please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the wooden toys are more expensive because a real person actually made them by hand. Some people value that and are willing to pay for it. Is there something wrong with that?

Of course not. it doesn't however make one a more thoughtful or better parent.

But it reflects a certain set of values that I've chosen as important to instill in my children. It doesn't make me better than you, but if I were doing something different, I'd be a worse parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the wooden toys are more expensive because a real person actually made them by hand. Some people value that and are willing to pay for it. Is there something wrong with that?

Of course not. it doesn't however make one a more thoughtful or better parent.

But it reflects a certain set of values that I've chosen as important to instill in my children. It doesn't make me better than you, but if I were doing something different, I'd be a worse parent.

I'm the one who said "better choices." I truly didn't mean it like "oh, I'm better." I think PP above, who said she thinks she's a better parent with her house of flashing plastic, illustrated what I mean. We all make the choices we think are best for our kids. I do think the toys I choose are better. But outside of DCUM, I don't really react or have much of an opinion on what other parents are doing. I'm not judging actively. However, I came on this thread because someone asked about the mentality behind it, and I figured I'd share my thoughts. Then I sifted through a half dozen pages of wooden toy likers saying why they liked wooden toys, and other people mocking them or saying they're controlling, etc. So that's what I was saying, why be so nasty? I think I really meant, why be so nasty to someone who makes different choices. But yeah, I think my choice is better and I can own that. Just like I am sure (or I would hope) that you think your choice is better. So I can understand your being rude to me, but that post was my first. Most of the other posters were just explaining their view points. I just didn't get why so many people seemed almost angry about people making different choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where did the philosophy active toys = passive child and vice versa come from? And honestly I dont care because its ridiculous.

ITA about this passive toys, active child thing. About the most passive activity around for my kids is being read to. Someone else is doing the reading, the pictures show them what is going on, they don't even have to turn the pages, yet nobody is advocating stopping the books. Of course, they turn into passive toys when swept off the shelf and tossed around the room, but that is another story!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I'm not necessarily planning to keep toys for my grandchildren, but I do like to pass them along to friends, siblings, cousins, and neighbors. I feel better about doing so with wooden toys, mostly because I have found they wear better. Most of these types of toys I buy second-hand or accept second-hand from friends. So, no, I don't think that's materialistic by my definition.

Interesting. We had lots of wooden toys from when we lived in Europe. Many of them did NOT wear better. Many were glued together (not fused into one piece like plastic is) and came apart. Obviously, I think wooden toys are cute and we had lots, so I'm not anti-wooden toy. Just pointing out that my experience on the quality is different.

Oh, and I do think a lot of the anti-plastic folks are smug and sanctimonious, but whatever works for their families.

By the way, the most played with toy in our house is Littlest Pet Shop animals (Playmobil is pretty popular, too, but LPS is the most favored). They are open-ended for those of you who are anxious about that, so apparently my kids will actually grow up with an imagination. They don't make noise or have flashing lights for those of you who have calm, noise sensitive children. But, horror of horrors, they are plastic and made by some major toy company. Hmmm.

[Anonymous]

Folks who are talking about their kids using wooden toys from their parents or grandparents, please be careful with painted wooden toys from before 1970 or so because of lead paint. My grandmother is still alive and offered me blocks from when my father was a kid for my kids. They were great sturdy wooden blocks but covered in lead based paint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did the philosophy active toys = passive child and vice versa come from? And honestly I dont care because its ridiculous.

ITA about this passive toys, active child thing. About the most passive activity around for my kids is being read to. Someone else is doing the reading, the pictures show them what is going on, they don't even have to turn the pages, yet nobody is advocating stopping the books. Of course, they turn into passive toys when swept off the shelf and tossed around the room, but that is another story!

And "active" and "passive" are in the eye of the beholder. My child is such a participant when we read, and she also has conversations with her (active) toys and uses them in ways they weren't designed for. Unfortunately, I don't think it's as easy as looking at "flashing lights" or whether a toy is made of wood. Are there really more ways to play imaginatively with, say, one of those wooden push ducks than with the vTech alphabet train?

And like books, ANYTHING seems to become more fun if a parent can be dragged into it.

