Okay. I'm trying to pick out christmas gifts for my niece and nephew

[conuly]

And I think I'm making some headway into the world of children's toys, too. But I've noticed something...

All these toys for six month olds, or many of them, at least, are a sensory nightmare. They don't just light up, they blink. They don't just make sounds, or even loud sounds, they make lots of different sounds that stop and start erratically. Sometimes they shake.

These toys scare me. I don't want to be near them. When I was little, I think they would have sent me straight into overload. That or I would've been addicted to them for some time, like a video game, then gone into withdrawal when removed. Honestly, I don't understand why parents say things like "it would've been more fun if it had lit up" or "I don't know why she likes it, it doesn't make sounds or light up or anything interesting" (actual buyer reviews). Are my experiences so different from theirs? Do most kids actually do well with that sort of sensory stimulation? I can't see it as a good thing, and don't want to buy them for Ana or Seth, but should I consider it anyway, on the theory that I am an anomaly?

Better question, does this question belong at asperger? Because there may be the source of my confusion....

Comments

[strangelette.livejournal.com]

My parents have taken to doting on our little nextdoor neighbor to deal with empty nest syndrome (it's really adorable :) and I've realized while flipping through "all natural, creative play" catalogs that well made, plain wood blocks tend to be more expensive than things with microchips in them. o_0

I adore this site (although it might be a little more expensive than what you're looking for):

http://www.uncommongoods.com/fam/fam.jhtml?catId=3&subCatId=44&pageId=53

They tend to carry more toned down toys. But yeah, with the expensive.

[conuly]

I don't mind good plastic toys, either, just so long as they aren't... fully dependant on the batteries. In fact, even a little bit of the stimulation, fine. I don't mind music OR lights OR movement. Just... most toys seem to take things too far. *clicks on the link*

[conuly]

Nice toys there, but a bit old for the babies. Remember, they're only half a year, they can't even walk yet.

[mhari.livejournal.com]

Definitely an Asperger's thing.

I don't know about most kids, but the ones I've had contact with are just as happy with blocks and stickers and crayons as they are with Super Duper Ultra Toy. I tend to think they're probably better for them, too, but what do I know?

[conuly]

You think it's an aspie thing? Hm. Good thing my parents seem to share my philosophy, then. I can't remember EVER having a toy that lit up or made lots of noises.

As for being better off, they almost certainly are. My theory on the electronic toys is that even if they don't overstimulate your children, they will certainly desensitize them so it will take much more to keep them entertained in the future. And most of them, I doubt their intellectual value. But nobody can doubt the intellectual value of a rag doll, or a set of blocks!

[feathered.livejournal.com]

I can't remember EVER having a toy that lit up or made lots of noises.

Me neither. I think our lack of electronic toys may be accounted for by our older age (yours even more than mine). Even my little brother, who is fourteen, didn't have high tech toys. I think it's a fairly recent thing, perhaps in the past five or ten years. I'm sure they were available before that.. but they were probably more expensive.

A lot of the kids I babysit have toys like that, and I personally hate them. They make my head hurt. Too bright and loud. I love the two little kids who are totally delighted by a nice quiet wooden trainset.

[conuly]

It might be age... *shudders* Poor kids of today!

[mhari.livejournal.com]

Certainly the "aghitblinksgetitawayfromme" factor. Sensory overload...

Toys

[webgenie.livejournal.com]

I agree that those fancy toys are not a good thing. The simpler the toy, the more creativity required from the child - and that's what play is, as well as learning to use and develop one's mind.

Children are generally overstimulated and overburdened, and this doesn't encourage calm thinking - it encourages distraction and inability to maintain interest.

Nothing beats love and the basics :)

Re: Toys

[conuly]

Yeah, I'm trying to especially get a lot of simple toys for Seth, he has too many brightloudnoisy toys and a swing and a walker and a bouncer, but hardly anything he can play with on the floor other than some several stuffed animals (which aren't that interesting to a baby).

[phibby.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I can remember specific examples of electronic toys I had when I was a kid. Now, really young, like before four or five, I can't remember toys period, except for things like a whole buncha stuffed animals and that owl clock I was talking about and those shape sorter things.

When we got to around five and six, we had a ton of board games. Most were things like Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, and Hi-Ho Cheerio, but we did have the sort of hi-tech things too, like this one game where you'd stick these fleas into this dog's back, and you'd start the dog up and he'd start to jerk and bounce all over the place, and you had to grab the fleas off his back and stick them into your flea bag. We also had Peanut Panic, which was only hi-tech since this little evil peanut factory dude (electronic) would go along on this track and pick up random peanut playing pieces. Hmm...any others I'm forgetting.

