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

[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!