Help Me Understand The Issue With Electronic Toys

CaliforniaSunshine · January 2011

I was lurking over on 9-12, to check out some of their 1st Birthday party ideas, when I noticed, quite a few of them are putting "no electronic toys" on their invites. Im not here to flame, I just want to understand what the issue is with electronic toys. I guess im missing something.

jacksmommy51 · January 2011

I dont know but YIKES to putting that on the invite!!

bellabsmommy · January 2011

I remember seeing something posted about how electronic "teaching" toys don't teach kids to use their minds as much as the older basic toys do. Maybe that has something to do with it.

DaisyFull · January 2011

I think it is horribly tacky to put that on an invite.

My only issue w/ electronic toys is all the flashing lights. It gives me a migraine, so of course I worry what it can do to DD. The one e-toy that she has (a fp dog that sings) has electrical tape over it's flashing heart. I have no problem w/ the songs.

ETA: I was wrong, that's not the only electronic toy she has. She has a vtech crawl ball. I only bring it out every now and then, and the flashing lights aren't nearly as obnoxious on that.

buddhagouda · January 2011

It's just another way for moms to ride their high horse and feel superior to others. We have a pretty good mix of "electric" and classic wooden/fabric/etc.

Even if I was anti one way or the other, I would not be telling other people what to buy my kid.

doremi29 · January 2011

If you search various professional journals, you'll find studies showing all different finding regarding electronic toys- but you'll also find a lot that show no negative findings. Bottom line (IMO) is that some people think the electronic toys are going to teach their kid to count, read, speak spanish, etc. I think anyone who has any common sense knows that's not going to happen just because your kid sits at a leapfrog toy for a little while. I'm big on a balance of different toys- some older toys like shape sorters, stacking toys, etc. and some light up toys that make lots of noise. My kid loves light up toys, but I'm also not going to have him sitting at them all day and not experience books and quiet toys.

ETA: Totally agree that putting anything on an invite alluding to someone buying your child any toy is obnoxious, but specifying what's acceptable is just ridiculous! At my child's 1st bday, I would never expect a gift from guests- if someone gets him something, we'd be appreciative and thankful regardless of whether or not the gift lights up and plays music or doesn't!

superned · January 2011

That is way tacky to put on an invite, regardless of how you feel about electronic toys.

DD will not have any electronic toys, probably at least until she's a preschooler (and never if I could keep it that way!). For one, I find them annoying. More importantly, I want her to have toys that encourage creative play (play food, blocks, dress-up clothes, etc) rather than something that can only be used in one way. I don't think the electronic toys are "bad" for her necessarily, but there are so many other things that will be more fun and can be used for a longer period of time.

This is good handout that I refer to often: https://www.truceteachers.org/docs/infant-toddler-guide-color.pdf

AbJams · January 2011

I like non-electronic toys because they don't need batteries! But DD has a few that I got at Goodwill and that she got for Christmas. She likes the music I guess. Her favorite one is a "blender" that you put shapes in. But she prefers the music be off and she just likes to knock it over and pull out the shapes. I would NEVER tell people what to get or not get for her on the flipping invite though. You would never do that on an invitation for anything else... that's like inviting people to your Bridal shower and being like "No toasters" or something. Ticky tacky.

katesmom73 · January 2011

Good grief. If I saw that on an invite, I'd be getting the loudest, brightest electronic toy I could find.

I didn't even pay attention to whether my daughter had electronic toys or not (though I'm sure she did) but she is one of the most creative kids I know.

I also bought her a tag reader - which some think takes the place of parents teaching kids to read (which it did not) and now she's one of the best readers in her class. I'm not bragging - just making a point - because I think it wasn't whether she had a tag reader or electronic toys, she just loves school and really wanted to learn how to read. It really had nothing to do with me because honestly, we don't read every single night and a lot of times she's the one saying to me - Mom can we read?

Kids are so different and learn in different ways - I think forcing the issue sometimes makes it worse or creates a problem when there isn't one.

I would add that some of the more annoyingly loud toys ended up in the top of her closet but that was for my sanity, not educational reasons. I don't plan on doing anything different with my son.

Bride2bMO · January 2011

Omg, how incredibly tacky. WTF is wrong with people? Yes, electronic toys annoy me, but we have a few (all were gifts), and my son likes them, but we have a good mix of wooden toys, too. Sure, there's the fact that the wooden/cloth/etc. build imagination more, but let's be honest, the big draw is that they look prettier scattered around the house than plastic, blinking, loud, battery sucking toys. But if I received an invite like that I would laugh myself silly and probably ease that high-maintenance diva mom friend right out of my life. Who has time for people like that?

kategw · January 2011

I can't help but feel that this is the trendy pet peeve du jour. DD has a mix of traditional toys like blocks and rings. But she also has some leapfrog toys and I think there is something to gain from all of them. I don't plan on banning any particular type of toy so long as it is age appropriate and safe.

I did, however, take a bead maze away from Libby over the weekend after DH read the "Warning: contains lead" label on the bottom. awesome.

BBunnyFan1 · January 2011

AbJams:
I like non-electronic toys because they don't need batteries! But DD has a few that I got at Goodwill and that she got for Christmas. She likes the music I guess. Her favorite one is a "blender" that you put shapes in. But she prefers the music be off and she just likes to knock it over and pull out the shapes. I would NEVER tell people what to get or not get for her on the flipping invite though. You would never do that on an invitation for anything else... that's like inviting people to your Bridal shower and being like "No toasters" or something. Ticky tacky.

Haha!! I was thinking the same thing!! I mean, I've seen things asking for a donation to a non-profit in lieu of gifts or something like that, but to tell people what they can or can't buy to celebrate the first life of your child... That's just rediculous. It's just another way of trying to say "I'm-a-better-mom-than-you." Boo on them.

historychick79 · January 2011

My one friend is vocally against electronic toys because she feels they are not creative and do not encourage interaction, so they are mindless entertainment like TV (and don't get her started on TV and babies; she literally shielded her 5mo daughter's eyes from our tv set when she visited and it was on/muted a few months ago Confused

) My take is that it's a very electronic/technology-driven world; our kids are probably going to be mentally wired very different from us. There's a huge developmental and fun benefit to playing with 'old fashioned' lincoln logs and crayons, but I think kids today also need exposure to things like leapfrogs and flashing lights to help prepare them in some ways for computers, cell phones, i-pads and goodness knows what else down the road.

BurnNurse · January 2011

kategw:
I can't help but feel that this is the trendy pet peeve du jour.

THIS!

And to echo another PP, children are growing up in a more technological world than we did. He's going to grow up using computers and all that stuff. Whats wrong with his electronic steering wheel that he absolutely loves?

MelonieK · January 2011

I would much rather she have traditional non-battery, imagination driven toys. But I'm not going to ban electronics from the house either. There's a time and place for anything.

Besides, I have two brothers who make it their life mission to seek out the loudest, most obnoxious, annoying toys to be found for my girls. Neither of them have kids, so they think it's hilarious. I let them have their fun. And then take the batteries out when we get home.

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