Toys! Toys! Toys!

They play a major role in a kid’s childhood days. As a parent and with the boom of globalization we have so many options at our hands reach. So how to keep it simple and yet interesting? How to make sure that the kids are not loaded with unwanted toys ? How to make that right choice?

As a mom when I buy toys for my kid I made sure they were safe and of a good quality. Many parents tend to buy a toy on the go without much research and even invest on least expensive toys as they think the kid wouldn’t show much interest after playing one or two times or the kid would just break that down.

Now this is the biggest issue, don’t buy something because it’s cheap. Toys help make memories hence it’s good to give the best memories with good toys.

So how do we refine and select those good toys?

Go for reviews? Unlike our parents we are at the luxury of knowing whether a toy is worth it or not just by some clicks. Listen what the fellow parents are talking about?

Now each kid is different and the toy which would interest one kid may not interest the other one. So it’s important to see what your kid is most interested in? Some trial and error is not that bad.

Until the age of 2, my kid had only handful of toys, a wooden push walker, some rattles and a dummy phone. It was more than enough for him and he was much more interested in my slippers, spoons and vessels. He would make sure the slippers never stay in the rack and it has to be showcased on the tv table and the spoon and vessel helped him to compose music.

So after he reached the age of two I started my own toy business and hence my research started and he generously accepted being the quality controller of my company. I always saw the cheaper the toys were the shorter their life span was. He loved cars, trains and tracks, age old wooden blocks and animal figurines.

Though we had a lot he always chose these. Then I introduced crayons, which was fun for him to scribble away. Then came the play doh. Play doh, crayons, kinetic sand all gave good sensory experience and also helped him in coordination. The wooden blocks are known for eye hand coordination.

We limited ourselves from buying electronic toys. Apart from some electronic toy as gifts we never invested on those. Then the wooden kitchen set came in, which was one of most played toys at my home. Then fish with hooks, some balancing toys were added to our list.

Once I launched magnetic blocks (GELMAG) it kept us hooked for a very long time. This is one of the best toys because this can be used again and again because he came up with different structures every single day. It started with 2D objects and slowly turned to 3D structures and many amazing creations.
So, if a toy can bring out the child’s creativity it has to stay in his/her toy shelf.

Next the magnetic tiles(GELTILES) which is again a world celebrated toy came to our home and I would say it overtook GELMAG in my household. By this time he had a lot of friends coming home, so he had company and the beauty of magnetic blocks and tiles are we can work as a team. It is so versatile not only in terms of structures we make but also it can be included with all other toys. For example my son included it with his car plays. He made garages using GELTILES and placed his cars on those. I have seen kids making doll house using GELMAG for their dolls. So the versatility was a cool aspect.

Many parents question it’s expensiveness but isn’t it worth it? Rather than buying 4 or 5 simple one-time play toys or instead of buying electronic toys these sort of magnetic blocks and tiles help in your kid’s imagination and they are totally worth it. The best part is they can be played with for decades, that strong are these toys.

By the age of four we welcomed Lego. This is again a toy which can help your kid’s little hand make some cool objects. Other than that musical instruments, stackers, story books, coloring can all add color to a kid’s childhood.

Finally my request to parents is to make sure you buy the best toys for your kids and also put some thoughts before investing in toys to make sure you are doing the right thing for your kid.

I would also urge parents to look in if the toys are approved by BIS, ASTM/EN -71 Safety standards. This is to ensure that the toys we buy are safe and doesn’t have lead/any harmful substances which could be bad for the little ones and also age appropriate ones. Read the labels and make sure you’re giving age appropriate toys. Toys which can be used for 2 players or more is also cool for toddlers.

Thanks so much for your patience 😇

— Written by Bhuvi Eshwari