Comments on: Because We All Need A Laugh

By: Jenni

Jenni — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:28:52 +0000

I go to once upon a child for alot of my toys. I give my daughter books which she loves. I find cheap ones and I pile them up until x-mas and give her like 40 new books. It seems like alot but have maybe spent $10.00 at the most. I do have to say someone got us a ball popper. She still loves it at almost 3yrs old. She like the wind on her face and likes the little balls that go with it.

By: Becky

Becky — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:00:54 +0000

Wow, sorry I spelled my own name wrong up there. It’s BECKY, not BECY. Sheesh.

By: Becy

Becy — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:00:04 +0000

We have found that toys are a waste of money and space. Our kids have the most fun with things that are not toys, while the toys that we have go unused. I would like to have a few things for the kids to open on Christmas morning, but we like to have adventures with the kids for birthdays and holidays. We take our soon-to-be-four-year-old to a hotel with a pool each year for her birthday. She loves that and looks forward to it each year. I don’t think she (or we) could tell you what presents she got last year for her birthday, but we all remember the weekend away. We all love it, and I think she feels special having a weekend adventure dedicated to her.

My group of girl friends has commented that if you want toys, buy them at garage sales. They are cheaper, so if the kids prefer newspapers over the toys, you aren’t out money. AND, it’s a great way to recycle!

By: J

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:50:50 +0000

I think toy kitchens are one of the best investments. We actually got ours hand-me-down from relatives, but both our kids as well as every other child that visits plays with that for long periods of time. An idea for those with younger kids - I bought one of those Fisher Price Learning Homes (looks like a little house with a door that swings open) on Craigslist when my son was about 7 months old. Both he and his 3 year old sister loved it and played with it daily. Finally they outgrew it so I gave it to our home daycare. She said it sees playtime every day.

By: Katy

Katy — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:26:59 +0000

That video is hilarious! Thanks!

By: Jennifer Twin Mom

Jennifer Twin Mom — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:18:13 +0000

We buy clothes, toys, and books for our kids at thrift stores like Goodwill. You’d be amazed at the nice things you can find.

We’re also making them a kitchen out of some old lumber and various found objects (go a google search on DIY kid’s kitchen and you will find a wealth of ideas). And we’re stocking the kitchen with a huge bag of fake food that my mother-in-law found at Goodwill. It’s been a fun project.

By: Athena

Athena — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:50:30 +0000

We’ve got a double whammy since DD’s birthday is on Dec. 23rd. I’ve been buying things here and there for the past few months and pretty much have her shopping done, except for her stocking stuffers.
Toys worth the money: FisherPrice Fish Bowl and Kidland Pooh riding toy (she received that as a present last year and we finally took it out of the box when she was around 6 months old).

By: Lucie

Lucie — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:24:27 +0000

For the slightly older gang, I’m a big fan of Scuply - it’s a bakable clay that won’t harden until baked. In fact, my kids will be making many gifts from this product. It isn’t cheap, but it’s hours of fun at our house.

By: Jill

Jill — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:07:27 +0000

My 14-month-old son loves the classic stacking rings. He has two kinds - the wooden Melissa & Doug version and a plastic, musical variety - and he’ll play with both for a long time. Both were gifts so we didn’t spend our own money on them, but I’d still view them as bargains because they get so much use!

By: Amelia Sprout

Amelia Sprout — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:01:02 +0000

I find that dino slightly frightening.

We’re trying to be very thoughtful about the gifts this year. Going for less gifts, but higher quality, more likely to be used for years. The two bigs ones, a baby doll and accessories (including hopefully the doll stroller mentioned above) and a toy kitchen (nicer one to last longer/through multiple kids) with the Green Toys dish set.

Not all from just us of course. We have family that likes to do a lot and we’re trying to get them to go in on larger gifts instead of lots of junk.