[Magma]

hello all

i became a dad 6 months ago.
a baby boy

ive seen another thread pertaining to gifts for a newborn however it doesnt answer a lot of "later on" stuff

all ive got him uptil now are rattles,teethers,some plastic toys that squeak when you squeeze,a learn to crawl set and a musical 4 pg colourful cloth book from fischer.
(car seats feeders etc are not toys)
However ive noticed that all he wants to do is jam stuff into his mouth!

his favourite plaything being a 500 ml bisleri bottle half filled with a coloured liquid! and the television remote control ( duh )
Due to this ive been really confused on what to get next.

please offer advice
also where do i shop in mumbai?( i live in south mumbai but im willing to travel to suburbs)
i have been to Premsons(breach candy) and Lifestyles at Phoneix Mills. The latter has hardly anything in the toy dept though

Just moms has really nice stuff but some of it is would not be worth its asking price if the baby is not gonna use it (though i think thats a general risk everyone does take while shopping)

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Buddy, as a father of one, uncle to another, elder brother to two, and eldest cousin to two dozen, I can tell you that kids' attention span is very, very short. Do not burn money (unless of course, you earn six figures per week!!!). Uptil now, my budget was usually below 500 Rs. when I go shopping for toys for my 2 year old kid. I got a reasonable tricycle for Rs. 300/-. (my budget was 2k).

Kids are like car enthusiasts. They think nothing of taking apart their toys to see how they (the toys) will survive the stress test. And we call kids who break their toys destructive!!!

Soft toys, rattles, building blocks, anything which without sharp edges, anything without obnoxious smells, anything which is not brittle (it should not break in his mouth!!) - just about anything goes. My girl's fav. are teh washing machine knobs, the sitting room sofa (she pushes them around), the computer (she manages to crash a computer running Debian GNU/Linux!!!) stainless steel kitchen utensils (the racket they create), brooms and the car's security remote control. She knows when it is open and not. And she tells us if she is not sure if the car is locked or not, after she is tired of playing with it.

Her previous favourites were the glass bottles and the frenzy we got into while cleaning the shrapnel. Now that none are left, she tries to verify laws of gravity by dropping pet jars and bottles while standing on top of the dining table!!1

Toys?? What toys??? Everything is a toy for her!!!

And believe it or not, small cars - 3-5 inches in size, which run on their own "power" if you pull them back a few cm, are available for hardly 50Rs. Should not last more than 2 hours in your brat's hands. But that is precisely the duration that 5K replica of BMW is going to hold your kid's attention.

IMHO, 24 to 36 months and above is when you need to to spend real big time on durable toys. He is going to get physically strong and may spend more time with interesting toys.

Right now, she wants to sit in the car, with engines idling and will happily spend half an hour in it, with the engine idling!!! (OMG!!!) So, it is time to start looking around for a real 4 wheeler for my 28 month old girl. And it not going to be a cheapo like the tricycle she now pushes around.

PS:- Ever tried giving him an inflatable ball??

[Magma]

thanks backsseat'
youre right on. everything is a toy for him, his own car seat seems to have caught his fancy now.
nway yes ,hes got an inflatable cylinder thats part of his learn to crawl set.
i found a places ( actaully a couple in mumbai for toys)
manish market ( for cheap thrills and really good VFM considering a childs attention span)
a place called "juniors" near roopam and then the expensive suff is in Toyland at warden road opposite tallwalkars and adornica at breach candy

My son who will be a year old this independence day,likes opening up/dismantling things. Expensive toys last longer, but he gets bored with them in a few minutes anyway, so I've stopped buying them.

Boxes that he can open and explore, Bisleri bottles whose cap he screws shut and opens repeatedly etc are his favourite toys. they sometimes hold his attention for upto 15 minutes

currently getting my electrician to build a wooden board with plenty of switches that he can flick(unpowered ,of course)

he gets 1/2hrly sessions sitting with my laptop out of his reach, while we watch slideshows of various objects and animals.this is the only time he sits still.
He is also fond of his teddy that is 3 times bigger than him. its been with us 2 weeks and he still finds it interesting. which I feel is money well spent.

[viper]

Originally Posted by Magma

thanks backsseat'
youre right on. everything is a toy for him, his own car seat seems to have caught his fancy now.
nway yes ,hes got an inflatable cylinder thats part of his learn to crawl set.
i found a places ( actaully a couple in mumbai for toys)
manish market ( for cheap thrills and really good VFM considering a childs attention span)
a place called "juniors" near roopam and then the expensive suff is in Toyland at warden road opposite tallwalkars and adornica at breach candy

Hi,

Try Kamdhenu at Nepean Sea Road has some decently priced stuff. Just Moms is really not all that expensive when you compare the same stuff abroad. For a 6 month old you really do not need toys as such just some teethers, soft toys or you get him a play gym(this is the right age for it) very usefull should cost you approx 1200-3500 depending on the brand.

