Our house is full of toys. I told myself that I never wanted our living room to look like a gigantic playroom, but somehow the coffee table moved in front of the fireplace for more play room, and toys line the rug in the middle of floor, all for the joy of our little baby to play! Well, I've started to notice that many of the toys seem to sit collecting dust while many other things in the house are getting played with quite often. My son enjoys many things that are well, flat out, not toys.
Here's a few of his favorite "non-toy toys":
1. Doors.
Although my son hasn't mastered door opening (I know it's coming soon!) he loves to shut them. And since he can't open them quite yet on his own, I am right there to open them again for him, then he closes, then I open, then he closes...you get the idea. Maybe monotonous, but he loves it! He especially loves when I scare the poo poo of out him by getting really low to the ground like him and have my face right in the door as I open it. I usually proceed with a "Boo" or "I'm Gonna Getcha!" in which he jumps, giggles, and shuts the door. And we start the process all over again.
2. Pots and Pans.
(I didn't have a pic of Carson in the kitchen with pots
and pans, but he loves the decorative pot in our bedroom.
I tend to find lots of funny, random things inside.)
We have child safety locks on all our bottom cabinets in the kitchen except for the ones that hold the pots and pans, on purpose! Carson loves to open the cabinets and pull out everything inside banging the pots and pans and pushing them all over the tile floor. It's awesome. He's entertained. He's safe. He's in my sight. And, I can cook dinner! Probably the best "non-toy toy"!
3. Clothes - Especially Socks.
When I need to fold the laundry, I grab the warm clothes from the dryer and dump them in the middle of the floor of our living room. Carson thinks it is so fun to jump on all the warm clothes and cuddle with them. He also likes to throw the clothes all around the room. (It's not as cute once I've folded the clothes, but I've smartened up and now place the folded clothes on top of the couch out of his reach.) He also likes sock balls. I didn't always call them "sock balls", but since Carson loves balls and loves to throw balls, folded socks now become "balls" as well. We've had many sock ball throwing sessions!
4. The Remote Control.
Carson loves to play with the remote, push the buttons and see them light up. I also think he likes it so much because he sees it in his mommy and daddy's hands as well. He also knows to point it at the T.V. (I think that's a bit of a hint that we watch too much television). Anyway, I smartened up here too, because giving my child the remote during my favorite recorded show all for him to turn it to divorce court or "On-Demand" gets a bit frustrating. So, I took an old remote, removed the batteries, and let the little kid go nuts!
5. Toilet Paper.
My son is active, very active. So when I have to use the bathroom, I take him with me. I don't trust him in the living room or bedroom by himself, so we take bathroom breaks. He has learned that the toilet paper roll and the extra rolls are quite fun to pull apart. This "toy" could get quite pricey if you think I would just throw away the mess once he was done. Nope, I definitely fold it up and place it on the counter to use when I need it. The things we do...
It's interesting to try to look at life through my one-year-old's eyes. He wakes up each day ready to explore and learn something new. He views each "toy" as something to figure out. The sounds, the feel, unfortunately the taste, too, of many things he shouldn't... But the world is there, waiting for him to enjoy and discover it! Everything is a "toy". I truly treasure his innocence and playfulness toward life, and to his toys, and of course to his non-toy toys, too!
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