what toys should I get

[sophiemarie]

Hi all hopfully my registation should be through this week and I have one child interested who is 3 and not sure what other ages I will be minding. As my children are older I have no toys could any body give me any advice on what toys I should get first on a very limited budjet.

[The Juggler]

try ***** or e-bay try to pick up some cheap sets of small world, farms, large lego and if budget stretches and you can find a cheap one then I would say invest in a toy kitchen and a sandpit.

oh and the pound shop for lots of arts and crafts stuff.

then start collecting some baby bits and pieces from different places for if you get a baby later on.

good luck!

[jojane]

my children are 18 months and 3 and here are some of their favourite things
i would get some shape sorters/stackin beakers etc
puzzled
books
doll and stroller
cars and other veichles
lego
aquadraw
ikea do a cheap easel
musical instruments
animals

look around charity and second hand shops
wilkinsons etc do cheap toys that may help to get you started.

[caz3007]

keep an eye out on Freecycle (if you have one locally), I have got puzzles, games and books, all for free. Our local toddler group uses the charity shops and car boots are great too. I bought 4 books for £5 in the works the other day, and they had a great choice of titles.

We have 3 cheapy shops on town and lots of things are £1, today I bought stamps, a huge ink pad and a jigsaw puzzle all for £1 each. I also bought puzzles from QS for £1 and they had loads of different ones

[Daddy Day Care]

I know its not the weather for them at the moment but car boot sales are great for picking up cheap toys.

Do you have a toy library near you?? another great palce for toys that you cant afford to buy.

Gareth
xx

[Mouse]

Find out if you've got a toy library near you. They're normally pretty cheap & you can try all sorts of toys without having to buy loads.

Also, join your local library as a childminder. You can take out loads of books.

For buying toys, I would get something to build (stacking beakers, building blocks etc)
some puzzles
cars
dolls & accessories (buy prem baby clothes from charity shops as cheaper than dolls clothes)
construction toy (stickle bricks, duplo etc)
musical instruments
small world people
lots of craft stuff (paper, crayons, glue, paint)
play tools
dressing up bits
play cooking things (real wooden spoons, pastry brush, plastic cups & bowls)
use washing up bowls/cat litter trays for water play & messy play
balls

Mine also love things from around the house like old mobile phones (batteries removed), old remote controls, boxes, shopping bags etc.

And start saving anything you can that you might normally throw away:
yoghurt pots (make great paint & water pots)
tissue paper, bits of string & ribbon, old catalogues & magazines (all good for collage & craft)
plastic drinks bottles (make good shakers or skittles)

[The Juggler]

my children are 18 months and 3 and here are some of their favourite things
i would get some shape sorters/stackin beakers etc
puzzled
books
doll and stroller
cars and other veichles
lego
aquadraw
ikea do a cheap easel
musical instruments
animals

look around charity and second hand shops
wilkinsons etc do cheap toys that may help to get you started.

oooh yes, lots and lots of books. our library has a sale every few months you can pick up a carrier bag for £1.50 and stuff it full with as many as you can fit in.

[francinejayne]

and argos has loads of 2 for £15 toys - I'm going to get some lovely gardening sets from here!

[Leanne59]

try ***** or e-bay try to pick up some cheap sets of small world, farms, large lego and if budget stretches and you can find a cheap one then I would say invest in a toy kitchen and a sandpit.

oh and the pound shop for lots of arts and crafts stuff.

then start collecting some baby bits and pieces from different places for if you get a baby later on.

good luck!

Hi

Ive seen a toy kitchen in wilkinsons for £15 perfect for that age. Ive also seen shell shaped sand tray for £10 with a bag of sand from tesco.

Wilkinsons is good for crafty stuff, 2x paint brushes for 40p and loads of sticky bits for 99p. keep an eye out for their sales there great too.

Hope this helps
leanne

[jojane]

net price direct is really good for puzzles - i got my 2 a load for xmas, some are only £1.10 and they are giant floor puzzles with stand up bits and alls orts - really good value.

[sophiemarie]

Gosh Thank you all this has been a great help