Works for Me - Our Favorite Toys

Today’s Works for Me Wednesday is themed - Toys Worth Buying. For those that don't know me, I’m not a fan of toys mainly because it seems like they are everywhere. My house used to look like Toys R Us's twin brother. Now that the kids are getting older, it’s really not as bad. There aren't as many toys with pieces and parts. There are a few toys that I don’t mind having around and that have been around our house for a while. Here are three of them…

One of our favorites is the Melissa & Doug Fold & Go Barn. It’s made of durable wood. Ours has been kicked around and dropped…it’s still in really good shape. It’s easy to transport – not too heavy and not too big. It’s big enough to enjoy though. It comes with animals too. The animals store easily in the barn. My youngest son spends hours playing with it. We’ve taken to soccer games to keep all the little ones occupied. They’ve all loved it.

Another one of our favorites is the John Deere Gator HPX Riding Toy. This is one of our rather expensive toys but with the use this has gotten and the length of time we’ve had it (and probably will have it). It was worth the money. It has 2 speeds and reverse. It even has a lockout feature to keep your child from going too fast. My son was driving this like a pro at 2 ½ years old. The dump bed lifts to empty the load. In most cases, it’s usually full of toys, rocks or dirt. He’s helped me with mulch the past couple years by loading a bag at a time in it and helping me by dumping it around the flower beds. There’s enough room in the front for 2 kids to be fastened in…yep, with seat belts. Every now and then I will find my son driving around 2 kids – one in the front with him and one in the back. There’s no seat belt in the back and it’s not recommended but that’s how durable it is. It’s been drove around like a race car and like the Fold & Go Barn – it’s still in really good shape and has lots of life left. It does have a 12 volt battery that needs to be charged in order for it to work.

Then for the older kids, the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) has been great.I think this is the best portable gaming system we’ve had. We had the Nintendo Gameboy and DS. With both of them, we had them in for repairs or replacements than we had liked. That’s how we ended up buying the Sony PSP for my older son. It’s a gaming system, video/movie player and music player all-in-one. It has other features too like photo viewing, accessing the internet and connecting to other PSPs. It’s got a crystal clear screen that makes playing or viewing easier and more enjoyable. Better put – the graphics are awesome! It’s so compact that it fits comfortable in the palm of your hand and pocket/purse.

Those are some of the toys that we feel are worth buying. To see what others are recommending, visit Rocks In My Dryer’s Works for Me Wednesday.