Suggested Age

[obscurereference]

Unless it says not safe for under 3, I ignore age recommendations on packages. Anything for 18 months should be great! I mean your kid is almost 12 months which isn't that far from 18....and it's nice to have things to grow into.

[geners]

I was wondering this too. MIL has a tendency to buy C toys meant for older ages and give them to him to play with before I get home from work. I always look closely at them to make sure they look safe - I think in a lot of cases, the suggested age has more to do with development than safety (example - MIL bought him a talking Elmo doll that sings the ABCs. It's for 18M+. I've looked at it and don't see anything hazardous - no eyes that could pop off and pose a choking hazard, etc. so I'm thinking it's because for LOs under 18 months the whole alphabet thing is kind of lost on them vs. it being unsafe for a LO his age).

That said, when we are the ones doing the shopping we do go by the suggested ages. MH accidentally bought C a toy meant for ages 2+ recently and we set it aside to give to him when he's a little older.

[thatgirlrachel]

Oct 10, 2016 15:02:00 GMT -5 obscurereference said:

Unless it says not safe for under 3, I ignore age recommendations on packages. Anything for 18 months should be great! I mean your kid is almost 12 months which isn't that far from 18....and it's nice to have things to grow into.

This is where I'm at. EG was a newborn at Christmas last year, but we strategically bought some "older" gifts so that she could grow into them throughout the year. 

[obscurereference]

The safety warning is a specific warning something like "not safe for children under 3." Those toys are the ones with small parts or choking hazards. Without that warning, everything else is just a guideline as far as age. And kids certainly don't follow development guidelines to a T. My DD1 is way ahead on some kinds of toys and not so much on others, for example.

[obscurereference]

I mean at least in the US. I know nothing about Canada and their toy labels!

[thatgirlrachel]

@tifga, If he is not comfortable with her having the toy now, could you buy it and let her open it for her birthday/holiday, but then put it up until she hits the 18 month mark? She will likely receive so many things that at that age she wouldn't notice it missing. Then, at 18 months she has a brand new toy waiting for her that you didn't have to go out and buy.

[obscurereference]

The more I think about this, the more I think your H is looking at this backwards. If your kid turns out to be a great reader, are you going to restrict her reading to the age level given? Some random person is going to decide what's appropriate for your child? This just seems weird to me. I think my younger two actually benefit from having older toys in the house. It challenges them. DS is amazing at puzzles because we have puzzles for my DD1 around.

I mean buy the toy, give it to her and if it seems too hard(?), put it away for a couple months....

[expatmama11]

I also look for mainly safety reasons. If it has small pieces is really the big thing. Development stuff is so dependent on each child that I figure if he doesn't like it or isn't quite ready we can put to the side to use later.

Might be surprised to find our LOs like a toy that is technically too old for them.

[Unknown]

I agree I use it as a guide, but don't stick to it. If it seems safe and no small pieces I would get it. Agreed it's hard to judge since each kid is developmentally different. I'd rather get a toy to "old" for them versus to young.

[byjove]

If it is something I think she would like, I only worry about choking hazards. Girl plays with all of big sis's toys anyway