3 Big Toys That are Worth the Splurge
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Before becoming a parent, I used to be one of those people that swore I would not let toys take over my house, let alone spend more than $10 on something that seems so temporary in our lives. Well, since then, things have changed. You can definitely tell from just looking at my living room that children live here. In my short time being a mom, I’ve learned that toys can be great. Toys can entertain your children, they can be tools for exploration and exercising imagination. However, some toys are expensive and it’s hard to know which toys are worth buying. Sometimes it seems like you’re constantly wasting money on mediocre toys that only interest your children for a day, and in the worst case, minutes. In this blog post, I’m going to share my family’s top 3 favorite big toys that were a bit pricey, but are worth the splurge.
This first toy that I’m going to recommend is the Melissa & Doug Wooden Chef’s Pretend Play Toy Kitchen with Ice Cube Dispenser. It currently retails for $149.99. We initially got this toy back when my son was 1 year old and mostly utilized this toy as a big sensory activity. He would look at the pretend food, organize, explore the function of the doors and knobs. He was playing in his own way and as he got older, that play changed into occasionally serving us food from his kitchen. On the other hand, when my daughter turned 1, she really took off with pretend play. This toy was a hit for her! She plays with it everyday, she pretends to wash her hands and cook. She loves looking in her little fridge and pretending to drink from pretend cups. We found that both of our children played with this toy differently and it definitely grew with them as they continued to develop. We’ve had this toy for about 2 years now and I would say it is still a favorite. Not to mention, it is set up next to our real kitchen, so I’m pretty sure my daughter feels like she is parallel playing with me when I’m cooking. With pretend play, the fun is open ended and endless! Though we only have the Melissa & Doug pretend kitchen, I recommend any of their wooden pretend play toys for their durability and their ability to keep your children busy in the ways that they know how.
The second toy that our family thinks is worth the splurge is a big one. It is the Avenlur Magnolia Indoor Playground 7-in1 Jungle Gym Playset, which retails for $499. We live in an area that has all 4 seasons and sometimes playing outside or going to the playground is not an option, but we still have 2 very energetic children! If you have the space in your home, it is so much fun to have your own durable, indoor jungle gym. The play gym is wooden and feels sturdy. Yes, this required a lot of supervision on my end, but my kids love it! My son is able to climb and learn more about moving his body. I actually feel that the more he explores and practices at home, the more skilled and safer he is when climbing and playing on other playgrounds. My daughter is a bit too small at the moment to really explore and climb, but she has fun sitting on the swing while I hold her and just exploring around the bottom of the structure. We loved the structure that we chose and it fits nicely in our living room, but the Avenlur brand has various different structure designs to choose from.
The third toy that I believe is worth every penny, is the Infento. It is a build-it-yourself modular vehicle toy. Its kits’ prices range from $169- $1,295. Though the price tag is hefty, this thing will grow with your child. You also have the option to buy a smaller kit and purchase add ons if your child continues to like it. We started out building out the basket push toy for our son when he was 1, then we changed it to a tricycle as he grew bigger. Though our son’s interest in this toy is fleeting at times, I’m sure his interest will grow as he develops past his toddler years. I do appreciate my son’s excitement for the novelty when we build a new vehicle. It’s like he has a brand new toy! Overall, we just could not ignore this toy’s many benefits. With this toy, you’ll end up having less waste, since you won’t be needing to buy a new bike as your child grows every couple years. Being modular also allows your child to be creative and build a new vehicle from imagination. Another important feature is that the parts feel like strong quality material that you can trust your child will be safe when riding. When they are young, you can model the behavior of building something that they can soon join you in, encouraging quality time and life skills. I see this toy as a tool to open up possibilities that your child won’t know they are capable of doing.
The thing that all 3 of these purchases have in common is their ability to grow with my children. I found that they play with them differently as they grow and hit different developmental milestones. This ensures that you won’t be spending your money on a toy that will only interest them for 15 minutes before losing interest completely. They are also built to last. I realized quickly that wooden toys or non-electronic toys don’t typically break as easily as their flashy electronic counterparts. In general, when choosing a toy that will cost you a lot of money, you want to make sure that your child is developmentally ready to use the toy and they usually will show you what their little bodies are interested in doing without even asking. My son was trying to climb every piece of furniture before we finally purchased the Avenlur. In so many ways our children show us exactly what they need without saying a word. We just need to pay attention. I hope this guide for splurge worthy toys was helpful. I can’t guarantee that your child will be like mine and be interested for hours, but hopefully this can help guide you in choosing toys that are worth your money.
