When shopping for your little one, you can't always resist buying the latest products or toys to keep them entertained. But have you ever bought something that you really regretted a few months (or weeks) down the line?
We've spoken to the mums in our Facebook group #Mumtribe about the toys they've bought or been gifted by family, but later hid them out of sight for many different reasons.
toys mums buy but *regret*
1 of 111) Jumperoo
Providing endless amount of fun for babies, Jumperoo's are a great way to encourage little ones motor skills and keep them entertained while you get on with a few jobs.
But a few mums have found that the novelty of this sensory over-loading toy soon wears off and their little ones got bored of being sat in the same place. They quickly grew too big for it too, so they didn't get a lot of use out of it.
2 of 112) Friendly Light-Up Bear
Many parents will know this bear, and many babies will love it's cute singing voice and light-up belly! But one mum expressed her dislike of the bear after it broke and became, almost possessed.
"My husband put it in the fridge as it stifled the noise, [but I] found him early one morning. In a sleep deprived state I opened the fridge to hear "I'm a. I'm a. Friendly, friendly. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. Freeee."
Note to self: always replace the batteries in talking toys to prevent being scared during the night feeds.
3 of 113) Cookie Jar Shape Sorter
Shape sorters are great for stimulating little ones and helping to recognise different shapes and colours.
The Cookie Jar Shape Sorter also sings songs and describes shapes too, but unless you actually turn the jar off, it's known to frequently play its repetitive song even when it's just sat in the toy box. You'll still be singing its song 10 years later!
4 of 114) Fur Real Bears
These adorable little toys are loved so much by toddlers, but not so much by a few of parents.
While they can help to give your tot a sense of responsibility, mums and dads have said they can be expensive for what they do.
5 of 115) Cardboard Colour Castle or House
The pictures on the box really are deceiving, because what child can contain their excitement of colouring in their very own castle?
One mum said: "It took me an hour to erect it, for both my children to run into the livingroom and jump on it excitedly before even getting a chance to colour it in! Que the tears at it being collapsed on the floor and the tabs ripped so they couldn't slot it together again."
She said after rescuing it with tape, that it only lasted another hour before it went in the bin!
6 of 116) Musical Instruments
While they're great for sensory play, you might need to keep some headache tablets close by as it can get very noisy!
7 of 117) Ball Pits
You've seen your little ones at soft play getting excited over the ballpit, so investing in a ball pit for your home seems like a great idea, right?
Well unless you have really high patience, it's probably not a great investment as the balls rarely spend any time in the ball pit, and you'll be constantly trying to get them from the back of the sofa. Repeat this a few times a day and you'll be sending it to the grandparents house insisting they keep it as a toy at their house!
Also, not all ball pits are sturdy enough to withstand excited toddlers diving in and out all the time, so if you are brave enough for this purchase, it might be worth doing a bit of research on which to buy!
8 of 118) Play Doh
Creating animals and shapes from Play Doh is pretty exciting for little ones and it's a great craft activity. But no matter how much precaution you take with protective covers, you're guranteed to find some stuck in your carpets.
Some mums have even said there have been many tears when their tots have mixed the colours together or it's dried out.
9 of 119) Slime & Putty
This one is pretty obvious, it gets everywhere and it's not easy to clean! We'll be putting a firm no on the 'make your own slime' sets for birthdays.
10 of 1110) Musical Books
While books that play songs are a great way of getting children to sing or clap along, tots can be pretty insistant on pressing the buttons at least 20 times in hour.
It seems like a good investment, especially when they're very reasonably priced. But when you've heard Old McDonald Had a Farm that many times, you'll become keen on hiding the book or taking the batteries out!
11 of 1111) Toy Phones & Laptops
As they get bigger, little ones love copying their parents on everything, including trying to borrow your phone or computer!
It makes sense that you want to buy them their very own that's child friendly, but some parents have said that their children showed no interest in them or they played very annoying sounds that sounded distorted very quickly!
As one of our Mum Tribe members said, if you want a toy your little ones will never get bored of (and that won't annoy you!) why not opt for a cardboard box? Or, if you want a toy idea that you won't regret, why not take a browse at our mum approved toys?
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