Is This Wrong?

[PSM Guild Mule]

I caught some Hell from my mom because I don't want to spoil my baby with tons of electronic flashy toys.
The reason why I don't want a ton of those toys is because I feel that it is brainless entertainment.
You press a button and it either talks or lights up, that really isn't fun or forces you to use creativity.
Plus they are fawking expensive, trust me I work the toy section at Walmart.
They ain't cheap.

When I was a kid I had tons of blocks wooden/plastic ones Legos, Lincoln Logs, plastic animals of all kinds... I thought it was the s**t to build a "zoo" with my building toys. I also had my Tonka Trucks and Star Wars toys in my sandbox, I remember making towns and roads in there for hours.
I also had a doll house and doll stuff, I loved to decorate the house. XD

I want to focus on toys that will make you use creativity and make you use your imagination, not something that is just "flashy"

I also want to limit TV and video games, I want it to play outside.
I never see kids outside anymore. ;o;
Hell when A.B0T (childhood friend) and I were young we were exploring the woods and riding bikes all over the place. Now that was fun!

Now I'm not outlawing all flashy toys but I don't want a ton of them.
I just don't think that they are that great or necessary.

what is everyone elses opinion on this?

 

[THE_FAIRY_EMPRESS]

I think the most important thing is to let your child play with the toys it likes. I always think its awful when kids can't have the toys they like because their parents don't approve. My niece is two, and her and all her friends still prefer dolls and trains and art to fancy new toys. She quite liked flashing things when she was very young (like 6mnths - ) as its engaging to look at before you can properly "play"

As to the flashy toys being expensive, kids get bored of them sooooooo quick, it means you can get brand new ones second hand dirt cheap. Which is good until their in school with other children and want the latest thing that every other kid has rolleyes Basically i think that when their very young they won't know the difference between whats flashy and whats older fashioned as long as they like playing with it they won't care. And some of the flashy ones arent necessarily bad or anti-imagintaion, Though they do all play super annoying songs that get stuck in your head xp  

[vxrs]

Your right. Flashy toys are not needed.
When I was growing up, I loved playdough and I loved caring for teddy bears as if they were my children. <3
I also learned/read a lot. No TV till my schoolwork was completed. :I And most of the time the school did not provide this work.
And now TV watches me because I don't turn it on and I read a lot.

I like the idea was wanting to take her outside. I do.
I wish I had gotten a little more of it, because now my eye doctor says I need it more than ever.

 

[L o s t -x- A b y s s]

I only started wanting flashy toys when my sister had them, and she was 3 and a half years older than me. Then again, I only wanted what my sister wanted for a good part of my life. XD

Also, word to the wise, any of those toys that talk or move (like tickle me elmo), if you're thinking of buying it, expose your kid to it first and see their reaction. I used to be terrified of those as a kid. ;A; My mom showed me one in the department store, and I took off, and when the commerical would come on TV I'd hide behind the chair.
My Aunt got my a talking toy, and I flipped out, but then my parents took out the battery and I loved it... So yeah, expose your kid to it in the store before spending the money. =|

 

[Pengi-sama]

The ones where all you do is push a button, and the toy does something are the worst. Some of the top of the range toys do sometimes include a more creative element to them, but why pay out all that extra money when it's really not necessary? I always try to get my nieces and nephew toys that I think have some other feature to them other than just 'ooh shiny'. But since they already get a crazy amount of toys from other family members, they always looks a little boring in comparison.

If your mum is getting upset about it, well...tell her to get over it xd OK maybe a little more polite than that, but still you're entitled to raise your child how you want.  

[Digital Fiend]

I really want to get Liam a bunch of musical type toys and those big blocks that you can make forts out of. I have some hand-me down toys that are flashy, and I think as long as he likes them, then they're not bad. I would much rather play with him with things like play-do and stuff.

I look forward to him being older....but I'm gonna miss my tiny Nomnom Monster.  

[Chombi]

L o s t -x- A b y s s

I only started wanting flashy toys when my sister had them, and she was 3 and a half years older than me. Then again, I only wanted what my sister wanted for a good part of my life. XD

Also, word to the wise, any of those toys that talk or move (like tickle me elmo), if you're thinking of buying it, expose your kid to it first and see their reaction. I used to be terrified of those as a kid. ;A; My mom showed me one in the department store, and I took off, and when the commerical would come on TV I'd hide behind the chair.
My Aunt got my a talking toy, and I flipped out, but then my parents took out the battery and I loved it... So yeah, expose your kid to it in the store before spending the money. =|

My son is still afraid of elmo and boobah. >.< I payed a bunch of money for a dancing boobah and when he opened it for his birthday he screamed in terror and my sister took a picture of it. He's now 9 years old still afraid.  

[Chombi]

My 2 year old seems to like the flashy toys so I wont keep him from them, but I agree with the second poster. They arent expensive if you go to thrift stores to get used toys. Kids love old school toys. I would have been devistated if my mom had of kept me from watching TV and playing Nintendo when I was little. Its some of my fondest memories. I remember just like the OP I played in the woods alot and went exploring. But when I think about it, I could have seriously hurt myself out in those woods. I remember one time a boy pushed me out of the top of a tree and i almost broke my back. As a result my kids only play in the yard. Im planning on getting them a trampoline or a big slide/swingset when I get my tax money, that should get them pleanty exorcise.  

