Most worthwhile big toys
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Anonymous
| The kitchen and the table and chairs got the most use. My son played with his kitchen DAILY until he was at least 5. Then we kept it around for a couple more years for visiting little ones. The table and chairs we still have and my son is now 11 we got a super sturdy land of nod set that has held up beautifully. |
Anonymous
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Kid size table and chairs are nice to have. But if you don't have a good space, skip it. My kids (ages 2 and 4) will happily do all of the above at our regular size dining table/chairs too.
Learning tower is probably great--I'm sure my kids would love it-- but we don't have one so I can only guess. Play kitchen-- my kids like theirs alright but it has never gotten that much use. We got it when my oldest was about 18 months and I was sure he'd love it as he always loved playing with the play kitchens at friends' houses but when we bought our own, he was only interested for a short time. My second child hasn't really gotten that into the kitchen either. It lives in the basement and is basically a waste of space though I will say that when friends' kids come over to play they enjoy it. Just not my kids. So I think this is kid dependent (a) and you may not know if your kid will actually play with it til you own one (b) bikes and water/sand table are great but as others said, I'd wait til summer or your child's birthday for those as they won't get a lot of use in the winter most likely indoor play tent or play house is great but my advice is to get one that you can easily collapse and store when not in use rather than one that's a permanent fixture unless you have lots of space for that. Another thing I'd add to your list is one of the cozy armchair type kids' chairs. My kids love theirs and use them all the time to read/look at books, build forts, etc. They have each had one since their 1st bdays and i imagine will use them for a long time to come. |
Anonymous
whoops all of the above was supposed to refer to a list I had made (art projects, puzzles/games, tea parties, etc) and then apparently deleted |
Anonymous
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Boy or girl? People will argue with me on this. But I have two boys and they only ever climbed on the kitchen.
Bike got daily use! |
Anonymous
I’m one of the pps who said kitchen - it’s my son’s #1 used toy. Not trying to argue, just saying I think it’s really kid/family dependent not gender dependent. We do a lot of cooking in our house so I suspect that’s why my son is particularly interested |
Anonymous
+1. My son plays with the play kitchen a lot more than my daughter does. |
Anonymous
| Skip the learning tower. They take up a lot of space and the utility advantage relative to a folding stool wanes quickly. Until your child is old enough to stand safely on a regular stool, just bring whatever he or she is "helping" with in the kitchen down to a table with booster seat (e.g., food prep or play) or the floor (e.g., bin of soapy water). |
Anonymous
| Kid won’t ride the balance bike until 2 and a half. Save it for next year’s list. My kid is obsessed with his balance bike. Mini table and chairs facilitate so much, but they are easy to get used. Fall is consignment sale season. See what items you can get for cheap, then put the others on your list. |
Anonymous
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Definitely skip the tower and the indoor tent, as others have suggested.
Play kitchen, table & chairs, and a bike/scooter will get the most use long term. |
Anonymous
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We used a regular step stool in the kitchen. Even at 18 months, DS could easily use it.
Our son never got much use out of our indoor play tent. He just wasn't very interested in it, and it took up too much space, even when collapsed. We did fine without a balance bike. DS really loved his tricycle and play kitchen. And He has had many good years of use out of the sand and water table. And at age 7 DS still uses his little table and chairs for school work. Another good "big gift" for this age is a Fisher Price Skyway type thing; there are different types but this "take turns" one is awesome. Works with hot wheels, too. https://www.fisher-price.com/en-us/product/little-people-take-turns-skyway-playset-fhg51 |
Anonymous
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At 18 months, go with play kitchen, tricycle OR balance bike, or the water/sand table
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Anonymous
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Table and chair set
Tricycle We have a play kitchen and balance bike. DD (3.5yo) was all about the play kitchen for maybe 2 months, but now she isn't really into it unless she has a friend over. She refuses to touch the balance bike, so it is collecting dust for now. Hopefully, that will change soon. She loves her tricycle, and the table/chair set is perfect for her to use to color, do small craft projects, puzzles, lego, etc. |
Anonymous
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OP, have you thought of getting one of these roller coaster things?
We had one of these for years, and it was a huge hit with friends too. They used it the way it’s meant to be used when they were little, then when they got older, they used it to knock stuff down (building towers and knocking them down was big from about 3 y/o-4.5). I would say they used it regularly until about kindergarten. https://www.step2.com/c/kids-toys/coasters/ |
Anonymous
| Kitchen. Cozy coupe. |
Anonymous
| I’m going against the crowd and saying I vote for indoor tent. Definitely a collapsible one though. Ours has gotten so much use. As a train, a fort, a spaceship. Just last week, my ten year old crammed himself in it for a “ campout” in his room. His feet were sticking out, but he whatever. |