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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

As far as plastic, it's all made in china and I don't trust it. SOme of it has BPA, phlalates, and other toxins that leach out when your child is eating the toy or even just holding it. I also limit plastic in my own life for environment for environmental and aesthetic reasons. I hate the way big plastic toys look and feel. They look junky, trashy and fill up our land fills with crap.

All in all, i just enjoy a simpler way of life. That being said, I an not against technology like computers. I like to quote Steve Jobs by saying I like my life to be a cross of "humanities and technology".

how old is your DD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh boy. Just wait until your special snowflake hits school and playdate ages - that child is gonna be begging for a Wii!

I'm currently feeding my 8-month-old purees, and yet I do realize that he'll be eating different kinds of food as he gets older. This is the same principle--filtering that's appropriate for a 3-year-old doesn't work/isn't appropriate for a 7-year-old. I believe that just about everyone posting here realizes that.

[Anonymous]

I'm fine with plastic, but don't buy battery-operated toys because the noises they make annoy the hell out of me. (This may stem in part from the year I spent living with a 3-year-old who had an electronic toy piano with a button she could push, letting her walk away while the damn thing continued to play tinny music for the next several minutes.)

As my boys are getting older, they're getting more battery-operated toys as gifts. Fortunately, they're also developing better impulse control and the ability to follow my requests to turn things off without having a tantrum.

[Anonymous]

I do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

Woah. Clearly you have a single female child, and probably a pretty young one at that. At least now we know who we are arguing with.

As a mom of two boys, I have to tell you that your ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY would go against their natural instincts. I've only rarely seen my 2 and 4 year old boys "play calmly with no loud noises or distracting movements." And that is even with our limitation on toys with batteries. My goodness, their favorite game in the world is to basically chase each other through the house yelling "aaaaaahhhhh!" Then the chaser becomes the chasee and they turn around and retrace their path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it limits their creativity

citation?

i'm talking about personal experience here. coming to DCUM for peer reviewed material is stupid. if you want this kind of validation you should sign up for a medical journal, not a neighborhood website.

no, i'm asking because your response was a one-liner w/o any details, and honestly, I find it ridiculous that so many parents jump on a bandwagon without good reasons. how do you know it limits creativity? as a pp stated, many "creative" toys are made with plastic-legos for one. many, many people often have good articles on hot-button issues like this; i wanted to know if you did. you didn't. ok.

honestly I don't need an article.

we never bought them but DD got plenty from well intended friends, for example that stupid gumball machine that you put the balls in and press the button so the balls can run down the machine. she was stuffing everything in there. she got frustrated and hated it. she clearly needed more than what the toy was offering. she did much better with a paper bag and her blocks. she stuffed whatever she wanted in it and went her merry way around the house for the entire day for several days in a row.

it's not the material the toy is made off but mostly the kind of toy. if it limits what the child can do, if it has specifics to how it works it's not good for us. if your kiddo likes it, good for you. i don't care. we have the bilibo since she was 9 months old and she still plays with it every single day. it depends on the child's personality and being a good parent is learning to watch your child and finding what works for them.

Oh boy. Just wait until your special snowflake hits school and playdate ages - that child is gonna be begging for a Wii!

and I don't have a problem with it. but for now, at 18 months of age she doesn't need that yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

Woah. Clearly you have a single female child, and probably a pretty young one at that. At least now we know who we are arguing with.

As a mom of two boys, I have to tell you that your ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY would go against their natural instincts. I've only rarely seen my 2 and 4 year old boys "play calmly with no loud noises or distracting movements." And that is even with our limitation on toys with batteries. My goodness, their favorite game in the world is to basically chase each other through the house yelling "aaaaaahhhhh!" Then the chaser becomes the chasee and they turn around and retrace their path.

Agreed. I have daughters, but a childhood without any loud noises or distracting movements seems sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

Woah. Clearly you have a single female child, and probably a pretty young one at that. At least now we know who we are arguing with.

As a mom of two boys, I have to tell you that your ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY would go against their natural instincts. I've only rarely seen my 2 and 4 year old boys "play calmly with no loud noises or distracting movements." And that is even with our limitation on toys with batteries. My goodness, their favorite game in the world is to basically chase each other through the house yelling "aaaaaahhhhh!" Then the chaser becomes the chasee and they turn around and retrace their path.

I have two boys and am anti-battery toys. The thing about the running around the house is that it tires them out. After a good run, I want them to have toys that work with their need to sit down & breathe for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We prefer wooden toys partly for aesthetic reasons. They are not so garish! Seems right for kids to have early tactile experiences with more natural materials, like wood, wool, and cotton. There are environmental reasons to choose toys make from sustainable materials, instead of petro chemicals. And surrounding your baby and young child with tried and true traditional things (like wooden blocks) is probably safer in terms of chemical exposure than giving them lots of plastic to chew on. But my kids do have plenty of plastic toys.