[Anonymous]

My opinion is that parents who feel strongly about having more passive toys probably overthink parenting. I was born in 1965 and have a mix of old fashioned and newfangled toys for my kids.

[Anonymous]

My children only play with wooden toys I carve myself out of wood from trees in our backyard. And only wear clothes made of wool made by our own family sheep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children only play with wooden toys I carve myself out of wood from trees in our backyard. And only wear clothes made of wool made by our own family sheep.

How silly of you! Mine only play with toys made from petroleum purchased from the Middle East!

[Anonymous]

Ass soon as I hear the words - "open ended play" I know it is a high maintenance parent. Now we are classifying play! Kids if you leave them will be creative with plastic, wood, rope, whatever. My kids have little plastic cars that they use in a hundred different ways. They have lots of toys that were made with some intended purchase in mind that have been turned into all different variations. The good thing about plastic toys is often they can be taken apart and different parts used in different ways.

We have only one no plastic no battery family on our street and I just don't invite their kids over - too complicated and I don't need someone implying I am poisoning my kids or limiting their creativity. Those were the reasons she gave me for their choices (toxins, chemicals and creativity). So their choice for sure but it means their child gets left out while all the other little boys crash trucks around in the backyard.

[Anonymous]

Oil is natural therefore so is plastic

[Anonymous]

People who study children and play do classify play, so it's not inconceivable that someone would be familiar with/use a real term. Or do you ask your doctor to rephrase things into simplistic phrases a lot?

Snark aside, toys aren't a zero sum game, (unless you're referencing the brilliantly creepy eponymous movie, in which case "zero sum" is appropriate). It doesn't really matter to me what kinds of toys people buy, and I understand that my son will one day - gasp! - use technology, but for now we get to make the in home choices. We don't usually feed him junk food, similarly, he doesn't play with "junk food" toys in our home either. And a goodly chunk of that is the aggravating earworms. Yes, PP, they do irritate me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ass soon as I hear the words - "open ended play" I know it is a high maintenance parent. Now we are classifying play! Kids if you leave them will be creative with plastic, wood, rope, whatever. My kids have little plastic cars that they use in a hundred different ways. They have lots of toys that were made with some intended purchase in mind that have been turned into all different variations. The good thing about plastic toys is often they can be taken apart and different parts used in different ways.

We have only one no plastic no battery family on our street and I just don't invite their kids over - too complicated and I don't need someone implying I am poisoning my kids or limiting their creativity. Those were the reasons she gave me for their choices (toxins, chemicals and creativity). So their choice for sure but it means their child gets left out while all the other little boys crash trucks around in the backyard.

Yeah, there's no way it could be a parent who is educated in early childhood development, they must just be high-maintenance. All the things you listed are good for open-ended play, by the way. Well done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ass soon as I hear the words - "open ended play" I know it is a high maintenance parent. Now we are classifying play! Kids if you leave them will be creative with plastic, wood, rope, whatever. My kids have little plastic cars that they use in a hundred different ways. They have lots of toys that were made with some intended purchase in mind that have been turned into all different variations. The good thing about plastic toys is often they can be taken apart and different parts used in different ways.

We have only one no plastic no battery family on our street and I just don't invite their kids over - too complicated and I don't need someone implying I am poisoning my kids or limiting their creativity. Those were the reasons she gave me for their choices (toxins, chemicals and creativity). So their choice for sure but it means their child gets left out while all the other little boys crash trucks around in the backyard.

Hey, you wrote your own reply for me! You pegged yourself with "ass." So let me get this straight, you are willing to alienate children (though I doubt everyone leaves them out, and I bet people leave YOU out all of the time based on the fact that you're mean, and I bet their kids have plenty of other playmates) over a criticism that, at best, is implied? So you ask mom why she doesn't like batteries, she tells you, and that makes you ostracize her child? WTF is wrong with you? I hope this isn't real. If it is, and you'd really take out your defensiveness and insecurities on a child, your suck-i-tude and ass qualities may be record breaking.

Guarantee YOU will be the one left out if you keep this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live such a simple life! Couldn't care less what the kids play with. If it it is loud and annoying, it stays in their room, if I step on it then it gets thrown in a bag. If I saw them licking the paint or or chewing off chunks of plastic, I'd probably take it away but otherwise they just play. So far the kids still seem relatively normal.

This is perfect