Batteries NOT Included

It seems to me that more and more toys on the market for infants and toddlers are electronic. We certainly received a lot of Vtech toys for Christmas this year, full of fancy flashing lights, cute animal faces and repetitive dialog. But we found ourselves having to reflect on how much of this was actually appropriate or even healthy for our child.

Passive Play vs. Active Play

Children learn from play. As babies they study the cause and effect relationships between their actions and it's effects on the toy (or how good everything tastes in their mouthes). As preschools they roles play and explore the things they see in the adult world around them. Electronic toys tend to require nothing more from your child than the push of a button. Your child waits passively while the toy does it's thing, requiring no motor skills or creativity. After a while she or he will come to expect all their toys to entertain them while they sit back and watch (and lose their attention span?) Plus your little one doesn't need Vtech to teach him his colors or his alphabet. He'd rather learn that from you.

It can't be all bad?

I believe in all things in moderation. Electronics are definitely a part of the adult world too and shouldn't need to be completely eliminated from your child's. A set of baby car keys that makes beeping noises can be a lot of fun BECAUSE it is electronic like the real thing. So here are a few things to consider when looking at what is appropriate and what is not.

-- Is it too loud? –

Young babies and toddlers spend a lot of play time putting things near their faces. Many toys, although marketed for babies, can be so loud they are damaging too their sensitive little ears. Hold your child's toys up to or near your own ears and if it is too loud for your comfort, take the batteries out.

-- Are the light's too distracting? –

Anyone who has ever been to a dance club knows how distracting bight flashing lights can be. Consider your child's developing attention span when considering the appropriate nature of these kinds of toys. A flashlight shaped like a puppy – fun!. Bright red flashing turn signals, six inches from baby's face – probably not a good idea :(

-- Consider the play value –

Think about how your child is going to play with this toy and whether electronics will be a help or a hindrance. For example, our six month old received a train that uses batteries to travel across the floor dropping little toy balls as it goes – to encourage him to crawl after it. Play would be exactly the same if it was a wind up toy or one of those where you pulled it back and then let it go. The batteries are helping, but he still has to do the work (crawl after it, put the balls into the top, etc.). Another toy he received is a Turtle that he can sit on and bounce. It has buttons all over its head and light up and say three different colors and sing a few little songs, etc. The bouncing is the fun part. The buttons are just a distraction (and I suspect they are there just to dupe people into thinking it's educational). We will be taking the batteries out of that one and I bet he will never notice.

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In the end, I felt like my husband and I were really just doing ourselves a favor. That fisher price zoo is a lot of fun even without it's batteries --- especially now that it DOESN'T sing the same song over and over again. Plus now we have a nice little stock pile of AA's for the next time one of the remotes goes dead.