Ever wonder why we bother buying toys?? Here are 16 items that make great toys for busy toddlers (so much for that expensive birthday gift, I’m getting him a cardboard box!!).
- An old-fashioned rolling pin
- The (clean) mop
- A stepstool
- Laundry baskets – making a fort, a stepstool, toy holder, baby boat, etc.
- Cardboard boxes
- Calculators – Lil Duck has one where you push the button and the flap opens and props the calculator up, he can play with it for hours!
- Small pieces of luggage
- Pots and pans – not just for pretend cooking, also for filling with toys, Cheerios, etc.
- DVD cases (take the DVD’s out though, Lil’ Duck has snapped a few in half, rendering those $50 PS2 games useless).
- Shoes – the bigger, the better!
- Cell phones
- Big purses
- Dog toys (YUCK!!)
- Magazines/catalogs – Lil Duck will sit and page thru carefully, noting interesting items as he goes along. He especially likes Game Informer and Baby Talk – I think it is the characters and the babies.
- Wallets – I lost a few credit cards thanks to him…..
- Remotes (we have the battery compartments held on by gaffer tape so he can’t open them).
i am doing a project in highschool for child care growth and developement and i’m making a book about parenting and how to treat a child and keep them occupied. Its going great
i have tried these ideas with the neighborhood kids and they all work 
One of the Grandpa’s has a giant calculator with giant buttons that are better suited for his eyes. That has got to be one of the greatest kid toys of all time.
Absolutely! I lost an entire wallet due to the interest in #15. And there is nothing better than a cardboard box and some crayons! We’ve been to Mars, won a NASCAR race and sailed across the ocean. What fun in a box … and to think we were going to pay thousands for a boat. :>
Heather