Do Kids’ Toys Have To Be So Expensive?

Let me tell you the story of a toy. In August 2013, when my daughter was about one and a half years old, I had to travel to South Africa for a week for work, followed by another 2 weeks when I wouldn’t be able to see her because my mom insisted that she stays with her in Meru for an additional 2 weeks. It was the longest I had ever gone without seeing her so like most parents, I decided to assuage my parental guilt by buying her a fancy toy; a talking toy that set me back about Kshs 3,000, and made my life a living hell for the next two or so weeks until she lost interest in it.

That in summary is the story of ALL children’s toys. The cost a whole lot of money, and they do not hold kids’ interest for long, especially if they are the passive kind that they cannot dismantle and put back together, or damage entirely. Knowing me and my desire to “hack” life, I have over time realised there are ways to make kids play fun, yet inexpensive.

1. Embrace simple play

As much as I hated that talking toy because of the endless talking, I was not amused that my 3,000 bob toy was mostly useless after 2 weeks of continuous talk. What I found curious however, is the toy the successor to the talking toy in my daughter’s life was the sufuria (cooking pan) and other cooking implements. The kitchen has held my daughter’s attention for the last 2 years and it still fascinates her. Not because she likes cooking, but because of the variety. A sufuria can be a drum (making it almost as annoying as the talking toy), she can pretend to cook, sometimes it becomes a basin to bathe her “babies” in, and a whole lot of other things. She especially enjoys arranging kitchen items after she’s done playing with them. This is simple play.

Kids do not care for expense. The care about variety in textures, sounds and experiences. The more of this you can give them, the better. This is why the talking toy got boring in such a short time. Since I do not have 3,000 bob to be buying a new gimmicky toy every 2 weeks, I have learnt to keep it simple. Buy a ball, fill your plastic containers with sand or rice and give her to play with. Even a waste eggs crate, some food color and water will be great fun for an hour or two over the weekend.

Milk crate, food color and some water

2. Buy few, good quality toys

There are some toys you won’t avoid buying, for example a bicycle. Instead of buying a bicycle every year or two, I have found that it helps to buy the really good quality adjustable type that will last years. The same applies to balls and other playing implements.

In addition to this, buy toys that they can play with in a variety of ways. Kids enjoy dismantling and putting stuff back together. Blocks (or Lego’s) for example are interesting for years, because as the child grows, his/her ability to build complex stuff with the blocks also develops.

3. Consider second-hand items or exchange with other parents

As you have seen above, fancy toys do not hold kids’ interest for long, and even worse, toys are naturally made to get damaged quickly (especially the ex-China stuff in our shops). One way I have made my toys purchase pocket-friendly is by going second-hand. I buy second-hand board books from Tuseme Story, that are better quality than the new stuff at a fraction of the price (this isn’t paid-for advertising). I also recently discovered a second-hand toys stall at Toi Market, where I recently bought a Fisher Price kiddie projector for 500 bob. It has bedtime stories programmed in, so we once in a while “watch” them together.

The other thing is to exchange toys, bikes and other stuff with fellow parents who have older or younger children than yours. This works for clothes too.

4. Get out of the house!

Kids always find stuff to do outdoors especially if they are toddlers. It doesn’t have to be at the park or a fancy outdoor place, it can be even at the verandah, with a few “props” like a basin of water, a container of sand, some soil and a few rocks. Remember, what’s important is different textures sounds and experiences.

Once in a while, go to the park, play ball, ride bikes and just run around.

Have I bought more 3,000 bob toys since then? No. Her bike was a gift from her grandma. I do intend to buy her a Lego Set for her 4th birthday because she’s outgrown her basic blocks, but that’s it. Yet she’s never bored, there is always something to play with (she doesn’t watch more than 30 minutes of TV per week either).

What are other money-saving ideas for kids play?