Recommend your toys PLEASE, we have nothing!

[lovebebes]

Yes, the title pretty much says it-I feel like my girls don't really have toys to play with. Either that or they just don't like to play and instead want to follow mommy/nurse (little dd),run around,etc etc
I need something to engage them!
I need to make a plan and get a few toys for them as presents that will engage them and ugh, me! I want to be able to play with them and I feel what we do have is old and boring.
For example: we have a PBK kitchen that I got for them just a couple of months ago (good deal on a floor model) but- the play food we have is hand me down from DD2 and well when parts of Melissa and Doug food are missing they are just not fun to play with! Baby dd likes to "cut" the food but the knife is gone and velcro is messed up so there goes that. I do think the kitchen can be such a good thing to play with but at the same time I don't want to re-buy the same darn melissa and doug food sets that we have had laying around forever-no one will be excited. So should I get some kind of different food, maybe plastic? And maybe a set of pots and pans? I just don't know if they will play with it and if it will feel exciting to them at all (though I know it will be up to me as well, to play and engage with them, and I am more likely to do that if I actually have cool stuff to play with).
Also, all of a sudden they are into dollhouses. My oldest who is 10 wants one of those kits to build, which is perfect for her. Now the 2 and 5 year old are going to want to play dollhouse too-and older DD's house will be off limits. I am thinking Calico critters? We have never had them, but I strongly feel DDs would love them. If you can rec for/against Calico, please I would love feedback.
A few other things we have are: musical instruments, legos, blocks. Stuffed animals (darn them). Thats about it.
So if there anything you can recommend for 3 girls ages 2, 5 and 10 I would LOVE to know about it!
Sorry this turned out kind of long.

[lizzywednesday]

My 2 y/o likes things that "go" - trains, cars, airplanes - and has just gotten into playsilks in the last few months.

I bought her this LP/DC SuperFriends Wonder Woman toy over the summer:

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Friends-Wonder/dp/B0076YQHEQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353000909&sr=1-6&keywords=little+people+dc+super+friends

She's also big on the building toys - blocks, DUPLO bricks, etc.

What we've started to work on with her is puzzles. She's just patient enough to do 24-piece puzzles with us, though I don't think she's quite up to doing one on her own yet.

She also likes to play with lacing beads; we have these sets by M&D (I store them in mesh lingerie bags from IKEA):

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-27-Piece/dp/B000GIJ4Y4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353000829&sr=8-1&keywords=lacing+beads+melissa+and+doug

AND

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Primary-Lacing-Beads/dp/B00006JZCR/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353000829&sr=8-2&keywords=lacing+beads+melissa+and+doug

I also just put a set of child-sized garden tools, snow shovel and push broom on her WishList; I saw them in a Montessori catalog because they had some promising reviews. (I figure that she will want to "help" a bit more now that she's a "big girl" so I might as well give her the tools to do it.)

Sorry I'm no help for your 5 & 10 y/os ... I'm terrible at shopping for girls.

[AnnieW625]

I totally thought I would not like them, but the Fisher Price Little People have been a huge hit with DD2, she has the airplane, the Nativity scene, and the Noah's Ark. She also loves her Lego Duplo blocks. She also likes to play with dolls, she has a FP soft doll, and a Corelle doll, they get about equal play. My girls go to daycare or school for 40 hrs. a week so I have never thought it was hugely necessarily to have a lot of toys, plus our house is really small so I don't want too many toys in the house. If it can't fit in the Trofast storage system (from Ikea) we don't have room for it. She also likes basic puzzles.

We also have had this in our back yard since DD1 was a year old and it has been a huge hit with us.
http://www.littletikes.com/kids-toys/endless-adventures-swingalong-castle

I bought ours for $50 from a playgroup mom. I would check Craigslist. I kind of wish we had a play house as well, but we haven't gotten one yet.

We also love the Plasma Car and DD1 loves her razor scooter and bike.

[emily]

I have an almost 3 yo DS and 4.5 yo DD. We've had our play kitchen since DD was 1, and it still gets lots of love. We have this set plus a lot of Ikea play food.
http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-Cookware-Dining-Set/dp/B0015466LM/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353001360&sr=1-3&keywords=green+toys

I found one of these at Goodwill for $4. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Tikes-Shopping-Cart-Yellow/dp/B00005BZKD/ref=sr_1_4?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353001696&sr=1-4&keywords=shopping+cart They check out their play food and whatever else they can find.
We also have one of these cash registers, http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Pretend-Calculator-Register/dp/B00000DMD2/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353001847&sr=1-1&keywords=cash+register+toy

We got one of these recently, http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10206883/. They both go in there and "read" stories to each other or just "hide" from mommy.

Art supplies. Give them some paper and crayons/markers (washable) and they're good for at least 20 - 30 minutes on their own.

