw a fit when I finally put them away this morning to clean. My best idea yet this summer.
Megan
That chair is awesome! I wish we had one. I’ve often thought of getting Q-Tip a chair too but haven’t for the exact same reason. Bean’s looks really comfy!!
Megan
http://reddirtandcrazy.blogspot.com/
Chris Jarrett
Maybe you can set bean a game of cornhole up so he can practice with those bean bags? It’s never too early to start training for college!