Retail Vs Homemade: Toys for the Kiddos, and Useful Ideas for Parents Out There!

New to this Title, Role, Job, Lively hood most would call "Motherhood", I was sucked into the retail baby supply purchasing game. I am sure most can relate. J Now, I will say at the beginning, when my son did nothing but, eat, sleep, poop, and scream, some of these items seemed practical and cute. But, once he became active and more observant, those expensive purchases made on toys, that were suppose to keep his interest and boost his creativity for "hours on end", seemed to be piling up in the corner! Let me start from the beginning of my son's life purchases I had made for him, that I thought would convenience me, and tell you what I ended up with instead!

Diaper decompose system: The Diaper Jeanie

- Looks very practical and cool in the box, but let me tell you, with a full container of about 2 days worth of diapers exploding out of the thing because it allows the diapers to be wrapped in a mechanism that looks like diaper sausage links, the smell is overpowering, and quite unbearable.

- What did I do instead, with an item around the house that worked even better than this highly priced retailed item? I got a bundle of grocery bags and an extra garbage can, when a diaper was soiled, through it in the grocery bag, tied it and then proceeded to bag it once more, through it in the can, once this was repeated a few more times, then emptied the who thing into the outside garbage, wah la no more smell or ridiculous diaper sausage mechanism! HA!

The crib

- As most would be appalled not to have one of these for their baby, I will say for the first 3 months my son slept in one. After those three months though his enormous size began to take it over! He would get his legs and arms stuck in the rails when he would roll throughout the night.

- The solution to this overgrown crib monster epidemic? We took an extra mattress we had in our spare room; piled a million pillows around it, and that served as his bed, and still does at the ripe age of 2! He now has room to sprawl out and roll, the way he does in his fitful sleeping habits, without wakening by the sudden bang against something!

Water toys

- An abundant amount of water toys are out there for children of all ages, being new to all of this, my fiancée and I were too seduced by the retail world. Buying $150-200 dollars worth of "Crap" for my son's first birthday, for him to enjoy the water "world" playing environment.

- What did we end up with, Buckets we had around the house, and the garden hose! Seriously, kids don't care how they get wet as long as they are having fun! My son has a little kid's pool in the back yard. Do you think he wants to play in that? No he would rather try and run to the crick that is following constantly about 100 yard or less behind are house!

Noise making stimulating toys

- Music boxes, sing along toys, such things, are fun to look at, but how often does your child actually play with it while you are trying to get the dishes done or sweep the kitchen floor?

- Not often I suspect, just as my son! What did he do, looked at those expensive toys and crawled his way into the kitchen, got into the kitchen cabinet and pulled out the pots and pans!

Presents for Birthday, Christmas

- When a child is between the ages of 0-2, they usually have no idea what is going on during these holidays or special events. When the presents come out, they usually stare at you, "like what am I suppose to do with that"?

- What did my son do, played with the wrapping paper and the box the toy had come in. I would have been better off wrapping up an old box I had lying around the house, rather than spending the $400 to $500 dollars we did on gifts for him that year, that were hardly ever played with!

I do believe you are getting my point. Toys at a young age do not have to be purchased; they can be created from inside the house! Children use their imagination more than you think, they are not concentrating on what toy is the wildest craze throughout the world at this point, and they want something that you use all the time. Wooden spoons, pots, pans, computer paper, notebooks, cups, garden hose, buckets, etc.. Before getting sucked into the retail world of purchasing for your child, be resourceful and look around the house and see what you can create, scrounge up, whatever you want to call it to help amuse your child, In a way less expensive way!