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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Big Kids and Baby Toys
SilverSabre25 05:26 AM 04-05-2011
Dear kids,

The baby toys are boring when you're a big kid. Trust me. They don't do much. They aren't as much fun as playing with Legos, or the kitchen, or Little People, or cars and trucks, or trains. Baby toys are only fun for babies: Look! It rattles! Look! It squeaks! Look! I can chew on it!

Please, big kids, understand that by preventing you from playing with the baby toys I am NOT keeping some big fun new toy a secret...I'm saving you from boredom. From monotony. From tedium. I'm keeping the baby toys away from you as a service to you, not as a punishment!

Please...STOP TRYING SO HARD to get to the baby toys. I MEAN IT!
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dEHmom 05:28 AM 04-05-2011
why does it matter?
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MsMe 05:34 AM 04-05-2011
I too keep baby toys and big kid toys seperate. I also have a seperate room set aside for the babies.....you would think the secret to life was in the at room!

dEHmom: Any hands that I can keep off of the baby toys means they are that much cleaner. Baby put everything in their mouth so the less fingers that touch them the better!!
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SilverSabre25 05:35 AM 04-05-2011
Mostly because the big kids make a bigger mess with the baby toys than the babies do, scatter the baby toys out of the "baby zone" and over the whole entire playroom, and won't let the babies play with the toys. It's easier for me to just keep them separate...but then the big kids are whining at me that they want to play with all the baby stuff and taking every opportunity to slip into the baby zone to get the stuff.

I just can't figure out why the baby toys are so intriguing...
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SilverSabre25 05:36 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by LLD:

dEHmom: Any hands that I can keep off of the baby toys means they are that much cleaner. Baby put everything in their mouth so the less fingers that touch them the better!!
That too, is a big part of it.
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MaryPoppins 05:40 AM 04-05-2011
So have them play with the baby toys ONLY for a day....it will get it out of their system. Anything that's new or different is always fun, regardless of whether or not it's age appropriate. Let them have their fun for a day. Then hand them a damp washrag & make them help you "clean" them...I bet they tell you it was the BEST day ever!
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SilverSabre25 05:44 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by MaryPoppins:
So have them play with the baby toys ONLY for a day....it will get it out of their system. Anything that's new or different is always fun, regardless of whether or not it's age appropriate. Let them have their fun for a day. Then hand them a damp washrag & make them help you "clean" them...I bet they tell you it was the BEST day ever!
That...is actually not a bad idea. I may have to employ that later this week!
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nannyde 05:58 AM 04-05-2011
I have a really sweet collection of infant toys that are just used by the infants. I don't rotate them into the big kids play. I want them to last for years as most of them were pretty expensive. Each of the kids here had their time with these toys so I don't feel obligated to continue to offer them when they have outgrown them.

The biggest attraction is the exersaucer toys. I'm very very strict about not touching the exersaucers and not playing with any of the attached toys or toys put on the tray.

I don't want the older kids to touch them because I don't want the baby who is in the exersaucer to be a sitting duck for the other kids. I train the kids to leave the babies alone. Don't touch them and don't touch ANY of their equipment or toys.

It keeps the baby safe and the germ spread down. I also don't have babies sharing toys. Every baby has their own play yard with their own toys. They have their own exersaucer and their own high chair. We rotate the toys from one play yard to the other but only after inspection and a complete cleaning.
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marniewon 06:03 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by MaryPoppins:
So have them play with the baby toys ONLY for a day....it will get it out of their system. Anything that's new or different is always fun, regardless of whether or not it's age appropriate. Let them have their fun for a day. Then hand them a damp washrag & make them help you "clean" them...I bet they tell you it was the BEST day ever!
Mine won't be happy with just one day of playing with baby toys. Mine go to them and try to play with them daily.

And mine try to play with the exersaucer toys too - won't leave them alone, constantly telling them to go play big kid toys.
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dEHmom 06:19 AM 04-05-2011
OK, the part about them touching the toys and baby putting it in their mouths I get, and I was thinking that was your reasoning.

But I still don't see the big issue unless the bigger kids are taking the toys from the littles and the littles have nothing else to play with, kwim? And the babies sleep most of the day anyway, so it's not like they cant be wiped down in between etc.

I get that for those of you with the large groups and different age groups it is probably a different situation, because well, you have areas dedicated to them, so there is no reason.
But for me, my group is 1 yr-4 yr (and sometimes afterschool SA), so they get to share all the toys, one bin at a time sort of thing. I don't have the room to say you play there, and you play there.
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MaryPoppins 06:21 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by marniewon:
Mine won't be happy with just one day of playing with baby toys. Mine go to them and try to play with them daily.
Do you rotate your toys? Maybe let the big kids get out the new baby toys and play with them for a day to "test" them for the babies....and then once they have them "tested" the babies get to keep them and they have to test their own new selection of toys....just a thought.
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SilverSabre25 06:25 AM 04-05-2011
I do have half my playroom (it's pretty big) gated off for the littles. Mostly, I consider that to be kiddos under 1, but I have one very tiny 18 month old who plays over there frequently because he's just not big enough to play with the bigger kids (this kid JUST got out of 6-12 month clothing within the last week) and they scare him a lot.

Usually the problem of wanting the baby toys is confined to one kid...today though, it's been nonstop whining about it from everyone and I'm out of my patience quota already . Yep, it's only 10:20 AM...it's been a loooong morning so far.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with the problem of the big kids being obsessed with the baby toys...I was starting to think that I was!
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dEHmom 06:27 AM 04-05-2011
just curious, is it a particular type of toy they want? like a baby phone? or keys?

