We have all sorts of delightful toys.  Toys that have bells.  Toys that have songs.  Toys that have lights.  Toys in every color in the rainbow.  Toys made of wood.  Toys that are soft.  They are everywhere right now on our living room floor.

Despite the plethora of toys that collectively cost more than I probably want to think of, the little guy really likes plastic bottles.  Yep, a Diet Coke bottle or a bottled water bottle (small or large) will really pump him up.  We do not allow him to crawl into the kitchen (too many hazards), but the other day he made it in after I walked in there, and he found a full bottle of water.  Today he made a beeline for the kitchen and went right to the same place, and found a bottle of water again.  It was full, and 1,5 liters, so he could not pick it up and got frustrated.

Back in the living room, he saw an empty bottle up on the dining room table.  He clearly thought, “I MUST HAVE IT!” and proceeded to whine and cry about this bottle until I could figure out what the deal was and get it for him.

I have absolutely no problem with him chewing on plastic bottles, because they are made of PET, and PET is also what the plush toys (stuffed animals) are made out of in the form of polyester.  Plush toys are also filled with polyester fill (also made from PET).  So I’m not of the illusion that the toys are safer than the bottles because of what they are made of.  The lids are tightly secured, so no worries there.  Oddly, what does bother me is that I could have just filled his toy basket with various plastic bottles and he would be happy.

I guess I can’t blame him, I can see the merit of the plastic bottle as a toy.  It becomes even more clear when he picks up a plastic bottle that is the size of him, but he can swing it around without a problem, or he can look through it and see things in a different color, or he can chew it and it gives away but still offers a little resistance – it seems that a plastic bottle is kind of a perfect toy after all.