Viper

[Guite]

Hi all,

Need directions from members in Delhi and NCR. My 1 1/2 year old son is crazy about cars and trucks, whether it's physical toys, youtube videos or magazine pictures.

Where in Delhi and NCR can I buy good quality vehicle toys for him? Gurgoan may be a bit far, if anyone know a good shop in Delhi (south of Connaught Place) and Noida, I will be grateful for any information. What I am looking for is very good quality and small vehicle toys, max 6 inches long/high; not the kind I have been shown as bought from Sadar bazar.

Cheers,
Guite

[The_Warrior]

You can try in Amar Colony Market (Near East of Kailash). There is a big building just for Toys and games for kids. It is near Juneja Sweets!!

[Guite]

Thank you, the Warrior. We are going to south Delhi day after tomorrow, so will check it out.

[neofromcapone]

Magma. There is a store by the name of Spellbound. This is located near Tian, (JVPD scheme).. I dont have the name of the bldg, it is located in the same bldg as Tewari Bros. landmarks, Near CritiCare Hosp and the huge Reliance store. They have excellent stuff for kids, I not 100% sure of what you are looking for, but you will find something or the other.

[The_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Guite

Thank you, the Warrior. We are going to south Delhi day after tomorrow, so will check it out.

Hey Buddy! Were you able to locate the shop??

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

We are looking for some educational games as well as non-educational types (such as similar to Hotwheels Autolift Track Set) for our 7years young princess.

Please suggest some good educational games for her age. I don't have any data regarding this.


Regarding Hotwheels Autolift Track Set the prices vary between 1000-16000/-.
1
2
3
4


Please advise which one from above to buy or suggest other options if any considering good quality at reasonable cost.
Also inform if these products cost more online or offline. Means whether these products are sold higher than MRP online?


Thank you in advance.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by IndigoXLGrandDi

We are looking for some educational games as well as non-educational types (such as similar to Hotwheels Autolift Track Set) for our 7years young princess.

Please suggest some good educational games for her age. I don't have any data regarding this.


Thank you in advance.

I am going against my best judgement to answer this in a very different way

Typical Board Games - I would recommend puzzles for sure and there are varying degrees of puzzles. The best ones which keep you entertained as well are the jigsaw puzzles. Other than that you can introduce her to things like Chess and Scrabble. To me these are truly amazing games that kids can play and learn

On Hot Wheels - I would suggest you start with something basic and once you figure out that she really likes them, start building more to it. Hot Wheels are build as you go

I remember buying my son a 30 piece Lego set 3 years back and now he has 3 sets of approximately 900 pieces each. That gives him a bagful to play with. Mind you, i bought the bigger numbers with a bit of selfish interest too

Lastly, try and get her interested in books. There is a big world out there. Me and Missus have a great interest in books and everyday we end up at night reading. This has not go transferred to my son and he has started gorging up on books as well. Nothing better for a 7 year old child

Happy parenting

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by IndigoXLGrandDi

Please advise which one from above to buy or suggest other options if any considering good quality at reasonable cost.

Originally Posted by subraiyr

I remember buying my son a 30 piece Lego set 3 years back and now he has 3 sets of approximately 900 pieces each. That gives him a bagful to play with. Mind you, i bought the bigger numbers with a bit of selfish interest too

+1 to Lego. Pick either a generic Lego set (example) of the themed Lego sets (example), spend a bit of time building it up with her the first few times, and then gauge her interest in it. If she takes to it, you can keep expanding on it as you wish.

Legos are great in stimulating creativity, and giving them a form of expression. You can periodically augment it with motorized kits, or pneumatic systems.

Originally Posted by subraiyr

Lastly, try and get her interested in books. There is a big world out there. Me and Missus have a great interest in books and everyday we end up at night reading. This has not go transferred to my son and he has started gorging up on books as well. Nothing better for a 7 year old child

+1 to this as well, but it often does require the parents to be bookish for it to rub off on the kids. My nieces are like this, because my SIL (and bro to a lesser extent) read.

Another close friend of mine and her husband are more on the TV/phone, and as a result reading is seen as a punishment/homework by their kids.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Legos are great in stimulating creativity, and giving them a form of expression. You can periodically augment it with motorized kits, or pneumatic systems.

- Here is something that kids do with Lego on their own after a few times. This was created by my son after he saw an ice cream vendor on the road. Incidentally, i used his Lego set to create my house interiors. The options are endless !!!

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

- Here is something that kids do with Lego on their own after a few times. This was created by my son after he saw an ice cream vendor on the road. The options are endless !!!
Attachment 1808122

Thank you for illustrating my point with a beautiful real world example, and well done by your son