And when we got older than that, we were into handheld electronic games, like Bop It, Last Out, and this little Discovery Channel trivia game. (Educational, ya know. :) And fun!) While those certainly aren't what you're thinking since I doubt Seth and Ana could handle those at the age they are now, but those were just as fun as playing with Barbies (which we did a lot and was FUN since we got to make up our own stories) and the crapload of McDonalds and Burger King kid's meal toys we had.

Guess it really all depends on what you like. If you like to think up stories, you'd probably like things like Barbies and playing with action figures. If you're not really into that and maybe want to test your brains or reflexes, handheld electronic games are good. And a good mix of the two were those virtual pet things like Tamagotchi and GigaPet back in '97 - you get the electronic aspect and the joy of thinking up personalities and stories with your pet.

Now, what does this have to do with Seth and Ana? Um...well, I guess I wouldn't get them anything really hi-tech now unless they've shown that they really like those kinds of toys. (Even though that's probably hard to tell, because I know if I was a baby I'd be more attracted to the light-up talking rattle than boring, non-moving or talking blocks.) But when they get older, see what they really are interested in and try to support those interests and make them into something worthwhile.

[conuly]

I wouldn't. The boring, non moving, non talking blocks are lots of fun to pick up and stack. And you shake them, then they make noise! Or you squeeze them. The light up rattle only lights up, and it can't be stacked, and it's tootootoo much. Scary.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

And you shake them, then they make noise! Or you squeeze them.

See, if they make the noises and shtuff themselves, in their own, doesn't it defeat the supposed purpose of having all that crap on there? I mean, if the kid interacting with it has no effect...

Personally, I was happy with barbies and gijoes. Ally and I would sit downstairs for HOURS playing barbies. Until I was about... 11, 12? I know, pathetic, but I loved making up stories and such!

Then again... Ally decided that the barbies should be like people when she was about 9, 10...

*shudders at memory of barbies in orgies and all kinds of frucked up positions*

Okay, that's just my sister. But, yeah. Back to what I was saying...

Batteries = okay, if the kid has to play with the toy to make it light/sound/etc.
Batteries = bad, if it sits there and makes enough noise for the mommy/daddy to want to come over and kick it out the window, esp if it doesn't have an on/off switch... o_O

[shoumagic.livejournal.com]

I don't remember having any toys that lit up or made noise or anything. Well, except for this one Glow Worm I had that lit up a little when you hugged it.
The majority of my toys were plushies. Actually, that was pretty much all I had. That, and I had crayons and paper. I loved to colour and draw, up until I went to school and they made us colour constantly. Now, I rarely ever colour...

I think that shape sorters are nice. My sister had one and it helped with her motor skills, plus she was always happy when she put the right shape in the correct hole. There was also another toy that my younger sister had that was nice because it lasted a long while. I can't really describe it to well but you could convert it into something different as she got older to suit her better. When she was at a certain age it was set up one way with certain games designed for her at that age. Then when she was older and needed something a little more challenging you could change it into something else. They had about three different things you could do for it at three different ages. I probably didn't explain it that well because I can't really remember it that much.

[strangelette.livejournal.com]

My parents have taken to doting on our little nextdoor neighbor to deal with empty nest syndrome (it's really adorable :) and I've realized while flipping through "all natural, creative play" catalogs that well made, plain wood blocks tend to be more expensive than things with microchips in them. o_0

I adore this site (although it might be a little more expensive than what you're looking for):

http://www.uncommongoods.com/fam/fam.jhtml?catId=3&subCatId=44&pageId=53

They tend to carry more toned down toys. But yeah, with the expensive.

[conuly]

I don't mind good plastic toys, either, just so long as they aren't... fully dependant on the batteries. In fact, even a little bit of the stimulation, fine. I don't mind music OR lights OR movement. Just... most toys seem to take things too far. *clicks on the link*

[conuly]

Nice toys there, but a bit old for the babies. Remember, they're only half a year, they can't even walk yet.

[mhari.livejournal.com]

Definitely an Asperger's thing.

I don't know about most kids, but the ones I've had contact with are just as happy with blocks and stickers and crayons as they are with Super Duper Ultra Toy. I tend to think they're probably better for them, too, but what do I know?

[conuly]

You think it's an aspie thing? Hm. Good thing my parents seem to share my philosophy, then. I can't remember EVER having a toy that lit up or made lots of noises.

As for being better off, they almost certainly are. My theory on the electronic toys is that even if they don't overstimulate your children, they will certainly desensitize them so it will take much more to keep them entertained in the future. And most of them, I doubt their intellectual value. But nobody can doubt the intellectual value of a rag doll, or a set of blocks!

[feathered.livejournal.com]

I can't remember EVER having a toy that lit up or made lots of noises.

Me neither. I think our lack of electronic toys may be accounted for by our older age (yours even more than mine). Even my little brother, who is fourteen, didn't have high tech toys. I think it's a fairly recent thing, perhaps in the past five or ten years. I'm sure they were available before that.. but they were probably more expensive.