[MamaMolly]

My 2 y/o likes things that "go" - trains, cars, airplanes - and has just gotten into playsilks in the last few months.

I bought her this LP/DC SuperFriends Wonder Woman toy over the summer:

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Friends-Wonder/dp/B0076YQHEQ/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353000909&sr=1-6&keywords=little+people+dc+super+friends



Just FYI I just bought this for myself. :heartbeat:

[cvanbrunt]

Dress up clothes! My 5 and 7 year old can go for hours putting on princess dresses, then leotards and tutus, cheap halloween costumes, etc.

[soon2b4]

Little People are a great idea - we have the house, airport, Noah's Ark, and garage. The house and garage get(/got for DD1) the most use. They should be of interest to your 2 and 5 yr. old and your 10 yr. old can help them learn to play with them, too. Might help with the dollhouse scenario.
I bought the airport and house off ebay, I believe. You just need to look over the pictures and descriptions carefully and decide what you are looking for.
I will think about other things...

[KDsMommy]

The Ikea play food is great.

Some other things:

Plasma car
scooter
bikes
Magnatiles
Imaginext sets
baby dolls and accessories - cradle, stroller, diaper bag, etc.
dress up clothes and shoes

[lovebebes]

thanks so much everyone, i will check out everything that has be rec'd.

i should also add that we had plasma car and got rid of it (no one wanted it-but also its been here forever so the kids are just over it, and baby DD is just not into it), also, ikea play food-we have it all and i swear the kids act like they are allergic to it, they just dont like it! Which is why i was thinking maybe of getting plastic food (would have not been my first choice!).

Magnatiles-I bought them and no one wanted to touch them. at all.

Art supplies- those i always want more of but wasnt really counting them in the "toys and play with" category...but we do love them!

Little People sound interesting, i will check them out first.

Oh, and dress up-middle DD LOVES to dress up so i am definitely getting her a couple of things, and now little dd has started asking to be a princess so i will get her her own little princess dress:loveeyes:

keep the suggestions coming if you have them please!

[lovebebes]

oh yes, and puzzles sound like a great idea. we have one puzzle baby dd likes, which is charlie and lola. any specific puzzle recs for 2-3 year olds?

[mikala]

oh yes, and puzzles sound like a great idea. we have one puzzle baby dd likes, which is charlie and lola. any specific puzzle recs for 2-3 year olds?

How many pieces can she do? Crocodile creek makes some nice ones. We also have a few Melissa and Doug.

http://www.amazon.com/Crocodile-Creek-Tall-Tower-Puzzle/dp/B0036BHADK

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Rainforest-Jigsaw-Puzzle/dp/B000LBW38K/ref=sr_1_55?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353035931&sr=1-55&keywords=melissa+and+doug+puzzles

[barkley1]

They have great plastic cutting food sets at Target. Both DC love them.

fwiw, DS is 3, and the only things that engage him solo for any aMount of time are art supplies, the iPad (for when mommy needs a shower, ha!), and of course his fav TV shows, but those are limited obviously. He would tinker and play with all the toys/crap/junk/stuff in the garage for HOURS , but that's definitely not an unsupervised activity! :) And, DH would be po'ed about the mess.

[lizzywednesday]

Just FYI I just bought this for myself. :heartbeat:

I won't lie, it was totally my idea to buy it for her.

[lizzywednesday]

oh yes, and puzzles sound like a great idea. we have one puzzle baby dd likes, which is charlie and lola. any specific puzzle recs for 2-3 year olds?

My DD likes the chunky wooden ones from Melissa & Doug.

Here are some examples of ones similar to ours:

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-Safari/dp/B000E9DPVI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353076374&sr=8-4&keywords=melissa+and+doug+puzzles

AND

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-African-Plains-Jigsaw/dp/B000FPE038/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1353076374&sr=8-12&keywords=melissa+and+doug+puzzles (NOTE: She needs help with this one, so it might be more appropriate for your 5 y/o than your 2 y/o solo)

AND

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Jumbo-Puzzle/dp/B000GKW73C/ref=sr_1_12?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353076515&sr=1-12&keywords=melissa+and+doug+puzzles

Our 6 y/o nephew was really into floor puzzles when he was 4.5 yrs old; I think his were 48-piece puzzles?

[roseyloxs]

Ditto about the dress-up stuff. DD loves to dress up. We already have plenty of princess and fairy stuff so this Xmas DD has superhero stuff on her wish list. Highly recommend a good pair of fairy wings for girls. DD has lots of fun wearing those. I got these for DD last halloween and they are awesome. Still holding up strong to over a year of abuse. Got a cheaper pair for DS and they are terrible. I definitely recommend skipping the cheap ones.
http://www.amazon.com/Lavender-Princess-Butterfly-Costume-Rhinestone/dp/B001GTKPDQ

I would definitely get pots and pans for the kitchen. I found some at a garage sale but they are made of metal which the kids love since they feel real. It would add a new dimension since you could ask them to make you soup, etc. I use this technique to engage them while I am busy doing something else. "Can you go make me some soup?" They throw some of the wooden food in a pot, pretend to heat it up and then run it over to me. I say its delicious and then ask for something new. We do this over and over until they are bored with it.

