Big Kids and Baby Toys

[SilverSabre25]

Dear kids,

The baby toys are boring when you're a big kid. Trust me. They don't do much. They aren't as much fun as playing with Legos, or the kitchen, or Little People, or cars and trucks, or trains. Baby toys are only fun for babies: Look! It rattles! Look! It squeaks! Look! I can chew on it!

Please, big kids, understand that by preventing you from playing with the baby toys I am NOT keeping some big fun new toy a secret...I'm saving you from boredom. From monotony. From tedium. I'm keeping the baby toys away from you as a service to you, not as a punishment!

Please...STOP TRYING SO HARD to get to the baby toys. I MEAN IT!

[dEHmom]

why does it matter?

[MsMe]

I too keep baby toys and big kid toys seperate. I also have a seperate room set aside for the babies.....you would think the secret to life was in the at room!

dEHmom: Any hands that I can keep off of the baby toys means they are that much cleaner. Baby put everything in their mouth so the less fingers that touch them the better!!

[SilverSabre25]

Mostly because the big kids make a bigger mess with the baby toys than the babies do, scatter the baby toys out of the "baby zone" and over the whole entire playroom, and won't let the babies play with the toys. It's easier for me to just keep them separate...but then the big kids are whining at me that they want to play with all the baby stuff and taking every opportunity to slip into the baby zone to get the stuff.

I just can't figure out why the baby toys are so intriguing...

[SilverSabre25]

dEHmom: Any hands that I can keep off of the baby toys means they are that much cleaner. Baby put everything in their mouth so the less fingers that touch them the better!!

That too, is a big part of it.

[MaryPoppins]

So have them play with the baby toys ONLY for a day....it will get it out of their system. Anything that's new or different is always fun, regardless of whether or not it's age appropriate. Let them have their fun for a day. Then hand them a damp washrag & make them help you "clean" them...I bet they tell you it was the BEST day ever!::

[SilverSabre25]

So have them play with the baby toys ONLY for a day....it will get it out of their system. Anything that's new or different is always fun, regardless of whether or not it's age appropriate. Let them have their fun for a day. Then hand them a damp washrag & make them help you "clean" them...I bet they tell you it was the BEST day ever!::

That...is actually not a bad idea. I may have to employ that later this week!

[nannyde]

I have a really sweet collection of infant toys that are just used by the infants. I don't rotate them into the big kids play. I want them to last for years as most of them were pretty expensive. Each of the kids here had their time with these toys so I don't feel obligated to continue to offer them when they have outgrown them.

The biggest attraction is the exersaucer toys. I'm very very strict about not touching the exersaucers and not playing with any of the attached toys or toys put on the tray.

I don't want the older kids to touch them because I don't want the baby who is in the exersaucer to be a sitting duck for the other kids. I train the kids to leave the babies alone. Don't touch them and don't touch ANY of their equipment or toys.

It keeps the baby safe and the germ spread down. I also don't have babies sharing toys. Every baby has their own play yard with their own toys. They have their own exersaucer and their own high chair. We rotate the toys from one play yard to the other but only after inspection and a complete cleaning.

[marniewon]

So have them play with the baby toys ONLY for a day....it will get it out of their system. Anything that's new or different is always fun, regardless of whether or not it's age appropriate. Let them have their fun for a day. Then hand them a damp washrag & make them help you "clean" them...I bet they tell you it was the BEST day ever!::

Mine won't be happy with just one day of playing with baby toys. Mine go to them and try to play with them daily.

And mine try to play with the exersaucer toys too - won't leave them alone, constantly telling them to go play big kid toys.

[dEHmom]

OK, the part about them touching the toys and baby putting it in their mouths I get, and I was thinking that was your reasoning.

But I still don't see the big issue unless the bigger kids are taking the toys from the littles and the littles have nothing else to play with, kwim? And the babies sleep most of the day anyway, so it's not like they cant be wiped down in between etc.

I get that for those of you with the large groups and different age groups it is probably a different situation, because well, you have areas dedicated to them, so there is no reason.
But for me, my group is 1 yr-4 yr (and sometimes afterschool SA), so they get to share all the toys, one bin at a time sort of thing. I don't have the room to say you play there, and you play there.

[MaryPoppins]

Mine won't be happy with just one day of playing with baby toys. Mine go to them and try to play with them daily.

Do you rotate your toys? Maybe let the big kids get out the new baby toys and play with them for a day to "test" them for the babies....and then once they have them "tested" the babies get to keep them and they have to test their own new selection of toys....just a thought.

[SilverSabre25]

I do have half my playroom (it's pretty big) gated off for the littles. Mostly, I consider that to be kiddos under 1, but I have one very tiny 18 month old who plays over there frequently because he's just not big enough to play with the bigger kids (this kid JUST got out of 6-12 month clothing within the last week) and they scare him a lot.

Usually the problem of wanting the baby toys is confined to one kid...today though, it's been nonstop whining about it from everyone and I'm out of my patience quota already . Yep, it's only 10:20 AM...it's been a loooong morning so far.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with the problem of the big kids being obsessed with the baby toys...I was starting to think that I was!

[dEHmom]

just curious, is it a particular type of toy they want? like a baby phone? or keys?

Are the big kids playing with cars and wanting keys to play with too? just an example of course.

Maybe it's a matter of just looking into "older" baby toys or big kid versions of baby toys. kwim?

[nannyde]

And the babies sleep most of the day anyway, so it's not like they cant be wiped down in between etc.

:confused:

They sleep most of the day?

I need to find myself some normal babies. ::

[dEHmom]

, well at least mine do anyways. babies for me is 1 yo. And they nap 2-3 hours in morning, and 2-3 hours in afternoon, eat, and play outside generally. So there isn't too much in between for just sitting around playing with toys.