The battery issue is that lots of parents and early childhood educators feel that kids learn best when they have to use their imaginations and creativity.

Magda Gerber (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magda_Gerber) says:

Passive toys encourage active kids
Active toys (like battery powered ones) encourage passive kids

LOL I would love a passive child! Unfortunately DC's usage of plastic toys and the ipad haven't helped the fact that he is a total ball of intrigue and energy.

[Anonymous]

do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

I picture your house like the one in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when the fiance goes over to meet her future in laws, and they all just kind of sit silently at the table and stare at each other.


My house is definitely more like the other house - loud boys running all over with lots of sudden movements. Especially now that they are obsessed with tackling each other.

[Anonymous]

I don't think that a toy made out of plastic materials is inherently more educational than the same toy made out of wood. The difference is usually simplicity and the lack of lights and noise. If I had it to do over again, I would have avoided the lights and noise toys more. They seem to direct play too much.

We had a lot of Little People toys. We went on vacation once and I obviously was not going to lug around the playhouse, zoo mat or garage that had all the lights and sound. I threw some of the people , a few animals, and a plastic car in the bag. I noticed that DS played very differently without the lights and sound component. He did more pretend play, pretending to talk for each little person, hiding the animals and then having the people find them, laughing when he put one of the animals in the car and it drove away with a person running after it etc. When he has access to the full set, he just spends his time pushing the buttons to see the toy light up or make noise.

I did have a no electronic book rule. I had noticed that my nephew hated to be read stories because he wanted the book where he could push the buttons. There is something about buttons that give some type of response that kids just go nuts over.

The plastic stuff is also very cheap so you end up accumulating more stuff. This makes it harder for kids to organize things. If you can hold yourself back, then the plastic really isn't the problem. It tends to be bigger and bulkier. It doesn't have different configurations or ways to change it. It also tends to be more decorated so it is what it is while a kid pretend more things with something that is simple.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thank you for the well-thought out replies, I appreciate them, and they make a lot of sense. Now I have a follow up question: does your daycare also just use wooden/woolen toys? Or is it the kind of thing where when the kids are in an environment you can't really control, you don't worry about it? Or do some of you stay home? I ask because I appreciate your answers, and would think about putting away some of the more obnoxious toys, but I know in her daycare there are plenty of plastic toys (not necessarily ones that run on batteries, though). Thoughts on that?

Thanks again for non-snark (for the most part!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

As far as plastic, it's all made in china and I don't trust it. SOme of it has BPA, phlalates, and other toxins that leach out when your child is eating the toy or even just holding it. I also limit plastic in my own life for environment for environmental and aesthetic reasons. I hate the way big plastic toys look and feel. They look junky, trashy and fill up our land fills with crap.

All in all, i just enjoy a simpler way of life. That being said, I an not against technology like computers. I like to quote Steve Jobs by saying I like my life to be a cross of "humanities and technology".

Too funny!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I do not let DD play with anything plastic or anything with batteries. I am sort of an "old soul" and believe in calm play (no flashing lights, loud noises, distracting movements). I think it leads to ADD and other attention issues. I also hate the annoying sounds of battery operated toys myself. I also think it stunts the imagination.

Woah. Clearly you have a single female child, and probably a pretty young one at that. At least now we know who we are arguing with.

As a mom of two boys, I have to tell you that your ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY would go against their natural instincts. I've only rarely seen my 2 and 4 year old boys "play calmly with no loud noises or distracting movements." And that is even with our limitation on toys with batteries. My goodness, their favorite game in the world is to basically chase each other through the house yelling "aaaaaahhhhh!" Then the chaser becomes the chasee and they turn around and retrace their path.

I read that to mean the TOYS shouldn't make loud noises or distracting movements -- the better to let the kids do their own noisemaking and moving. No?

[Anonymous]

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

Damn I grew up obviously living in hell since my mom gave up microwave dinners, we watched TV, had loud noisy toys, plastic etc. Where are all these insane standards coming from? Why cant a kid be a kid wihtout parents agonizing over every damn thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you for the well-thought out replies, I appreciate them, and they make a lot of sense. Now I have a follow up question: does your daycare also just use wooden/woolen toys? Or is it the kind of thing where when the kids are in an environment you can't really control, you don't worry about it? Or do some of you stay home? I ask because I appreciate your answers, and would think about putting away some of the more obnoxious toys, but I know in her daycare there are plenty of plastic toys (not necessarily ones that run on batteries, though). Thoughts on that?

Thanks again for non-snark (for the most part!)

I'm the very first PP.

I SAH for now but still there's very little I can control. We go to people's houses, playdates, playrooms, etc and the plastic crap is all around. I don't care. At home we buy/play with what I think is the best. Outside I just let it slide.

Same goes for TV.