Cheap Toys For Kids, Babies and Adults » Cheap Baby Toys

Ten Cheap Toys that Survive From Infancy to Toddlers

Jenny — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:00:29 +0000

Part of finding cheap toys is finding toys which will last as long as possible. If a toy can be used until early childhood it's a cheap investment. If a toy can last even longer its a ridiculously cheap investment. Some toys will be shelved when your child reaches one, some toys will be sold, and some will be stored in secret hope chests awaiting your grandchildren, but there are some toys which can be useful for a longer period of time than you first thought.

Pacifiers – Children love pacifiers and use them until they are nearly three. As savings go, you can't go wrong with a pacifier. The problem comes when buying numerous pacifiers which seem to get lost. Some pacifiers have a place to attach ribbon or string. It's recommended to remove the string before giving to children unattended.

Lullaby music – Technically not a toy, but still a main part of every child's growth. A lullaby not only soothes the children, they soothe the parents as well.

Plastic teething rings – While it may be tempting to throw these away, they can be used for games and other activities. Show your kids some creative uses for their old teething rings. For instance, you could use them as pretend bracelets for dress up.

Baby clothes – Not a toy originally, but infant clothes can be used as toys for baby dolls and stuffed animals. A great way to involve your child in the creative dress up play and save money shopping for clothes for their dolls. Cheap toys sometimes means: recycled.

Plastic toys – Any plastic toy, can be used for bathtub fun play. Make bath time more fun by using left over baby toys as bath toys. You save money as well.

All books – Children love to read and listen to books. Every book I had as a child, I loved until I was much older. The great part about these books is that as children grow older, eventually they will begin reading the books alongside you or to you.

Stuffed animals – Not only do these fantastic toys survive infancy, they usually survive through childhood. As a matter of fact, when I was teaching I remember kids bringing in stuffed animals they'd had for 5 years, and most of my kids were 6 years old!

Mobiles – A fun an perfect cheap toy that is cheap and can be hung as decoration in any child's room. Musical mobiles are even better, as they can help sooth children at night.

Nightlight – Not technically a toy, but an investment worth making for a child's room. Usually with some superhero or princess light cover, this little light can be with your child for years to come.

Baby gyms – Think you have to sell or get rid of that baby gym because your child is too old? Think again. Children love to use real cheap baby toys on their baby dolls. While you may not find any use for those baby gyms, your child will find a hundred uses for it.

It's difficult to be extravagant when you're buying toys, but it's also hard to resist such cute toys that are available for your children. In order to retain some economic value, you can find uses for the investment you make for years to come. Buying cheap toys, doesn't always mean the price, sometimes it means the actual value the toy brings to your child. Other toys for toddlers can be found on my other posts.

Where to Buy | Sell Cheap Toys

Jenny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:38 +0000

If you're anything like me, you spend hundreds of dollars on small cheap toys as your child was growing too fast to even pick most of them up even once, let alone twice. I can tell you the best places I bought toys and sold them as well.

What can we do once we've spent all that money on toys? There are ways to sell those used toys, at fantastic prices. Online or at home, near your house or a little further away, you can find great deals on toys for your kids.

Lets start with buying toys online:

Buying on eBay – by far the biggest choice in buying used and new toys at exceptional prices. Sometimes there are even lots of toys. 'Lots' are a selection of items sold together. A 'lot' of toys would be, for instance, parents selling toys their children no longer play with in a big bundle. These 'lots' sometimes have a range of toys for different ages. Lots and regular toy auctions are bid on or can sometimes be bought outright. Be sure to read the cost of shipping and handling as it can differ from seller to seller.

