Bookmark this: Baby Cheapskate's series "Toys that get played with"

In my house Magna-tiles get all the love

We all want to make smart choices about buying gifts this holiday season– toys that will last, clothes that won’t be rejected by picky preschoolers, and nothing that makes so much noise that you’ll go crazy.

I was thrilled to see that my friend Angie at BabyCheapskate.com has been maintaining her series Toys that get played with. She’s got a list for each age range, so click over to the one for whom you are shopping and benefit from the wisdom of others.

Toys That Get Played With: 6-12 months

Toys That Get Played With 2013: 13 to 24 months

Toys That Get Played With 2013: 25 to 36 months

Toys That Get Played With 2013: 3 to 4 years

Toys That Get Played With 2013: 4 to 5 Years

Here’s what gets played with in my own house:

Scarlett, 6

Rainbow Loom bracelet-making kit
Stuffed animals and doll accessories like cribs, high chairs, and doll potties which get used with the stuffed animals
Colored pencils
Jump ropes
Mancala game

Julian, 9

Baseball, football, and Pokemon card collections, including rearranging them in their binders and plastic sleeves
NFL board game
Mini over-the-door basketball hoop (are you sensing a theme?)
Webkinz (Already have too many plush animals? Here’s how we store them.)
Clipboards, notebooks, and stopwatches for tracking things
iPad games – for his birthday his sister gave him $5 worth of gems, our first virtual gift, on Dragonvale and one of the most valued to date!
Mad Libs – great for first grade and up

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.