"Learning" Toys

[jd11365]

So after posting my great review of the Discovery Ball by Leapfrog. I realized...I'm feel like such a hypocrite. I find my friends telling me how I *have* to buy the Leapfrog Learning Table for Kayla for Christmas...and I think I want to...which I can't believe because I said I would never buy such things before she was born. Burton White says that toys like this cause kids to eventually get bored because the same buttons do the same things...the ball squeaks, the horn honks, the b says buh, etc. So, why would I buy this Learning Table? I think about the Megasaucer...it has been my lifesaver since Kayla was 4 months...she would sit in it for hours if I let her...but when it comes down to it, the button squeaks, the smiley plays a song, the hourglass spins, etc. Now it's beginning to lose it's magic as she is beginning to crawl and explore new things. But, I would totally buy the Megasaucer again for the pleasure it brought Kayla from 4 months until now. As a matter of fact I recommend it highly to new moms. So, is something like the Learning Table worth getting if it makes the baby happy? (That sounds like such a stupid question...but I could give her a piece of paper to crumple and she would be happy too...) The darn Discovery Ball lights up and is interactive in that it stops playing music if you stop spinning...so she spins and spins and spins...keeping her very happy...which makes me happy. I guess she is learning cause and effect and eventually letter sounds...and when it comes down to it, she enjoys it. Please help me to stop thinking that I need only to dolls without faces to make her create her own imagination and learning skills... And, should I get the darn Learning Table...it does look so fun...

TIA!

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[starrynight]

I think "repetative" type toys are still fun for kids for awhile because in young children they teach cause and effect like you said. And in older kids the learn from it being repeated example a is for apple one toy says kwim? I prefer the educational talking toys over the character talking toys, so do my kids. My mom has bought a few talking tv characer things that say 1 or 2 things when squeezed or pressed and now those my kids got bored with fast! They were fun for a second because it was from a show they liked but after hearing "hi etc" 400 times they sit at the bottom of the toy box until I get rid of them lol. But many of their educational toys they play with alot and even if the temporarily get bored with a particular one, it does make it's way out of the toy box again in a week or so. I don't have the leapad table but if you think Kayla will like it go ahead and get it :)

[deborah_r]

It takes a good ten minutes before *I* get bored with the Learning Table, so I say go for it. I think the music on it is really fun and sometimes, I literally cannot think of a single thing to say to my baby, so I bring out something like the Learning Table and before I know it I'm singing to him and chatting and explaining things to him.

I can't tell you whether these electronic toys are good or bad...I just don't know. I guess the best we can do is try to balance out their experiences with other more traditional manual toys. And there will never be a replacement for sitting and reading to your child.

[jd11365]

I can see how those TV show toys could get old fast...those that say the same 3 things or do the same thing over and over...that is a good point to remember. I guess if Deborah didn't get bored easily with the Leapstart Learning Table...my 7 month old should stay pretty entertained too. ;-) I guess stuff like this will fall in the category of things I said I would never do before baby...and now eat my words about. As a teacher, I feel that parents are responsible for teaching their children...not toys...but I guess I have to remember I'm buying this for entertainment value, not necessarily educational value...though if she learns a thing or two from it or sparks a neuron or two in the brain, it can't be a bad thing either. Kai and Kayla seem on the same page with most things...so if he would recommend it, I'm going for it. :)

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Jamie I say buy what you want...everyone will "weigh in" on what they think, go with your gut. Lisa and Tommy have this and it was the first time I ever saw Trisan holding on (standing but placed there) and that in itself made me almost run out and get one that night. It certainly seems to grab their attention that is for sure.

I think you have hit the nail on the head in that these toys (in my opinion) are "entertainment value" and not as much "educational value" as they market. But heck we buy mnay things for entertainment so I wouldn't let that stop you IF that is the toy that you supect would entertain Kayla- and from what I've witnessed and heard I bet it will :).


Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[kristine_elen]

I read some positive posts here about the leapfrog table and got one for my son. I ended up returning it; I just didn't think it was all that great. But a lot of people seem to like it, so if you want one, go for it.