The puzzles that I like best for the kids are the ones where the pieces are actually attached to the board. No clean-up needed and they work great for the car too! I am talking about ones like these:
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Wooden-Vehicles/dp/B000GKXYD4
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Geometric-Shapes-Maze/dp/B000GL1DOU
http://www.amazon.com/Educo-Zoom-by-ED2470/dp/B000IPNBKI

Anamalz (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=anamalz) or something similar. DD loves hers.

This is on DD's wish list this year. It will be her first 'dollhouse'. Its a castle and the size looks about perfect for the toddler age. Supposed to come with a king/queen, some horses, some thrones, etc. DD asked for a castle and a dollhouse so hopefully this toy satisfies that for now.
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Fold-Wooden-Castle/dp/B001ENH50U/

If you don't like the castle then I would look at getting weebles or little people.

How about a playhouse, tent, or silks for making 'forts', etc?
We got this playhouse last year. DD and DS loved it. DS unfortunately also loves to destroy it so its only lasted about a year but if it were just DD using it I could have seen it lasting 2 years easily. Its a decent price and makes a great impact on Christmas morning as a BIG gift for everyone. Also since you said your kids are into art supplies it's good for that too since the whole thing can be colored/painted inside and out.
http://www.amazon.com/My-Very-Own-House-Cottage/dp/B0002FQUHK

[lovebebes]

thanks for all the puzzle recs, i will be getting some for sure. As of now she cant really do any pieces alone since I dont have any age appropriate ones, so getting some specifically for her age should be fun for her. Found a couple of Crocodile Creek ones that i like, also a Melissa and Doug alphabet one-she will love that for sure since she has known the alphabet for a long time and has an obsession with it.

Kitchen pots and pans sound like the perfect idea, that is one of the things i was planning on.

I havent heard any feedback on calico critters playhouse/critters-anyone?

Fairy wings-already have hidden away :)

Stuff for making forts-we have a crazy forts thing and the kids are over it...i forgot we even had it actually...

And I do like that house you can color but the girls had it last christmas! This christmas im going to steer clear since little dd thinks markers are the best thing ever-and we have a white sectional:innocent:

[cuca_]

Do they like the kitchen? My kids never really took to our play kitchen. I always read all the posts about kitchens here and got one when DD1 was about 2. They played with it about once a year if that.

Do you have an easel? DD3 has one with a blackboard side and all my kids love using it to play school.

Dd3 is getting Calico Critters for Xmas. I think they are cute. The one downside is that they have some tiny accessories which can easily get lost. My older DDs have had a couple of small sets and enjoyed them.

Also, my kids love playmobil. I have a love/hate relationship with it, but have to admit that they are great for imaginary play.

How about dolls? All 3 of my DDs love dolls. The oldest two have American Girls and they play and dress them and give them hairstyles all the time. DD3 loves dolls too, although she does not have an American Girl.

[Seitvonzu]

CALICO CRITTERS :)

i'll comment.

my little lady was OBSESSED with the calico critters townhouse at a local toy store. we went to a mommy/me class there weekly and the best part for her was staying afterwards and playing with the townhouse.

she was clearly too young for it, but 2 years ago (when DD was about to turn 3, she turns 3 two days before christmas), we let the inlaws get her the manor house. you'd think that would be enough....surely adding a family and a bedroom or something would be enough? no-- DD got a family, the house and 10 sets of furniture/accessories.

so basically -- the WHOLE SHEBANG. i still have accessories in hiding because the pieces get pretty out of control. we had a few sets before getting the house, but since then we've added a couple family's of animals, some playsets, THE GREEN CAR (pretty much the best thing ever), and .... because my daughter is obsessed with them-- THE BABIES

over halloween "the candy fairy" left the baby playhouse. when i bought this on amazon last holiday season for $30 i was a bit skeptical.....i certainly wouldn't have paid 60+ which is the retail price at the time...but now that we've had it ??? my daughter has played with it everyday. she wants to stay home so she can play with it. it's very cute. our windmill actually arrived broken, but i can't do anything about that because we got it last year and i didn't check at that time... (i mention this because the windmill seems fragile...like if it wasn't damaged when it arrived, it would be soon after) there is a balloon elevator (seriously, who wouldn't love that?), and a slide... we have the extra "playroom" which i'd say is a must since it's the "play"house (we don't have the optional bathroom)

i'm trying to think of other specific sets that are huge hits.... if you have little ballerinas they might like the brittany ballerina set-- it's a bunny with 3 outfits, a mirror, and a ballet bar. lots of play value. the dentist set is also super fun-- it has 2 beavers and a dentist chair/tools. one day all the babies at our house had to go to the dentist. i'm sad to report that about 80% of them had "cabities" :)

another favorite is the CAR. my child likes to drive the critters around...esp in times of "catastrophe"-- you know...they have to go somewhere safe because "a big storm is comng" etc.

