Toys, toys, and more toys

On a good day, my house looks like Babies R Us took a truck full of toys and dumped it in my house. On a bad day, it looks like a tornado hit the house and threw the toys everywhere. I really have no idea how one 16-lb, partially mobile baby makes such a mess of everything.

So naturally this morning, what do I head out to do? Buy her more toys.

This photos is a few months old (she's around 3.5 months here) but these are only a small sample of her toys.

Apparently Target has a semi-annual toy clearance, and I thought it would be a good idea to try and get her a few things to set aside for later, like blocks, stacking rings, and puzzles. Most of her current toys are stuffed animals and even though we rotate them out constantly, I can tell she gets bored playing with them. Her favorite thing right now is a little workbench that she can push down on different shapes, pull levers, and spin things, so I wanted to find her some toys that she can stack, build, and of course, knock over.

The toy sale was a bit of a let down. Most of the toys that were on clearance were for much older kids (5+) and were things that I would not buy even if they were age-appropriate. I don't care for much of the character-based toys, as I strongly feel that they send the wrong messages of commercialism and gender-stereotypes to kids. I also prefer for her to play with toys that she can explore in various ways and be creative with, rather than toys that only have one specific function.

I did end up finding a set of wooden block on sale for $4, which I guess made it worth the trip. For now they will most likely end up being chewed on and thrown about. But play is all about being creative and exploring, so as long as she has fun, I'm happy.