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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You're not choosing what she likes better- you are choosing what you think will better stimulate her creativity. And imply that plastic and battery toys are some how anti-creative or dangerous. Are those wood blocks from sustainable wood that has no paint made in China?! If so, glad you're wealthy enough to buy on etsy.

So should we just let our small children pick out their own toys?

Not saying that- just saying it's ingenuous to claim that you/she "knows her child and picks toys she likes" when we are stocking only what we think will be good for them. My mother and other family members buy my DS stuff I don't love, but he loves them, and unlike some, I'm not going to rip it out of his hands because it doesn't accord with some lofty, scientifically baseless, values. DS doesn't get to watch TV at home because the effects of the screen on his little brain are well known. When at my mom's it's on and we get over it. Kellymom is not the NIH, and being anti- for the sake of being anti- is just annoying.

Who said they would do this?

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, get off your high horses and realize that plastic toys made in china are not good for your kids, the environment. It's a HEALTH issue -- they often contain bromine, lead, cadmium, phlalates and other toxins. Do you let your kids play with lead? This is not made up information - toys get recalled all the time for these reason. It happened to Melissa and Doug and Fisher Price recently. HELLO? Anyone in there?

[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

This is our opinion, too. DS does have plastic toys, but we typically don't buy them for him. We rely on trusted brands to ease our concerns about contaminants or toxins, and steer toward open-ended toys (Duplos, Legos, Little People).

Regarding battery-containing toys, usually the noise and repetition aggravates me. We usually don't put the batteries in and just let DS play with the toy as is; sometimes it has staying power (in the case of the Little People airplane) and sometimes it doesn't (in the case of a popper toy we were given by my cousin).

[Anonymous]

For me, it is about buying high-quality, open-ended, toys that my DD will be interested for many years. It is about building a toy inventory that grows with my child and will be around for the grandchildren. It is also about not overwhelming my kid with flashy junk (that, yes annoys me!).

She has an awesome set (multiple sets) of HABA blocks, play silks, dozens of Holtztiger animals, a simple wooden dollhouse, a couple wooden trucks (Fagus), and simple wooden peg people. She also has a small kitchen filled with wooden and felt food, and two baby dolls. She plays with this stuff everyday, and has for years. She has never needed more.

I don't like buying things that will only serve me and my family for a limited period time, toys included. We are somewhat minimalistic. We live in a small place.

I also try to buy local, support small business, avoid made in china.

We are also TV free while DD is awake and put our foot down on electronic toys. Plastic is OK sometimes (she does have some playmobil which we love), but we do not need anything interactive like Leapster or TAG, or whatever. We do not buy any type of educational electronic. We read books together. We also plays tons of boardgames. And, we will play some iPad apps together. DD loves books. It was important to DH and I that she enjoy books. She sat on Santa and asked for more books this past year. And, at 3.5 she can read at a beginning of the year first grade level.

I am a WAHM. DD is an only child and can entertain herself for hours in imaginary play. I don't think I have too much time on my hands. I have done a lot of reading on this subject. We all have different priorities. Her preschool has no battery-operated toys, though plenty of plastic for pretend. I never care if she watches TV or plays barbie at a friend's house. But, we can control what goes on in our home. I don't feel like it is "controlling." It is how we choose to raise our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey everyone, get off your high horses and realize that plastic toys made in china are not good for your kids, the environment. It's a HEALTH issue -- they often contain bromine, lead, cadmium, phlalates and other toxins. Do you let your kids play with lead? This is not made up information - toys get recalled all the time for these reason. It happened to Melissa and Doug and Fisher Price recently. HELLO? Anyone in there?

That issue was already caught and addressed so you can lower your emergency alert broadcast flag and STFU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey everyone, get off your high horses and realize that plastic toys made in china are not good for your kids, the environment. It's a HEALTH issue -- they often contain bromine, lead, cadmium, phlalates and other toxins. Do you let your kids play with lead? This is not made up information - toys get recalled all the time for these reason. It happened to Melissa and Doug and Fisher Price recently. HELLO? Anyone in there?

That issue was already caught and addressed so you can lower your emergency alert broadcast flag and STFU.

Although I agree with the sentiment up to the "STFU"- just want to be clear that the pp is not the person (me) who has been arguing that the anti-whatever based on scant research is annoying. I'm happy to disagree and hear your thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

My house is the *other house* as well. NORMAL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

100+

totally agree. I wasnt restricted on what i had as toys and such and i didnt have any problems as I got older. you people really need to get a grip

@ OP Now you are going to attack the daycare??? You've got a lot of nerve. instead of worrying what she has, if it doest meet your standards move along. I am sure she would be grateful

[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.

Maybe it's you. Not the PP, but my 2yo boy's "natural instincts" include calm play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Maybe it's you. Not the PP, but my 2yo boy's "natural instincts" include calm play.

Yeah, my 4-year-old boy is capable of both sitting on the floor quietly and playing for hours and then playing a game that involves jumping off the couch. They can have it all!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Maybe it's you. Not the PP, but my 2yo boy's "natural instincts" include calm play.

Or maybe it is b/c he is autistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Maybe it's you. Not the PP, but my 2yo boy's "natural instincts" include calm play.

Or maybe it is b/c he is autistic.

That's a shitty thing to say about a child you don't even know.

[Anonymous]

does any of you actually get any toys as gifts at all? Our hour is full of toys given to us as gifts and most of them tend to be the despised battery operated plastic type. so, what do you actually do to prevent people from giving you these "wrong" toys as gifts? Are you actually tacky enough to tell people, your elderly grandparents, your best friends, your nanny, etc that their choice in toys is just hmm. inferior? That they should not ever give you toys made in China or having batteries, or made of plastic, etc?

It's funny, but my aunt actually purchased DS a nice truck set by the toy company based in Germany, the toys are made in Germany... from the good old plastic. Oh my! And she was so proud the toys were not made in China! I should probably go run to the nearest Home-depot and get started on the solid wood playset right away and go sew some organic cotton ragdolls stuffed with the premium quiality fair trade ingredients.

Yes, we can make choices to avoid certain products and market for the "pure" organic products is out there, but unless you are a total ass to people around you, you will not be able to shield your kid from such toys.

[Anonymous]

Can someone also point out that this is a class war? Not everyone can afford habba toys!

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is supposed to be a war. People buy whatever toys they want for their kids. If they make a conscious decision about what toys they buy for them, is that a bad thing? What are you people arguing about?