First Doodle/Scribble toy

BigPoppa22 · August 2014

LO is just over 16 months and I am trying to figure out a good starter toy for him to draw with. I am not sure if crayons and a scribble pad are the way to go, I am worried he will eat the crayons and scribble on the walls. But maybe it is? I also see those Fisher Price/Aquadoodle/VTech doodle toys where the pen will only write on the pad, so no mess.

Please give me your suggestions,and if you want to recommend any other 16-18 month toys, I am down with that too!

Thanks

jtmomma13 · August 2014

You can put LO in the high chair with crayons and paper to prevent wall writing.

B. Toulouse Lap Trec something like this might work too.

ashiscute · August 2014

Ditto PP. Put him in a high chair and let him color on paper or a coloring book. Or sit on the floor with him and color too. Crayola makes washable crayons so if he gets crayon on anything it comes right off.

We have the fisher price doodle pro but it really only gets played with in the car. Crayons are more fun. We also do colored pencils at that age.

BigPoppa22 · August 2014

Oh yeah, good idea! Common sense sometimes escapes me. Did you start off with the big egg crayons or triangular ones or anything? Or those ones that are a bag of pebbles?

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fusionbride · August 2014

definitely put them in the highchair!

I got LO a bound notebook so that pages aren't going everywhere, and started with the fat washable crayons. She did try and eat them so you have to keep an eye on them, but you just redirect to the paper.

Around 18 months, I got her the "My first pens" or something like that from Crayola, and she LOVES them! loves loves loves them. way more than the crayons.

Beth.1212 · August 2014

DS had *no* interest in the fat crayons and paper at first. We got him a travel aquadoodle back in May, which he also didn't have much interest in for a while, but I felt like I could leave him with free access to it (since there's no risk of a big mess) and let him play with it as he wanted, just coming and going from it occasionally, and he eventually really warmed to it. It's actually one of his favorite toys at the moment.

He likes coloring with crayons a *little* more now, though I think he still prefers the aquadoodle because he can get nice bold lines just by passing the pen over the pad. He struggles a little bit more with pressing down hard enough with the crayons. These days, we have paper set up on an easel that's a good height for him when he's standing, and he uses these Alex finger crayons, which he has an easier time gripping than traditionally styled crayons.

jtmomma13 · August 2014

@beth.1212 those alex finger crayons are so cool!

We bought the egg crayons but I think I am just going to get him regular ones. I almost think that the thinner ones end up being better for development since your LO will soon be trying to use a fork and spoon and will most likely want to brush his teeth soon.

MrsG071809 · August 2014

DD is 17 months and loves coloring right now - we started with a travel size magna doodle, and then tried the egg crayons & some "kid's first" markers with a big pad of paper (she's more likely to stay on the paper when it's a large sheet). She did ok with the egg crayons, but the markers sucked. I got her just the fat regular crayons, and she does much better with them. I haven't ventured to any other markers yet, crayons are good for now.

I never tried the high chair idea... we just sit on the floor with her to color, or set her up at her small table but keep an eye on her. She doesn't try to color on the walls yet...

oh she also really digs sidewalk chalk right now!

JulesDiane · August 2014

Magna doodles rock. I had to buy another one because the girls would constantly fight over the one.

BigPoppa22 · August 2014

I went overboard. I got the Stockmar block and crayon combo pack and the Alex - My First Doodle pad. This is why my wife doesn't like it when I shop for DS, I tend to justify spending too much sometimes. "But THESE crayons won't break and will last a few years, it is totally worth 6 times the price!" To be fair, though, I am also very good at sniffing out bargains and limiting most clothing purchases to big sales and good deals!

BigPoppa22 · August 2014

Sooo.. what's the best product to remove non-washable crayons from walls and other furniture?

kjsmith9 · August 2014

BigPoppa22 said:

Sooo.. what's the best product to remove non-washable crayons from walls and other furniture?

My go-to product is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponges. When nothing else works, these always do.

MrsG071809 · August 2014

^^ I second that... Magic Erasers can get anything off!

BigPoppa22 · August 2014

I didn't have one but found toothpaste did the trick!

DS was not very into scribbling, first try. Will keep going.

momofmanyinthemitten · August 2014

The magna doodle gets a good workout in our house. Crayons in the chair are good. You can put paint in a ziplock bag and tape in on the tray or a window and let them "draw" on it. Finger paint, or food dyed yogurt, in the chair with clothes off is fun. You can also try bath crayons in the tub (less clean up) or window markers/ crayons (needs more supervision).

telicious2 · August 2014

I bought this Fisher Price doodle thing for when we took a road trip. It was ~$10 so nothing expensive if he breaks it or doesn't like it. Bit he enjoys it for the most part.

MrsG071809 · August 2014

^^ that's the one we have too! FWIW my mom bought one at the same time that was meant for younger infants, it had a big fat pen that was supposed to be easier for little hands, but DD never could get that pen to write and didn't seem to like that one. It was also more expensive than the one PP posted, so I would recommend this one over the other, even though it was technically geared for her age. Honestly, I've found most of the writing things geared for younger kids (ie smaller hands) just frustrate DD and she does much better with the real thing.

BigPoppa22 · August 2014

Have given him the crayons and scribbled with him several times, still isn't into it yet.

shipsshoessealingwax · August 2014

My son has a Magnadoodle (magnetic scribble pad) but we also color w/ crayons (chunky & normal), paint (tempera, water color, fingerpaint), put food coloring in pudding, make Oobleck (cornstarch + water), squish Jello... sensory play is really important at this age, so getting messy is the name of the game!

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