[jd11365]

I bought it today...and some blocks and stacking rings too to make me feel better... ;-)

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[jojo2324]

Jamie, we got Gannon the Learning Table last Christmas. Initially, he used it more as a thing to pull up on, but eventually got around to pushing the buttons. The excitement died quickly. But Gannon is like that with ALL of his toys. He loves them exuberantly for a day and then can't be bothered with them at all. (A little frustrating for me, when I look at all the toys he has.) But, he's rediscovered it for different reasons in the past few months. A while ago, he was enjoying pulling it out and tipping it over on its side, but still with no interest in the buttons. Then he left it alone. But this past week, he really started to get into the buttons.

I do think it's odd that not one infant toy can be labeled anymore without some sort of educational spin to it. I guess it feeds into the parents' worries about smarts and well-roundedness. Half the time, Gannon is really happy playing with two shapes from his sorter block (always, the cylinder and the octagon) and his measuring cups or spoons. I figure if he's drawn to them, they must be doing something for him, you know?

I'm sure Kayla will have a blast with it! :)

[egoldber]

Well, here's my thoughts on this. While I'm sure that Sarah would like the Leapfrog type toys, she doesn't need them. And there are plenty of other toys out there that feed her developmental needs that I like and that she also likes that are a) cheaper and b) less annoying to me.

But if your child enjoys it and you think you would enjoy it, then by all means get it!

But I just have to say that there is something about the whole Leap line of toys that just really irritates me for some reason. The same is also true of the FP Sparking Symphony and Ball Blast type toys. Every toy in those lines just grates at me.

[McQ]

How is Kayla enjoying her table?

Declan loves his. We've had it maybe a month and he hasn't gotten tired of it yet. For him it's a sure pleaser. His favorite is that frog banjo. He pulls the handle for awhile then sees those green/yellow/red buttons then lunges over to poke them. I talk to him a bunch when he's playing with it and a lot of times he does something then looks up to me as if to say wow, look what I did. Probably the biggest "learning" experience from the table was him figuring out he could pull the table closer if he tucked one leg behind him. And from there he's learned to lunge.

That said, he loves his blocks too. I try to place a variety of toys around him so he can see them and figure out how to get to them.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[amp]

Jamie - I hope Kayla enjoys the Leapstart table. We celebrated Christmas early with my parents in Michigan and Jacob got the table from them. He loves it! Grandma wants one too! I have fun playing with it with him also. I don't want to buy a ton of electronic, plastic, manufactured noise toys, but this toy seems like a really fun thing, so I'm glad we asked for and received it as a gift. I will be sure to balance the scales on the actual Christmas holiday with books and stacking rings and non-electronic toys.

[nitaghei]

Jamie,
I'm weighing in late on this - but here's our experience.

DS really enjoys the Leapstart Learning Table. BTW, this is the only "electronic" toy he has. Most of his other toys are classics - stacking toys, rings, blocks etc. Neel really likes to flip between the two modes, and play with the different keys. And he's been doing this for over 5 months.

I'm not a big fan of toys with bells and whistles, or of so-called "educational toys," but I'm reasonably happy with this one. I LOATHE the Fisher-Price toys - they're ugly and noisy. I also refuse to buy any "character" toys (though I might give in and get him a Big Bird). The Leapstart table isn't attractive (to me), but DS likes it, and the music's tolerable. He's also used it to pull himself up; he now likes to cruise around it, and crawl under it (at a 90 degree angle - weird child! Lots of ways to use this table.

HTH

Nita
mom to Neel 01/05/03
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[jojo2324]

LOL, you can thank my FIL for all of the FP toys in this house!! I am sorely tempted to reciprocate this year at Christmas. (He has a 9-month old himself, and is quite easily annoyed by *many* things.}() I'll cop to getting the Ball Blast, but that was after seeing how much fun he had with it when we went to visit Sarah and Ainsleigh. (And, true to form, wanted nothing to do with it two weeks later.)

