Yes, I'm a mom, not an advertiser, not a marketer, not an employee of a toy manufacturer. I have read tons of child development books so you don't have to. I will not recommend something to make a quick buck. I want to be your friend for more than one day.
My girls are in their 20s and they came out great.
Rule Number 1
Step number one: Turn off the freaking tube if your kids are little. The real baby Einstein did not watch TV. This will force your kids to think for themselves. This will force your kids to amuse themselves. Trust me, once the whining stops, you will find that your kids are much happier.
Rule Number 2
Get toys that your kids can play with, not toys that play with your kids. Get toys that require a little imagination. Get toys that you want to play with. Get board games.
Rule Number 3
I used to tell you to avoid computer games. I’ve changed my mind after watching how infants and toddlers interact with the iPad. The new tablet PCs are magical. However, do not let your tike play any screen game or play Wii in front of the tube for more than a fraction of the day. The rest of the time, he or she must be interacting with the real world and with you. Kinect is great, also. As long as you follow the same rule about limiting screen time, your kiddo will have a lot of fun with this. However, your child should be playing outside with real kids more than he or she is playing with the expensive screen. You may be an avatar, but children of wealthy families experience the real world. Follow their lead.
Best Toys for Your Kids
If you only learn one thing from all that I've written about children, it is this: Wealthy kids go to the park, go skiing, go swimming, go to Hawaii for Christmas, climb trees, and run around in the backyard. Ghetto kids watch TV.
Very wealthy kids get shuffled off to Swiss boarding schools so their parents can play, but those kids do not spend their afternoons watching TV. However, even if you live in a slum where there is no safe park, you can turn off the TV and let your kids play with a bunch of big cardboard boxes. Those big boxes will become cars, spaceships, doll houses, and a million other things. A blanket and two chairs will become a fort or a tent. Show them how to do it, if necessary.
Best Toys by Age
Toys for Babies: The best toys for infants and babies are moms, dads, siblings, and other family members. The actual "toys" that you buy should be black and white or bright high-contrast colors. Limit screen time. A limited amount of iPad time is good, but save it up for a behavioral reward or for special occasions, like cross-country flights.
Toys for Ages 1 and 2: Toddlers like things they can jump on or crawl into like a Bilibo, a rocking horse, a Little Tikes Slide, a tricycle, or anything similar. Both boys and girls like shape toys, stacking and nesting toys, and sand/water toys. Most girls love baby dolls.
Toys for Age 3: Some of the toys I like for boys include Dado Cubes, Ybike Extreme, and Solar System Floor Puzzle by Melissa and Doug. Girls will like Moonsand, baby dolls, and usually the same toys that boys like.
Toys for Age 4: Try What's In Ned's Head game, Scoot n Shoot Soccer, and Calico Critters.
Toys for Age 5: Check out the Rivers, Roads and Rails puzzle, Fortamajigs, and Magnetic Mosaics.
Toys for Age 6: Your kids will probably like ZOOBmobile Car Designer, Hexbug Nano Habitats (or make your own habitat and buy a couple of Hexbug Nanos, and Playmobil Pony Ranch – Horse Farm.
Toys for Age 7: You will probably like Rush Hour Traffic Jam Puzzle (it's different than playing it online) and Flickin' Chicken...oh and your child might like these, too. Other good toys are American Girl Dolls (save money by avoiding the furniture) and Puppy-Opoly.
Toys for Age 8: Try Disgusting Science Kit, River Crossing Game, Airzooka, Artlab Fashion Studio, American Girl Dolls, Amazing Labyrinth Game.
Toys for Age 9: Think about an Erector Set, Zipfy Mini Luge if you think you'll have snow for Christmas, Utopia Brain Teaser Puzzle, and Make-Up Artist Sketchbook.
Toys for Age 10: Good toys include Khet, Uberpult, Radica Diary, and tweenie things like nail polish. These girls are not too old for historical dolls unless you think their friends will tease them. (Get new friends.)
Most Popular Board Games of All Time: Some of the best games are Sorry, Risk and Catan.
Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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