The best part about using eBay is getting an idea of who you are buying from. Sellers are graded on their performance, so you can judge the whether they are trustworthy by other buyers' past experience with that seller. You can even buy a cheap baby toy safely knowing who you bought from has a good reputation. Using Paypal also means you have security if you're not sent what was promised.
Amazon – Amazon is a beautiful place for new and used toys. Their selection isn't as wide as EBay in terms of used toys, but for new toys even Target has a shop within Amazon. This is another site where you can see the seller's ratings from buyers. One special thing about Amazon's rating is that people write reviews of the product themselves, and also the sellers. It is really helpful to have this information handy when you place an order. One of the best things about Amazon is that, in nearly 80% of sales, they offer free shipping. It really depends on if the sale is private or not.
WalMart – Some people have something against Walmart because it's profit driven, however, that's exactly what free enterprise is about. Consider for a moment how much you spend when you buy retail, and how that affects your bottom line. There is controversy with Walmart, but I don't think anyone should be judged for making purchases there, it's whats best for their family. Finding cheap toys for toddlers at Walmart online is a great place to start.
Craig's list – This is my last choice, to be honest. There are some great deals on this site, however, you run the risk of dealing with people who you have no contact with other than meeting randomly. You also have no recourse if anything is wrong with the items. On the other hand, these are toys and easily checked before purchase and washed after.

Shopping nearby for new toys(or not so nearby)

I left off at Walmart and I'm going to put it as number 1 for stores in your neighborhood. As far as stores go, this one by far has the cheapest options. It is, however, very competitive, and oftentimes their stock is sold out of popular toys. Anticipation is half the factor and it's a good idea to check current trends and act as soon as possible.
Target is as near as Walmart, that I think either one you stop at will offer the same, or nearly the same, prices. Target has a wide variety of toys and usually has many sales. Obviously Walmart may be cheaper, but what many people don't realize is the difference is usually the gas between the two shops. If Target is closer, I'd go with Target.

Shopping for used Cheap toys

My mother, the teacher, and myself (also a teacher, have stocked our classrooms with used toys over the years. I would imagine between the both of us, we've spent at least $100 a month easily. By far the best place to find used toys is at local GoodWill, Salvation Army, or charity shops. For the most part you can find great toys at these places. They aren't, of course, the latest toys, however, quite a few times I've found Star Wars and Mr. Potato Head.
Yard sales are a great place to buy used toys. Everyone is selling their old toys and some are only a few months old. Children can go through toys so fast because of their growth rates, and this is especially true for infants and toddler toys. You can find yard sales through newspapers, online listings, and Craig's list. Local grocery stores often have newspapers which are serve the immediate community.

Selling Toys

If you're selling one cheap toy or only a couple of them, you'll probably not want to spend money on a newspaper ad. EBay is your best option, in this case.

EBay is also the best option if you're selling many toys. You can scroll through their selections and find what prices others are listing the same toys, to stay competitive.
If you have many toys, try a yard sale before you go through EBay. Yard sales are perfect, however, they aren't great for quite a few months of the year in cold climate areas.
Craig's list serves your local community. It's a great place to place an ad for some toys or anything else you're selling

I hope this helps you keep your wallet fatter, and your toy boxes fuller!

Finding Cheap Baby Toys Online and At Home

Jenny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:07:26 +0000

It's imperative to be able to find cheap baby toys, when they grow out of them so fast. From the moment they are conceived a baby begins developing at lightening speed. Consider the time from birth to learning to walk and talk. For some babies, although not most, it's between 8-12 months. When compared with your own development, as an adult, 8-12 months is a minuscule period of time to develop so many different skills. During the first year a baby learns to grasp, smile, hold their head up, crawl, stand on their own and more. But they don't only develop motor skills, they develop creativity, language and with every new learning experience, children develop the capacity to learn more. This means that every toy you can give to a developing baby, will help them not only develop that skill, but all skills. But which toys are crucial in assisting development, and why are they important? To answer that question, I've compiled a list of cheap toys, available on EBay for inexpensive prices. Sometimes you can find these toys in lots, as people's children grow out of them. However, before one can understand which types of toys are best, it's a good idea to know what to expect during that first year of infancy.

0-1 months – Infants can recognize sounds and can distinguish voices, especially those heard often. It's a great idea to read aloud (no matter what the book), and talk to infants as much as possible. Babies can't see very well the first couple of weeks, but can see objects close by. Motor functions of the eye will help development of vision and soon your baby will be able to see and focus on solid objects from longer distances. The beginnings of muscular functionality begin by the end of the first month as well as experimenting with sounds.

1 month – 3 months – As the muscles build in their ever moving bodies, so do they muscles grow. Muscle growth means more movement (doesn't it seem impossible they could move more?)

