Does your 3 year old play with water guns?

KellyGreen

We had a birthday party yesterday for a 3 year old little girl.  DH and I are in agreement being anti-toy guns for DS.

This summer, DS has asked what the the 7 year old next door is playing with - I always said they were water toys for big kids.

I didn't even realize what the favor was until I saw DS carrying it out to the car!  I wish the mom would have asked us if it was OK, I guess (I would have said no).

DH thinks we should just "lose" the gun (I found it on my front seat this morning on my way to work).

WWYD?

GinandTonic

DS does have some water guns that don't look like real guns (they're big plastic super-soakers).  He got them last summer when he was 3.

In general, I'm anti-guns for the kids, but somehow I find these ok. 

On the other hand, I would not give water guns as favors, because I feel like it's a hot-button issue and some parents might be pretty unhappy about it.

xbrooklyngrl

What is the big deal with having a water gun? I'm kind of missing the issue here.

EliseB0323

I don't see the big deal with water guns.

It's obviously a TOY. There is no way most kids would confuse a water gun with a real gun. And they are everywhere. You are going to have a hard time keeping water guns away from your kid.

omurray

Yes, my 3 yr old plays with water guns, and he played with them last summer too.  I don't think he really even associates them with "real" guns.

Yodajo

xbrooklyngrl:

What is the big deal with having a water gun? I'm kind of missing the issue here.

Ditto.  Why overthink and regulate every damn thing?  Its a water toy.  I really don't think it can be confused with a real gun. 

*Lu-Lu*

For real?

penguingrrl

While I'm anti-gun in general (and not just toys or for children) water guns are fine with me.  I won't go out and buy one for my kid but if someone were to give her one I'd let her have it.

lucyfox

Yodajo:

xbrooklyngrl:

What is the big deal with having a water gun? I'm kind of missing the issue here.

Ditto.  Why overthink and regulate every damn thing?  Its a water toy.  I really don't think it can be confused with a real gun. 

Dude, for REALZ.  Seriously.  Pipe down.  It's a water gun.

peekaboo716

Yes, he does. They are just a toy and fun.

I don't think I would have provided them as favors unless I knew that parents would be okay with it.

#6

We are **GASP** going to buy the kids some later today..at walmart!!  Maybe we will take the kids barefoot and Landon in a wife beater as well.  Kinda see how many nestie rules I can break in one trip to walmart.  

L has been begging for some since early spring when the first put them out for summer. Our neighbors all had some last summer and the kids LOVED them.  We never bought any because we couldnt find any "cheaper" nice ones.  I dont want the super soaker ones or the really big ones because the girls wont be able to actually carry and shoot it.  I found some at walmart this year that I like and are only $5.  Thats cheap enough for all 5 of us to have one and play together!  Hmmm...wonder what flames I'll get for saying we will be a family playing with guns together??  

Toy gus, that actually look like guns and kids make gun sounds to  I do not like.  But water guns where the point is to just get wet is different.  Kids see it as a way to spray water...not "shoot and kill you" like toy guns.  

But that is my take on it.  I see water guns as harmless.  Putting too much thought into it and making them a big NO makes kids sort of curios about them.  I would rather teach gun safety than just a big NO and then they get ahold of one once they are older and not know more of the safety part.  But as far as this age we are avoiding regular toy guns for a while.  Other than L got some soldiers for his bday and they have toy guns with them.  Luckily they are all really tiny and he ended up misplacing them.  He also has the small toy plastic soldiers (like in toy story) that have the guns.  Cant take them off.  I guess I could over think it and take those few out/away but its not a big deal so far.  He knows we dont shoot people or animals.  Even bad people.  So Im not worried about it.  I figure once they get older and learn how my brother really died they will have a different view on guns.  Right now we havent told them because I know they wont understand and I think its too much for their little minds.  

 

 

wildfloweragain

We are anti water gun.  Guns are not for playing with.  We also do not have play-nooses, machetes or play hand grenades:)

We do have other squirt toys, like dolphins.

 

While we don't have any super-soakers, those seem more okay to me than ones modeled after hand guns.

Angela814

lucyfox:

Yodajo:

xbrooklyngrl:

What is the big deal with having a water gun? I'm kind of missing the issue here.

Ditto.  Why overthink and regulate every damn thing?  Its a water toy.  I really don't think it can be confused with a real gun. 

Dude, for REALZ.  Seriously.  Pipe down.  It's a water gun.

Agreed. Annalise had some she played with last year. I don't like the type of toy guns that actually shoot things at people, but these just shoot water. I threw a small (3") cheap one in the favor buckets for A's birthday pary. I was wondering if parents would have a problem with that but decided most that I know aren't that uptight.