Toys without lights?

[Gwyn]

When we were raising our sons, we worked hard at making sure most of the toys they had didn't depend on batteries and noise and single purpose play. It was hard enough 20 years ago, but now...

We have two small grandchildren, and I'll tell you....it is really hard to find toys that don't beep, flash or somehow need batteries. I'm glad we kept the nicer toys from our sons' youth for when they visit (which is at least weekly), but it can really be tough come birthday and Christmas time.

What happened to all my old standby favorite places to order good old fashioned toys? Where are they now?

[early morning]

Where are you shopping for toys? I've been shopping with DD when she buys stuff for her best friend's kid, and she hasn't had any trouble avoiding battery stuff. Museum stores are great places to shop for educational toys. And there are plenty of online resources - google "toys without batteries". I just did it, and got lots of hits.

[Stella]

I understand your frustration.

You can definitely find classic toys online. I have four kids and very few blinky light toys. Here's a breakdown of what we have.

-Dollhouse- wood, from Plan Toys. They have some good stuff.
-Blocks, from Melissa and Doug. Another company that makes some good stuff
-Train set, Plan toys mixed with some train stuff from IKEA.
-Play kitchen, wood. Originally from Target. I got it at a thrift store. IKEA has a cute wood one too.
-My Little Ponies. My girls love them. Not exactly a classic, but I played with them as a kid, so close enough.
-Tricycle. Radio Flyer. So cute.
-Hula hoops. Target.
-Dolls, from a variety of places
-Dress-up clothes from a variety of places
-Balls from Target
-Water table from Target
-Bikes, scooters, sleds, rollerblades, mostly from Target.
-Board games and card games, variety of sources.
-Playdough, homemade, but you can get them at any toy store.

[kfander]

You can still get them, but not at most toy stores.

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Toys
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/departments/-specialty-shops/toys-and-games-shop/toys-and-games-shop.aspx

[Tradd]

I used to love my Breyer horse models!

If you don't mind plastic, there are the Duplo blocks, which are the preschooler version of Legos.

The Vermont Country Store has lots of old-time toys, too.

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/products/Toys.html

[Zoebird]

you might check out craft fairs as well -- lots of wooden toys, hand made (and well made) dolls, etc. usually more expensive than what you would find in a store, but still good quality.

i like to keep toys to a minimum in our home, so we're quite adamant about what people by. we don't have any toys that make noise (other than instruments of course). DS builds his own trucks and cars out of blocks and plays with them for hours.

[kfander]

I don't know if it's true in most states, but here in Maine a lot of people make toys of wood, which are sold in local stores and shops.

[H-work]

I find all kinds of goodies on Amazon. Haba toys and games are big hits. My daughter loves this Princess in the Pea game (she plays with the pieces without playing the game) and I just ordered this one for her birthday (she loves chickens).

http://www.amazon.com/Sleepy-Princess-and-the-Pea/dp/B000ELORV8/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BFDMW0

Target used to have nice wooden or fabric toys, I haven't been there in awhile so don't know now. I do know that most toys sold in the regular places are ugly. I like the classic looks of wood and bright colors, not horribly weird shaped plastic.

[Tiam]

I'm a preschool teacher. I've never seen a child not enthralled with these toys. And they aren't just pre school age. They are spendy, but worth it as an investment toy.http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGrSiTvYl9cejrP7YQUAsDh7XTbglxr aLvqOp0LMEaUoD6E-iDhttp://www.magnatiles.com/

[Stella]

Etsy is another good place to look for toys.

[mtnlaurel]

Tiam -- we don't have the magnatiles you picture above - but I've read awesome reviews about it.

A Montessori catalog:
http://www.forsmallhands.com/store/

MarbleRun has been a huge hit at our house
http://www.educationaltoysplanet.com/marble-run-vortis.html?gclid=CNKny-mk_akCFaZx5QodsVygzA

My son is crazy about Playmobil figures and activity sets and plays with them for hours (if you're OK with plastic - totally overpriced, but can be found on craigslist or ebay too)
http://www.squidoo.com/roman-playmobil

I always thought that independent toystores were overpriced - but once I got in there and looked at the toys, the quality and how they last - they beat the pants off of ToysRUs, Walmart, etc.

[Gwyn]

Part of the problem is that the nice specialty kids' stores that were around here when our boys were little are gone. There was a mail order company called Real Good Toys that had great old fashioned toys too, but couldn't find it online anymore. Thanks for the tips. We've been out of the loop for a few years!

[kfander]

Part of the problem is that the nice specialty kids' stores that were around here when our boys were little are gone. There was a mail order company called Real Good Toys that had great old fashioned toys too, but couldn't find it online anymore. Thanks for the tips. We've been out of the loop for a few years!

They are still around, or something by that name, but it appears to be just dollhouses, so maybe not the same one.

http://www.realgoodtoys.com/

[Rosemary]

There are at least several catalogs that specialize in toys like this. These are just a few - where you'll find things depends a lot on the age of the child.
http://www.creativekidstuff.com/
http://www.fatbraintoys.com
http://www.rosiehippo.com