i have tons and tons of stuff still in "hiding" that i've picked up during sales. even though we have the manor house, i also bought the townhouse because it was a great price, and our furniture doesn't all fit in the manor (i know, i know). sometimes over black friday barnes and noble will release a 40-50% coupon. if they have the townhouse in stock B&M this is a GREAT deal!! i'm a member, so i think with tax my townhouse was $45. i couldn't pass it up. it has working lights and a staircase! i think the playvalue on the townhouse is GREAT. the townhouse, a family, a couple rooms of furniture and you potentially have a little starter collection under $100 if you can find deals!

my daughters' getting the baby amusement park for christmas and the camper for her birthday. we love calico critters! :)

[lovebebes]

CALICO CRITTERS :)

i'll comment.

my little lady was OBSESSED with the calico critters townhouse at a local toy store. we went to a mommy/me class there weekly and the best part for her was staying afterwards and playing with the townhouse.

she was clearly too young for it, but 2 years ago (when DD was about to turn 3, she turns 3 two days before christmas), we let the inlaws get her the manor house. you'd think that would be enough....surely adding a family and a bedroom or something would be enough? no-- DD got a family, the house and 10 sets of furniture/accessories.

so basically -- the WHOLE SHEBANG. i still have accessories in hiding because the pieces get pretty out of control. we had a few sets before getting the house, but since then we've added a couple family's of animals, some playsets, THE GREEN CAR (pretty much the best thing ever), and .... because my daughter is obsessed with them-- THE BABIES

over halloween "the candy fairy" left the baby playhouse. when i bought this on amazon last holiday season for $30 i was a bit skeptical.....i certainly wouldn't have paid 60+ which is the retail price at the time...but now that we've had it ??? my daughter has played with it everyday. she wants to stay home so she can play with it. it's very cute. our windmill actually arrived broken, but i can't do anything about that because we got it last year and i didn't check at that time... (i mention this because the windmill seems fragile...like if it wasn't damaged when it arrived, it would be soon after) there is a balloon elevator (seriously, who wouldn't love that?), and a slide... we have the extra "playroom" which i'd say is a must since it's the "play"house (we don't have the optional bathroom)

i'm trying to think of other specific sets that are huge hits.... if you have little ballerinas they might like the brittany ballerina set-- it's a bunny with 3 outfits, a mirror, and a ballet bar. lots of play value. the dentist set is also super fun-- it has 2 beavers and a dentist chair/tools. one day all the babies at our house had to go to the dentist. i'm sad to report that about 80% of them had "cabities" :)

another favorite is the CAR. my child likes to drive the critters around...esp in times of "catastrophe"-- you know...they have to go somewhere safe because "a big storm is comng" etc.

i have tons and tons of stuff still in "hiding" that i've picked up during sales. even though we have the manor house, i also bought the townhouse because it was a great price, and our furniture doesn't all fit in the manor (i know, i know). sometimes over black friday barnes and noble will release a 40-50% coupon. if they have the townhouse in stock B&M this is a GREAT deal!! i'm a member, so i think with tax my townhouse was $45. i couldn't pass it up. it has working lights and a staircase! i think the playvalue on the townhouse is GREAT. the townhouse, a family, a couple rooms of furniture and you potentially have a little starter collection under $100 if you can find deals!

my daughters' getting the baby amusement park for christmas and the camper for her birthday. we love calico critters! :)

ohhh thank you for all this awesome info! I think i know what you mean about the add ons and the extras-i can just feel that coming on as soon as we own the house. I WAS thinking of the deluxe village house but now you have me drooling over the manor, which is so much more $,thanks a lot!:p
Ok, i will keep my eye on barnes and noble...we have a store 5 min away, and i should do my homework now and check to see if they stock calico critter stuff.

[Seitvonzu]

lovebebes--

the manor is NICE and adorable from the front-- but i think for play value, you'd do just fine with the classic house. does it have lights? and steps?

okay...i checked :)
it has a staircase-- i think that makes up for the lack of opulence! the town house is cool because it has light switches (but i'm sure that will only be cool until your kid forgets and leaves the lights on... ugh . batteries!)

i sure hope some deals come up -- amazon sometimes does a 50% select items or buy one get one...toys r us frequently runs promotions too --these work well if you are buying things that are similar in price.