Toy(s) That Will Keep Them Interested...

I would get her a baby bracellet or baby ring it doesn't matter if its a boy or girl. Both my son and daughter have a ring. You can ger them from walmart.

I have a four year old son and an eight month old daughter when my son was 2-3 he was really into Thomas the train and it kept him busy for at least an hour or so. You could also make your own playdoh just to make the time last longer. You could also get washable paint and some big paper or just use newspaper and spread it out on your kitchen floor and let him go to town with it. Just some ideas. S.

I have a 4 year old and 1 year old daughter. Yes, I do have the same problems with their attention. It depends on their mood but I have found a few things they seem to like better than others. A box of cars will keep the both of them interested for a bit and some of these cars are years old. Small, medium size and large on a hard surface. I had to put all the cars together in one box before they would show any interest at all and only use them on rainy day occasions. One day they played for hours with them. My four year old has the little leap frog leapster. She loves it and it hold her attention also. I know the weather does not permit all year round but garage would work to for a big tub of sudsy bubbly water with some toys seems to do the trick too. They love to color the bubbles different colors each time and making a huge mess in the meantime.

Hi, J., I had all three of my kids right in a row. So I had a newborn, 17 month old, and almost 3. My husband and I found that the kids played TOGETHER and seperately a lot better when they had fewer toys. I know, seems weird, but it worked. We put all the toys in a closet, with a latch they couldn't reach, and would allow them one thing each out for several hours. They usually chose what they wanted to play with, and would play with them for hours! The less technology, the better, in all honesty. The more they can use their imagination, at this young age, the more they learn.

Toys that kept their interest a lot (had two boys, then a girl): duplos (large legos) blocks & lincoln logs, little people type play sets, stuffed animals and/or dolls with some baby bottles & a baby bed, maybe a few play dishes, oh, and a little kitchen! Tractors & hotwheels, and any kind of "road" they can construct or play on. And a sandbox outside is a MUST. LOL! They played for HOURS in the sand box, with some big tonka trucks!

Don't feel you have to constantly be "entertaining" them, either. If they are having a hard time playing without you, then it may be time to just let them sit and "be bored".

I still babysit toddlers, and these things still entertain them for HOURS! Books are great, too, board books and lift & look books work great, too. The boys still love to "show you" what they've made, so there is still a LOT of interaction, but they're using their imaginations, and building lots of cool things. :)

Hope this helps.
S.

J., I have an almost 3 y/o and I second the scissors idea. I work out of my house and I bought him a "desk" it's a little art table and he can sit there and cut paper from my shred pile for an hour! I also have a box of just "fun" things. It's old clothes to dress up in, there's bits of leftover fabric or ribbon, tongue depressors and cotton balls, etc. It's a catch all and he can make up ALL KINDS of things with that. Another two things that keep his attention for a long time are his train table - it has cars and a train and a construction site so he can imagine all sorts of things. He can also play a long time with his kitchen. He has a First Steps kitchen that has a stove and fridge on one side and an "outside grill" on the other. If he ever starts getting antsy we tell him to "go cook me something tasty". He whips up great meals - I can't wait til he can do the real thing!!

Both of these items are fairly pricey, but it's garage sale season and I know I've definitely seen some affordable kitchens out there.

J.

Someone may have mentioned this already, but in case they haven't, one thing that sticks out in my mind is a tub of rice. It's basically just a big tub that they can reach in and play with dry rice. They love to feel it, dig in it, and if you get them toys and things to pour and measure, it's great at teaching them some math skills. My daughter still loves her rice bucket and she's 4, and now my new baby loves it too. I must admit, it's a bit messy, but worth it when they're playing and playing, and you don't have to worry about them eating it, cause it's not harmful. Anyways, hope that idea helps.

Hi J.,
I have a 3 y/o and a 2 y/o that I watch and I have found activities that they enjoy doing, also just letting them take a piece of paper and using scissors. Also play do and making things, like we made the letters of the alphabet the other day and they loved it. Here is a website that I get on to do our activites from www.first-school.ws my sons school actually uses this website also. Hopw this helps you W.

P.S. and this one www.starfall.com

My 3.5 year old loves his train set too. He plays with it for hours. I think they are still too young for a computer. The art items are a great suggestion. Have you thought about rotating your toys? I have a 6 month old now and there are toys my son hasn't seen in 2 years, and he likes to play with them again. How about puzzles? My son loves to do them too and it occupies his time.
Good luck!

I have a 4 year old and almost 2 year old so I can sympathize with you.
We do playdough too and I just encourage them to play. It did take a lot of time to get them to *learn* how to play together too. They both seem too young to get into the pretend play and such and really are at a busy age. They both sound pretty normal.
I'd get them out to some parks and Chick Fil A to play in their playset to run them out and keep them busy. We do that.
I'm not sure their attention span would be there for the Leap Frog or letter/number things as much.
I got the book "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards" which helped to give me some ideas and thinking to help them out too.
Good luck to you and I really do understand the busy age that you have your hands on.

Try the vsmile video game system. I have a 2 year old and it's a little advanced for, but she is getting the hang it and all the games are educational. I also have an 8 year old and so she thinks she's playing a playstation like him!

Hi J.,

I would say that the best is to keep toys in different places, some in the bedroom and some in the basement? When they get tired of the ones upstairs they can get the ones downstairs, kids need to miss a toy to be interested in it again.
But I had some luck with Lily the plush toy that talks and sings and teaches colors and also with an elephant in where you put blocks and they can also carry and makes music (You can find this one anywhere form toys r us to wal mart). They can do different things with both, so they usually play more with these kind of toys.
The other thing that my little one love sis anythng bubbles! I got at Target a puppy that makes bubbles and she can spend a lot of time with it because she doesn't need to blow to make the bubbles. The best...she goes outside! You can also get a trampolin if you have rom for one, both my kids love it and we had it for over 3 years and they don't get tired of it, they even use it in winter with snow. I got one with enclosure for safety since one of mine was only a few month when we got it.
With the leap pads....you just have to put it away and offer it again later, get different books, but they probably won't be interesterd until they get older once they can play the games.
Puzzles! They love puzzles! They make a mess and mix them but they always go back to them.
And chalk if you don't mind the mess, they can spend some time outdoors coloring the concrete.
Just some ideas..hope it helps,
Mariana Abadie
www.MyKidsFirst.com

I'm not sure about your 2-yr old (their attention spans are really short), but when my daughter was 3 she L-O-V-E-D to "wash dishes." Put a full-length apron on her with a towel behind it and stand her on a chair at the sink (have shoes on her too). Fill the sink with soapy water & give her some clean, unbreakable dishes or some of her plastic toys and let her go to town. The counter & floor will be soaked by the time she's done, but it's almost guaranteed that she'll be occupied for half an hour. You can put some towels on the floor to contain the water a bit, but really, it's not too hard to clean up water (and your floor will be a bit cleaner by the time she's done).