Why My Child doesn't Have Toys with Batteries
As a highly sensitive person, I harbour a hatred of all kinds of sounds, but that's not the main reason why our child doesn't have any toys with batteries in them.
Imagination is a powerful playmate
Think back to your favourite childhood toys, please share what came to mind and why in the comments. My favourite toys were a rocking horse, a stuffed animal dog and a giant cardboard box my parents had turned into a small playhouse, complete with curtains and a door.
That rocking horse played the part of a motorcycle, a cow in milk, a race car and let's not forget an actual horse. The dog was my constant companion on all my adventures and the house a safe place to hold pretend tea parties and tuck in my dolls.
I had toys with batteries, I know so because my mum still complains to this day about the noise they made. I can recall a piano, which I loved to play and a cassette tape recorder, but the other toys I have absolutely no recollection of. It's not like I'm trying to say that I can remember every toy I ever owned without a battery, only that the list of the recollected ones in that category is proportionally much, much longer.
Fixed Toys
As I became a parent, I knew I had to be strict about what kinds of toys I would allow into our home, not to mention how many, but that's a different subject. As we prepared for the arrival of our little one, I decided that I would be most comfortable with toys made of natural materials, that didn't make mechanical sounds. We stuck to our guns and today, almost two years later, you'll see lots of wooden, fabric and handmade toys. With the wonderful addition of my old Lego Duplo. What we decided would be our guideline was to opt for toys that aren't too fixed in their nature. My rocking horse (which is waiting patiently at my in-laws for when we get a little more space) is a great example of such a toy. It's a horse, yes, but that never stopped my imagination. The point is to select toys that even when they have a distinct look, isn't so detailed in their shape and function that they can only be one thing. Sounds, lights and battery powered movements are often indicators of a fixed toy, a toy that doesn't allow imagination to be a playmate to the same degree.
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Playin on their own
These battery powered toys are often so full of functions that they actually don't allow the child to play at all. Instead, the toys play on their own while the child passively looks on. The difference in engagement between such toys and a tv screen can be difficult to find.
This is the reason we don't have any battery powered toys. It's true that most children love them, but they also love screens, that doesn't mean we as parents should allow them access to them at their will. It's not like our child is deprived, he even has access to such toys when he visits family. It is, however, our right as parents to not bring them into our home if we so choose. We would much prefer that our child plays on his own than him sitting passively and watching a toy play on its own.
What is your opinion on battery powered toys?
Feel free to join the conversation at
I made a toy out of everything i saw then. We couldnt afford toys while thinking of what to eat. It was mostly making shapes out of papers
That was same situation for my dad ♦♦ he also had little to PLAY with ♦♦The ironic thing is, his mom's family had plenty of money (but my Dad's mom had chosen a man to marry, who HER father didn't like - so they got kicked out of the house; Result = No money anymore ).
Anyhow, as a result my father bought 'Toy-like' items as an adult ! He'd be #gadgets or Novelty Items, aplenty !
Sad
We were better off financially, but still made toys out of everything too. Children truly don't need much besides their imagination.
Enjoyed your article today. I can see why you only wanted to allow #Toys made of natural materials; good going, since your child can play & ENHANCE his/her imagination !
You said you'd had a piano to play ..well, I had a small organ (child sized). It was so Fun to learn about music. I can vividly remember learning to play "Silent Night" and a few other #Holiday tunes.
My parents were so KIND to allow me to play a few instruments; I didn't overdo, as I was a somewhat sensitive child too ♦♦ I played quieter tunes on the organ (that wasn't too hard on them).
And I had dolls, stuffed animals (as u did); one of my favorite toys did not involve batteries! An interior decorator set; and I loved to play w/ my brother's Erector Set & also his Toy Tow truck (that did make a small sound, but I never owned any super-loud or annoying type toys).
I also loved a gift my brother Don designed for me -- it was made fm a big box my dad brought home 1 da. ==> a Play Stove !
Thanks for the cool post
Boxes can turn into anything. I enjoyed reading about your toys. I played 'real' musical instruments too. Music is in my mind a very enriching part of our lives.
@frugallady I agree with all points in this article. My kids had all hands on toys, but more importantly their toys were nature. When my son was just 2 months I would walk and hike with him and take his hand and put it on all the different textures of tree bark, and moss and mushrooms that we found on our hike, I would place his hand in water, and running water. I brought small smooth rocks and sticks home for him to touch and play with. That was 20 years ago. We did not have TV or satelite, we talked, played endless lego, playdough (my personal favorite) and we played endless evenings of board games. He was not isolated, because in his class at school with a class size of 18 there were 6 other families who also did not have TV. I encouraged and motivated without difficulty my kids to snowshoe and xcountry ski. They went on to compete at Xcountry ski and snowshoes are like a pair of running shoes for my kids. My son today is in his 3rd year of University and spends most of his time in nature, and today still does not have a TV of his own. Child Psychology suggests that what you do with your children in the first 6 years of life mold who them become for the rest of their life. Thanks for sharing this hugely important issue. Upvoted
It sounds like we have the same ideas about how a child should be brought up! You did well with those children. You clearly instilled good values in them.
Being a widow of these 3 beautiful peanuts of mine I had no choice but to to absolutely everything to raise 3 productive members of society and set examples to the rest of the world.
Thank you
I am a few months of being a father for the first time and I was thinking about this exactly a few days ago, because I see the gifts that are already coming to mateo and I suffer, because I hope it is as it was in my childhood and not in how it is now, the children of my friends and family are all day with the cell phone, tablet or computer, I do not want that for my son, I want to grow as I do with Lego or playmobile type dolls that I had in my country when I was a child, with castles and toy house where my warriors were fighting epic battles that were only in my mind and today still accompany me, thank you very much for sharing this great post helps me to confirm my idea.
Congratulations!
I would encourage you to stand firm in your beliefs. While your child will be familiar with screens you have an enormous amount of influence on how much of a role they play in you son's childhood.
@frugallady you a great parent...while growing up I use Lego a lot... For the battery toys... Good one...don't you think they may have some health implications too😐?
To be honest I haven't giving it much thought. I'm sure though that any plastics and such are worse on our bodies than natural fibres and most types of wood.
Great post. My child does have toys with batteries, we don't limit what he can play with. The encouraging part is that like you as a child, my son rarely plays with the battery operated toys. They are usually one trick ponies that wear off fast.
His favorite toys are any small figures that he can use to make creative stories. Army men, GI Joe's, Beanie Boo stuffed animals. His favorite thing to do is read books!
Darryl (@dadview) resides in Canada. He is an active member of steemparents and #teamcanada
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Sounds like a wonderful childhood he is having. We've made the deliberate choice to not have any while we still have full control, but we will be up for reconsidering it once he starts asking for toys for his birthday. It will be on a case by case basis, but I have a feeling that most of the time the answer will still be no.
Well, I will admit that if your child has toys that do not have batteries, you don't have to worry about constantly replacing the batteries when they do run down.
It is a side benefit that we really enjoy.
This post is great! Your parenting style sounds similar to mine. One time when my daughter didn't have any toys available I remember watching her prepare and cook food (a pillow) and place it into an oven (an empty cupboard) to cook. The imagination of a child is a powerful thing.
We have tried to restrict the number of toys in our house, but it is a difficult battle. People keep giving them so much stuff!
Upvoted and followed :)
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