We have yet to buy a single toy for the Trikester (don’t feel sorry for him, as he his auntie-to-be provides some great ones), so most of the time we find ourselves “making-do” with whatever we have around the house.
Mrs. Bee wrote a great post on household items that double as baby toys, and I thought I’d add to the list with a second edition. Here’s what we’ve got lying around that the Trikester can’t get enough of.
2) Playstation controller. Mr. Tricycle loves video games, so the baby occasionally gets to play with an out of commission Playstation controller. He digs anything with buttons, and this is no exception. The two mini-joysticks are his favorite part.
3) The Trikester’s usually in my arms while I’m trying to make coffee in the morning, so I typically give him a filter to play with. It makes great noises when crinkled, and it’s sturdy enough that I’m not immediately worried about it disintegrating the instant he puts it in his mouth.
4) Safety Glasses. If the baby had his way, he’d play with our glasses – he’s got no problem grabbing them off our face and flinging them around. As a substitute, we give him an old pair of Mr. Tricycle’s racquetball glasses to gnaw on.
5) Measuring spoons. Measuring spoons are a classic. I especially like these plastic ones on a ring because they’re easy to grasp and make a great noise when he shakes them.
6) Socks. What is it about rolled up socks? I think they’re easy to hold and the texture’s probably appealing. When I’m putting laundry away I can usually buy myself a few minutes by giving the baby a pair of socks to examine.
7) Keyboard. We’ve got a lot of extra electronics lying around our house, and the keyboard is one of the Trikester’s FAVORITE things to bang on (maybe because he’s imitating daddy?). We used to let him use a real one, but he’s taken to picking the whole thing up off the desk and smashing it back down, so we’ve switched to an old one we have in the basement).
8) Remote. Another thing with buttons. He loves exploring the remote control. If we’re watching TV, I’ve learned to give him the DVD remote, as he inevitably ends up changing the channel or muting the volume if he gets the real thing. I have an old one in the basement that I’ve been meaning to bring up stairs and remove the batteries from.
Those are our favorite household items turned baby toys. Do you have any good ones to add to the list?
Household Items as Toys part 2 of 3
1. 12 Household Items that Double as Toys for Babies & Toddlers by Guides2. Household Items That Double As Baby Toys, Part 2 by Mrs. Tricycle
3. Toddler Bath Toys (Using Household Items) by Mrs. Bee
blogger / persimmon / 1398 posts
Ahhh… yes, the keyboard was always a big hit here too!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
J loves remotes! At 16 months old he knows how to start and pause a Netflix episode! It’s crazy. His other favorites are bowls and mixing spoons, the broom, plastic (yeah…), and shoes.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
haha I had to chuckle at your list! I’m not sure I actually want LO to be smashing our keyboard or playing with our PS3 remote. Although, alas, she does.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
This list is my house right now. After her birthday party, I put some cups in her kitchen and now her favorite game is taking them out of her kitchen and smashing them.
This morning, her favorite toys were a sock and a Target coupon.
Great idea about the keyboard and playstation remote. We have old ones of these that we no longer use that will make great toys!! We need to find a remote we don’t mind her picking up and smashing down. Daddy doesn’t like her picking up our regular remotes for fear of her smashing them.
Socks are super fun – in the hand or in the mouth. Also, keys. I try to remember to bring her keys in from the car so she doesn’t immediately try to grab ours.
cherry / 141 posts
The keyboard is an excellent idea. We have a old one that I should pull out for our daughter.
Our daughter has loved my insurance card, empty zico bottle, and old book
A friend came over this weekend and said their daughter loves playing with a fly swatter.
cherry / 175 posts
My daughter loves empty wrappers that make a lovely crinkling sound (well-supervised, of course), my set of stacking measuring bowls and spatulas (I got her a little one to match mine so I could get mine back for baking!).
nectarine / 2280 posts
I sometimes travel with a red solo cup for car rides because she loves them so much. Water bottles are also a favorite. I keep her entertained in church by letting her take off her shoes and socks. My mom thinks it’s terrible. She’s probably right but she stays quiet in church I consider that a win.
blogger / pear / 1964 posts
@katsupgirl: my philosophy is whatever it takes!
sometimes you just need an occupied baby!
nectarine / 2280 posts
@Mrs. Tricycle: I agree! I specifically put shoes and socks on her to keep her occupied. LOL!
pomegranate / 3272 posts
The remote is huge in our house. Luckily we have an extra one that we took the batteries out of. That is now the baby remote.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
great ideas here! we also used an old remote and old keyboard as toys. our remote had a red light that lit up all the keys, so it was better than any toy remote!
persimmon / 1255 posts
Don’t forget the spray bottle. I have a small cheap spray bottle I use to spray my husband hair (I cut his hair) and my toddler loves it. It’s great for outdoor play since it’ll cool her down in the summer and she’ll literally spend an hour spraying plants, bugs, walls, etc.
LO also loved playing with keyboards and remotes but she only wanted to play with OUR remotes and keyboards, not the ones we gave her….*sigh*