A lot of the kids I babysit have toys like that, and I personally hate them. They make my head hurt. Too bright and loud. I love the two little kids who are totally delighted by a nice quiet wooden trainset.

[conuly]

It might be age... *shudders* Poor kids of today!

[mhari.livejournal.com]

Certainly the "aghitblinksgetitawayfromme" factor. Sensory overload...

Toys

[webgenie.livejournal.com]

I agree that those fancy toys are not a good thing. The simpler the toy, the more creativity required from the child - and that's what play is, as well as learning to use and develop one's mind.

Children are generally overstimulated and overburdened, and this doesn't encourage calm thinking - it encourages distraction and inability to maintain interest.

Nothing beats love and the basics :)

Re: Toys

[conuly]

Yeah, I'm trying to especially get a lot of simple toys for Seth, he has too many brightloudnoisy toys and a swing and a walker and a bouncer, but hardly anything he can play with on the floor other than some several stuffed animals (which aren't that interesting to a baby).

[phibby.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I can remember specific examples of electronic toys I had when I was a kid. Now, really young, like before four or five, I can't remember toys period, except for things like a whole buncha stuffed animals and that owl clock I was talking about and those shape sorter things.

When we got to around five and six, we had a ton of board games. Most were things like Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, and Hi-Ho Cheerio, but we did have the sort of hi-tech things too, like this one game where you'd stick these fleas into this dog's back, and you'd start the dog up and he'd start to jerk and bounce all over the place, and you had to grab the fleas off his back and stick them into your flea bag. We also had Peanut Panic, which was only hi-tech since this little evil peanut factory dude (electronic) would go along on this track and pick up random peanut playing pieces. Hmm...any others I'm forgetting.

And when we got older than that, we were into handheld electronic games, like Bop It, Last Out, and this little Discovery Channel trivia game. (Educational, ya know. :) And fun!) While those certainly aren't what you're thinking since I doubt Seth and Ana could handle those at the age they are now, but those were just as fun as playing with Barbies (which we did a lot and was FUN since we got to make up our own stories) and the crapload of McDonalds and Burger King kid's meal toys we had.

Guess it really all depends on what you like. If you like to think up stories, you'd probably like things like Barbies and playing with action figures. If you're not really into that and maybe want to test your brains or reflexes, handheld electronic games are good. And a good mix of the two were those virtual pet things like Tamagotchi and GigaPet back in '97 - you get the electronic aspect and the joy of thinking up personalities and stories with your pet.

Now, what does this have to do with Seth and Ana? Um...well, I guess I wouldn't get them anything really hi-tech now unless they've shown that they really like those kinds of toys. (Even though that's probably hard to tell, because I know if I was a baby I'd be more attracted to the light-up talking rattle than boring, non-moving or talking blocks.) But when they get older, see what they really are interested in and try to support those interests and make them into something worthwhile.

[conuly]

I wouldn't. The boring, non moving, non talking blocks are lots of fun to pick up and stack. And you shake them, then they make noise! Or you squeeze them. The light up rattle only lights up, and it can't be stacked, and it's tootootoo much. Scary.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

And you shake them, then they make noise! Or you squeeze them.

See, if they make the noises and shtuff themselves, in their own, doesn't it defeat the supposed purpose of having all that crap on there? I mean, if the kid interacting with it has no effect...

Personally, I was happy with barbies and gijoes. Ally and I would sit downstairs for HOURS playing barbies. Until I was about... 11, 12? I know, pathetic, but I loved making up stories and such!

Then again... Ally decided that the barbies should be like people when she was about 9, 10...

*shudders at memory of barbies in orgies and all kinds of frucked up positions*

Okay, that's just my sister. But, yeah. Back to what I was saying...

Batteries = okay, if the kid has to play with the toy to make it light/sound/etc.
Batteries = bad, if it sits there and makes enough noise for the mommy/daddy to want to come over and kick it out the window, esp if it doesn't have an on/off switch... o_O

[shoumagic.livejournal.com]

I don't remember having any toys that lit up or made noise or anything. Well, except for this one Glow Worm I had that lit up a little when you hugged it.
The majority of my toys were plushies. Actually, that was pretty much all I had. That, and I had crayons and paper. I loved to colour and draw, up until I went to school and they made us colour constantly. Now, I rarely ever colour...

I think that shape sorters are nice. My sister had one and it helped with her motor skills, plus she was always happy when she put the right shape in the correct hole. There was also another toy that my younger sister had that was nice because it lasted a long while. I can't really describe it to well but you could convert it into something different as she got older to suit her better. When she was at a certain age it was set up one way with certain games designed for her at that age. Then when she was older and needed something a little more challenging you could change it into something else. They had about three different things you could do for it at three different ages. I probably didn't explain it that well because I can't really remember it that much.