[MercyWild]

All things in moderation. We do have flashy toys and techy toys and allow TV. But we also limit the amount of time that those things are utilized per week and encourage our 7 year old to go ride her bike up the street and play out in the yard and explore the area around us. She also loves to knit, help me bake (this morning she is making muffins) and do craft projects with me. When she was littler we used to play with playdough, and those wire puzzles with the wooden beads on them. (Melissa and Doug is an awesome brand for wooden toys, also One Step Ahead) As for the twins they are only five months, we have a few toys that are flashy one is a push the button and it plays different classical music pieces while flashing the music notes and the other one is a butterfly who when you bend a wing it vibrates. The rest are shape toys that utilize texture and teether /rattle combos.  

[EnglishTrain]

I think it depends on what the flashy toys/TV-shows/videogames are, some of them can actually make you learn better and be more creative!

When I grew up I played TONS of Sega and SNES, since I was 3-4 years old. I only played in periods though, and my parents only told me (& my siblings of course) to stop playing or watch TV when it was dinner, we had to go anywhere and when it was bedtime.
I was mostly outdoors playing, everyday. Even if I weren't playing with my siblings and friends, I was still playing outside alone. What we did was create our own stories and fantasies which we lived out. biggrin We had toys but those were rarely used since we were creating our own fun.

The game I loved the most was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past. I think games like that can be very stimulating since you have to solve puzzles and think a lot.  

[StrayKit]

i'm not a mother, so i'm not sure how valid my opinion is but my brother and i were raised playing in our rooms with very few electronic toys and we used our imaginations to come up with something to entertain ourselves for hours. i will say that i disagree that limiting electronic flashy toys is something bad and that no, it's a good idea. i babysit three kids regularly on the weekends and 9/10 times if the tv is off, they can't play on the computer, with a tablet, or some other electric device in general they claim to be bored out of their minds when i know for a fact they have tons of toys to play with. i think the electronic toys are fine in moderation, and sometimes mindlessly pressing buttons for flashing lights is fun, but coming up with your own entertainment with simple toys is the most fun no matter what

....and Rapunzel riding a dinosaur is simply amazing XD  

[A Redhead Angel]

Chombi

L o s t -x- A b y s s

I only started wanting flashy toys when my sister had them, and she was 3 and a half years older than me. Then again, I only wanted what my sister wanted for a good part of my life. XD

Also, word to the wise, any of those toys that talk or move (like tickle me elmo), if you're thinking of buying it, expose your kid to it first and see their reaction. I used to be terrified of those as a kid. ;A; My mom showed me one in the department store, and I took off, and when the commerical would come on TV I'd hide behind the chair.
My Aunt got my a talking toy, and I flipped out, but then my parents took out the battery and I loved it... So yeah, expose your kid to it in the store before spending the money. =|

My son is still afraid of elmo and boobah. >.< I payed a bunch of money for a dancing boobah and when he opened it for his birthday he screamed in terror and my sister took a picture of it. He's now 9 years old still afraid.

I'm afraid of Boobah. gonk What the heck is that thing anyway?  

[Chombi]

A Redhead Angel

Chombi

L o s t -x- A b y s s

I only started wanting flashy toys when my sister had them, and she was 3 and a half years older than me. Then again, I only wanted what my sister wanted for a good part of my life. XD

Also, word to the wise, any of those toys that talk or move (like tickle me elmo), if you're thinking of buying it, expose your kid to it first and see their reaction. I used to be terrified of those as a kid. ;A; My mom showed me one in the department store, and I took off, and when the commerical would come on TV I'd hide behind the chair.
My Aunt got my a talking toy, and I flipped out, but then my parents took out the battery and I loved it... So yeah, expose your kid to it in the store before spending the money. =|

My son is still afraid of elmo and boobah. >.< I payed a bunch of money for a dancing boobah and when he opened it for his birthday he screamed in terror and my sister took a picture of it. He's now 9 years old still afraid.

I'm afraid of Boobah. gonk What the heck is that thing anyway?

I assume its an alien. O.o but I think they are cute and pretty.  

[A Redhead Angel]

Chombi

A Redhead Angel

Chombi

L o s t -x- A b y s s

I only started wanting flashy toys when my sister had them, and she was 3 and a half years older than me. Then again, I only wanted what my sister wanted for a good part of my life. XD

Also, word to the wise, any of those toys that talk or move (like tickle me elmo), if you're thinking of buying it, expose your kid to it first and see their reaction. I used to be terrified of those as a kid. ;A; My mom showed me one in the department store, and I took off, and when the commerical would come on TV I'd hide behind the chair.
My Aunt got my a talking toy, and I flipped out, but then my parents took out the battery and I loved it... So yeah, expose your kid to it in the store before spending the money. =|

My son is still afraid of elmo and boobah. >.< I payed a bunch of money for a dancing boobah and when he opened it for his birthday he screamed in terror and my sister took a picture of it. He's now 9 years old still afraid.

I'm afraid of Boobah. gonk What the heck is that thing anyway?

I assume its an alien. O.o but I think they are cute and pretty.

I am also afraid of Elf on the Shelf. It creeps me out.