[Piglet]

I'll weigh in too. I had a good friend that was due at the same time as me. We went to the same pre-natal, classes, registered at the same TRU, read the same books. Now, when you looked at her registry and mine, the most glaring difference was the toys - she registered for every Fisher Price toy on the market at the time. Moreso, she registered for the electronic version of every toy - the shape sorter, stacking rings, etc. I refused to allow a single electronic toy into the house until DS was a fair bit older - I didn't need the constant noise and neither did he in those early months.

Even at 28 months, he has 2 toys that make sound in his toybox - a Woody from Toy Story and a Buzz Lightyear phone - and the irony - he doesn't play with them at all! He got bored within the first week and isn't interested. He loves the Little People sets, and I have never installed a battery into any of them - I just don't see the need. He has books galore, and we read them to him whenever he asks (and he asks often).

We are just now getting to the point that we are considering electronic toys, and that is only because he plays with them at other kids' houses and he enjoys them when he is there. I would not deny him the educational toys, but really doubt how much better off my kid will be than the generations that came before him. My favourite toy was the stacking rings, and he loved them too. I am not saying there isn't a place for learning toys, just that they aren't any better than the simple toys on an educational level. If my son wanted an electronic toy that I saw merits to (and wasn't a tinny electronic toy), I would buy it. I just haven't found anything yet that he would play with any more or better than he plays with his current toys.

[lisajay]

To tell you the truth I never really gave this topic much thought before. Electronic toys vs. the more simple toys, one being better than the other. I have a combination of both, but until Christmas the majority has been of the quiet nature. I'm afraid I might have got suckered in by the advertisements in the magazines. You know the top 10 toys that every child must have, and the fact that they have won awards. I bought the FP Laugh and Learn Home and the LF Learning Table for my 9mo old. Only to find out my mom bought the FP Laugh and Learn Learning Table. Now I'm starting to 2nd guess my purchases, and am trying to decide what is going under the tree and what is going back. I tell you what though, I tried out the LF table and I thought it was fun. My dd has a soft sided box that we put different little toys into and she plays with that all the time, just pulling the toys out and putting them back in. When all is said and done, she will probably go right back to playing with that. I should just save myself the money and take them all back. She's 9mo and doesn't know the difference anyway.
LisaJ

[Jennamax]

I think that both are important. DS loves his Learning Table, and the Discovery Ball, but he's just as happy with 2 blocks he can bang together. I just figure he's learning different things from each, and that they'll occupy and teach him for as long as he's entertained by them - and then we'll move on to the next thing.

[dramamama04]

I noticed that everyone has kinda gotten off topic, veering more to simple toys vs. electronic toys. I would like to weigh in on it. At first I thought that it was bad to get DS electronic toys because I read what some other moms had to say. But now I realize that it is my perogative to choose. I feel that he should have a balnce of both. Sure older generations have dne just fine without them, but in the times we're in with technology having a HUGE effect on everything in our lives, I feel that he should be introduced to some things within reason so that he won't be totally out of the loop later. Notice that I said within reason. I still want to buy him wooden blocks (when he's a bit older) and he has an old fashioned block sorter and stacking rings that he's getting for Christmas but he's also getting the LeapStart Learning Table. I am so glad that I didn't get him the FP home. That would have been too much in my opinion. I do plan to start him on the LeapPad series when he's older as well as home-school him early at around two. Like I said earlier, every mom is different, and no one thing is right.

[suribear]

When DD was a baby, I was into electronic toys. But then I found that she gets a lot more enjoyment out of the open-ended, interactive toys like her play kitchen, doctor kit, little people and the wooden train set. I actually preferred the older main street set (little people) that didn't have all the bells and whistles, as I didn't see the point.

She doesn't even GASP have a Leap Pad :) She learned her phonics from games and reading books (which are plentiful in our house).

Having said that, I don't think it's wrong to get the fancy stuff. It's not like it's harmful, just not necessary.

Kris