As I am registering for all kinds of baby things I'm realizing that there are about a BILLION options for baby entertainment! In a perfect world I would have endless money and space and I'd just buy one of everything for Titus, but alas, that's not going to happen. So here is my criteria for choosing from the many entertainment items out there on the market:
1) Space. We only have space for small, compact, or foldable items! Anything that takes up a ton of space is a definite no no.
2) Cost. Needs to be cheap for friends to buy or cheap for us to buy if we don't get it at a shower!
3) Practicality. Will we use it often? Will we be able to use it for very long as he gets older? Is it unique/different from the other toys?
4) Baby Enjoyment. Is this toy going to keep Titus occupied?
5) Attractiveness. Come on people, not ugly/gaudy stuff!
Okay, so now that you know what I'm needing, take a look at the following play items and let me know what has worked for you/your baby, what you would recommend, and what you would definitely avoid/never ended up using!
P.S. I'm sure you haven't used the exact brand/style that I have listed here, but advice on the general type of toy would be helpful!!
Portable Swing: $69.99
Large Swing: $99.00
Jumper: $70.00
Door Jumper: $30
Vibrating Bouncer: $60
Sleeper/Rocker: $60
Play Mat: $40
Walker: $59.00
**And of course anything not listed here that you think is a worthwhile buy feel free to suggest!
With Tobias we used a portable swing. He loved it and I never saw a need for a large swing, and I was glad because I didn't know where we would put it. We also used a bouncy seat quite often. He also highly enjoyed the Jumparoo/exersaucer and door jumper. There are recommendations that the jumper is better and safer for babies than walkers, due to fall/injury risk such as pulling things down on themselves or touching things that are hot or sharp. We also got quite a bit of use out of the play mat. Even when he was too young to play with it we would lay him on it and he was enthralled with the colors, shapes, etc.
ReplyDeleteHope your baby shopping is more fun than overwhelming!
hey sarah-
ReplyDeletei'll give you a quick run-down of what we have and what we actually use. it was definitely hard to decide what to get before having the baby and i felt this overwhelming urge to plan and be prepared, which was really a first for me...overall, i would say borrow or buy used as much as possible, especially for this stuff that you need for such a short time ;)
so, we have:
a traditional large swing (borrowed)-we used it for quentin's nap time a lot from age 0-3 months. can't remember the last time he used it...so, i would recommend skipping or borrowing and returning/getting it out of your house as quickly as possible :)
jumper (borrowed)-we are in the stage of using it a lot right now...he can't quite stand up on his own but loves to try. but i can forsee it not being useful for very long. we don't have an exercauser (sp?), but he plays in one at both sets of grandparents and seems to prefer it. plus, they seem to be more easily portable. i would say just buy (or borrow) a smaller, cheap version of the jumperoo/exercauser over the door mounted or the walker...
Vibrating bouncer chair (again, borrowed)-Love it! used it to sleep in when first home from the hospital and several times since then when he was congested. now sits in it and plays with toys while mama's busy and to eat cereal. doesn't take up much space.
However, had i thought of it, i would have just gotten the portable swing in place of the swing and chair...
Don't see a need for the sleeper/rocker...
Have a play mat, but only used it for a month or so...when he was interested in toys but not quite coordinated enought to grab/hold them on his own. now, we just lay him on the floor, surrounded by toys.
okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly quick, but i hope it helps!
rach
ps i know this isn't in the "play" category per se, but my favorite, didn't really know i would want it baby thing is the little plastic bath thing. don't know what i would do without it!