3-6 – All that wiggling finally leads to holding the head in different positions. During this stage in development babies are trying to learn to grasp objects, focus more clearly, play with different sounds, and recognize some sounds. Some babies begin to sit up and some can even begin to crawl at age 6 months. Furthermore, babies tend to have a firm grasp on objects during this growth, and most babies can roll over.

6-9 months – This stage in development is probably most noticeable by outsiders. During this period babies learn to crawl, and use their fingers to point and grasp with, instead of the whole hand. Babies, who have developed enough muscularly, will begin to sit up. From sitting to standing is only a small jump, so to speak

From 9-12 months -The beginning of the crawling stages can be the most fraught with worry. I know that I was panicked and chasing the little one if they got without 10 feet of a table corner (even a rounded one!). In the snap of your fingers, your baby goes from crawling to pulling herself/himself up and walking. Most babies develop strong walking skills from age 10 mos to 18 mos, so don't be panicked if your baby isn't walking at 9 months! All babies develop differently.

NICI plush tiger baby toy cartoon hand puppet wholesale
US $.99

Huge Lot of Baby Toys for the Crib Floor Mobile Rings
US $25.00

Winnie the Pooh hand rattle drum noise maker baby toy
US $.99

Buzz Toy Story Rag Quilt 34 x 42 Baby Toddler Lap
US $27.99

SASSY BABY CRIB PLAYPEN MIRROR WITH ATTACHED TOYS
US $3.50

SHAUN THE SHEEP cute BABY LAMB Timmy PLUSH TOY 11
US $.99

Disney Pins Toy Story 3 Big Baby NEW
US $7.50

Vintage BABYS TOY to hang over BABY CRIB
US $7.50

Old Plastic Baby Angel Toy Rattle
US $.99

LARGE BABY BEAR ROLY POLY TOY
US $12.00

Toys For Developing Babies

There are general suggestions for babies between ages 0-6 months. Most are for development of muscle, vision, hearing and language, but some are for creativity. I've always felt that creative development was just as important as any other skills. The good news is that most toys for babies are very cheap. And with the rate of growth, having a cheap baby toys around won't break your pocket book. I've put together a list of toys that can be made or bought cheaply.

Music – This may not seem like a toy, but for development, music is an extraordinary aid. Throughout their first year, children rely more on sound than sight (remember they cannot even see past 8 inches for a number of weeks). Music not only engages a baby, but if you sing along, it helps a baby to distinguish voices and learn new sounds. Different child behaviorists recommend all sorts of music, I recommend trying a bit of everything.

Rattles - The sound thing again, but this time the sound gives focus as well. Babies are developing vision, so an object that demands focus trains their eyes, while the sounds keep them involved.

Fabric toys – cloth, satin or any other type of toys help develop the sense of touch. Babies are not only discovering a sense of touch, they are longing for new discoveries of every kind. Giving them a wide range of fabrics, sounds, colors, etc will develop more sense than just touch.

Cute Little Duck Cloth Toy for Babies

Mirrors- While it never hurts to hold a mirror up for a baby, giving them a glass mirror is extremely dangerous. Because mirror can be such a great aid in development and exploration, companies make mirrors out of material that is not hazardous. And most babies love mirrors.

Tactile toys – these include those large plastic keys on a ring. Babies love keys, even your house keys. But house keys can be swallowed or choked on, be sure to use key-rings designed for a baby's enjoyment.

Cheap baby toys that help with dexterity and logic learning

Toys with sounds – These include squeezy toys and bells, chimes, picture books with sounds etc.

Mobiles – Another great toy that children can aid in learning to focus. Great above the crib, but also in different points of the house (especially the kitchen while you're cooking).

Baby Gyms and Playmats – When in doubt of which toys to buy, a baby gym or play mat will cover most of your bases. With hanging toys and toys with sounds, mirror toys and stuffed animals, it's a very cheap toy for babies, It's also great to bring the playmats with you instead of hundreds of little toys.

Best Selling Amazon Baby Gym

Stay tuned for some of my reviews of great cheap baby toys in upcoming blog posts. For now you can read about more cheap toys by visiting any of my category pages.