We have decided that now it’s time to buy the little guy some more interactive toys.  You know, the “cause and effect” toys, the ones that when he presses a button, out pops a little dude, or a sound plays, or something.

Have you ever been to the toy store looking for an interactive toy for a 9-month-old?  Ha!  So many choices, it’s mind-numbing.  This one does this, but this one does THIS!  This one has these colors, but this one has THESE colors.  And so on.

The crazy part to me is the prices for these toys.  We are talking at least 300 hkd (almost 40 usd, and 350 sek).  I think the reason the price is so shocking is because the toys look so cheap.  They are all brightly colored, lightweight, have cheap-looking stickers and stuff on them.  The songs are cheap-sounding too.  It is difficult to look at a toy and say “oh, this is worth the money.”

I made a decision to buy a 2-in-1 toy.  On one side is a piano that plays different songs when you hit the different buttons.  The other side is a telephone with sounds playing from each button.    

Of course by the time he is old enough to use a telephone we won’t have them that look like this anymore, but that doesn’t really matter. The toy manufacturer probably made a bunch of these in the ’90s and they’re just praying they can sell thru them all before land-line phones disappear completely.

Of course if the little guy could have his preference, he would go nuts for a plastic bottle that plays music and lights up.  A kid can dream, can’t he?  😉