Are the big kids playing with cars and wanting keys to play with too? just an example of course.

Maybe it's a matter of just looking into "older" baby toys or big kid versions of baby toys. kwim?
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nannyde 08:25 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
And the babies sleep most of the day anyway, so it's not like they cant be wiped down in between etc.


They sleep most of the day?

I need to find myself some normal babies.
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dEHmom 08:40 AM 04-05-2011
lol, well at least mine do anyways. babies for me is 1 yo. And they nap 2-3 hours in morning, and 2-3 hours in afternoon, eat, and play outside generally. So there isn't too much in between for just sitting around playing with toys.
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marniewon 08:52 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
lol, well at least mine do anyways. babies for me is 1 yo. And they nap 2-3 hours in morning, and 2-3 hours in afternoon, eat, and play outside generally. So there isn't too much in between for just sitting around playing with toys.
Man, if I had babies like you, I wouldn't be limiting myself to 18mo+!!! I've never had a baby here that slept like that!
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MsMe 08:54 AM 04-05-2011
my babies also take 2-3 hour naps twice a day. and the one that I have now leaves at 3:30.
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dEHmom 09:00 AM 04-05-2011
usually they do for me. Sometimes not. But we deal with it. Some days they sleep longer, and sometimes less.

Like I said though, babies to me is 1yo-2 yo.once they get around 2 yo they usually cut out a nap and take one longer one.
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nannyde 09:01 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
lol, well at least mine do anyways. babies for me is 1 yo. And they nap 2-3 hours in morning, and 2-3 hours in afternoon, eat, and play outside generally. So there isn't too much in between for just sitting around playing with toys.
I don't think the parents of my one year olds would appreciate me doing a six hour napping total in a nine hour day.
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dEHmom 09:24 AM 04-05-2011
it's not a full 6 hours, and my parents ask me to do that. as I stated it is a 2 to 3 hour nap usually. So usually 4 hours max a day, but some days babies might sleep 3 hours am and 2 hours pm, or 3 and 3 depending if it's a much longer day (and dont' forget nanny, a lot of us do more than 9 hour days.

I have usually 1 to 2 infants a day, and so I have the freedom to keep schedules similar to what parents do at home.

My parents prefer this because otherwise babies are too tired when they get home, they fuss through supper time, and then go to bed too early. So mom/dad doesn't get to spend time with them.


my 18 mth old usually only does about a 3 hour am nap but some days she does a 1 hour am nap, and 3 hr afternoon nap.
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GG~DAYCARE 09:31 AM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:


They sleep most of the day?

I need to find myself some normal babies.

ME TOO!!!!!!
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Blackcat31 10:33 AM 04-05-2011
I must have odd babies too because mine are 12 months, 13 months and 15 months and none of them take longer than a 90 minute nap. I cannot remember the last time I had a kid here young enough to nap twice a day.....However, I must say, I WISH!!!

DEHMom...count your blessings, sounds like you have some easy babies.
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MarinaVanessa 12:25 PM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by LLD:
dEHmom: Any hands that I can keep off of the baby toys means they are that much cleaner. Baby put everything in their mouth so the less fingers that touch them the better!!
Ditto here. Baby toys are for babies only. Im not one to pick at little things but I often see the 2+ kids picking their noses, feet, ears, and yes ... Other bodily orfifaces ... And I don't always get to themo on time before they go and touch something. I only have 1 bin of baby toys and 6 bins of toys for the older ones. If a 2+ DCK picks his nose and wipes it on a 2+ toy I cN take the child and wash his hands and remove the toy and clean it later and they still have tons of toys to play with. They don't even notice. But if they grab on the baby toys that's one less toy for the babies.
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Lianne 02:53 PM 04-05-2011
Originally Posted by dEHmom:
OK, the part about them touching the toys and baby putting it in their mouths I get, and I was thinking that was your reasoning.

But I still don't see the big issue unless the bigger kids are taking the toys from the littles and the littles have nothing else to play with, kwim? And the babies sleep most of the day anyway, so it's not like they cant be wiped down in between etc.

I get that for those of you with the large groups and different age groups it is probably a different situation, because well, you have areas dedicated to them, so there is no reason.
But for me, my group is 1 yr-4 yr (and sometimes afterschool SA), so they get to share all the toys, one bin at a time sort of thing. I don't have the room to say you play there, and you play there.
I've recently separated my kids/toys. The big kids (mature/older 2 and up) play in my master bedroom-turned-playroom. They have access to a ton of age appropriate toys, things with smaller pieces, etc. The living room is set up for babies and younger toddlers now yet the big kids constantly want to play with the baby toys. The first week of the new set up I allowed the big kids to play with the baby toys and in that week we lost pieces to toys and several items were broken in addition to creating a bigger mess than the babies typically do, manipulating the toys away from the babies and the noise, yikes! The older kids, despite my supervision, just play rougher, louder and more extravagantly with toys. Baby toys, apparently, aren't able to handle that kind of wear and tear. In the 4 weeks since I banned big kids from playing with the baby toys, no pieces have been lost nor have any toys been broken. So, unless you are a baby, you do not play with baby toys at my house. The older kids, for the most part, want to play with them because they aren't allowed to have them. The baby toys don't really hold their attention or entertain the big kids which is why their so (unintentionally) destructive with them.
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Tags:baby toys, big baby, toy - infant
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