Mom Loses It At Sibling Because Of ‘Non-Traditional’ Toy They Got For Niece
Kids put their favorite toys through a lot. From being sucked on to being dragged through the mud, these beloved childhood companions are subjected to a relentless barrage of wear and tear.
So when Reddit user Solid-Feature-7678‘s niece ended her favorite plush lamb, they decided to get the baby a new one. But the problem was that the alternatives they found seemed just as fragile as the predecessor. There was no way they could’ve survived the girl’s fingers and teeth.
However, as the Redditor was getting some treats for their pooch, they noticed a lambchop toy meant for dogs that looked like the perfect candidate. So they bought it. And while the toddler loved it, her mom did not.
Image credits: ernpup / X (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Solid-Feature-7678
Preschoolers benefit from simple, open-ended, and non-realistic toys
“As a parent, it can be overwhelming trying to find the ‘best’ toys for your children among the many options available online and in stores,” clinical psychologist and mother to three children Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., says. “So many toys are marketed as ‘educational’ or beneficial in some way for children’s development, but how do parents know if these claims [are] actually true? How do parents determine which toys actually promote development, or which toys will keep a child’s attention for more than five minutes?”
To answer these questions, Goodwin suggests taking a look at a study by researchers from Eastern Connecticut State University who have spent over a decade analyzing how preschool children play with over 100 toys. It will also help us have a more informed opinion on the Redditor’s purchase of choice.
The study is called TIMPANI (Toys that Inspire Mindful Play And Nurture Imagination) and it examined how toys maintain children’s attention and allow children to develop skills in problem-solving, creativity, social skills, and language.
Image credits: Tatiana Syrikova / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The researchers coded the quality of children’s play with different types of toys and from these observations, they were able to determine which toys were the most high-quality and identify three key qualities that these toys shared that make them likely to promote high-quality play:
- Simple. Many toys on the market, according to academics, are complicated. These items function more as entertainment than toys that actively engage children in rich play. “Our research has found that simpler is better,” they wrote. “For example, a simple wooden cash register in our study inspired children to engage in lots of conversations related to buying and selling—but a plastic cash register that produced sounds when buttons were pushed mostly inspired children to just push the buttons repeatedly.” Similarly, a doll that does the talking for a child will generally result in play that is less imaginative than its simpler counterpart where children have to imagine for themselves what the doll might say.
- Open-ended. “Some toys suggest to children exactly how to play with them, and these kinds of toys can certainly be valuable. For example, puzzles and board games help children learn to solve specific problems, follow rules, and take turns,” the researchers explained. “A set of construction vehicles may motivate children to learn more about (and then act out) the functions of a bulldozer vs. front loader vs. steam roller. But the toys in our study that inspired children to be the most creative didn’t suggest just one way to play—they were open-ended and flexible, which allowed children to come up with their own ideas. We observed children using plain hardwood blocks to create houses, zoo enclosures, castles, and roads—and children pretended that individual blocks were cell phones, cars, or sandwiches. In addition, open-ended toys in our study tended to hold children’s attention for a longer time.”
- Non-realistic. Some toys are exact replicas of things in real life, and they can inspire certain kinds of positive play. For instance, a set of plastic dishes may lead to elaborate pretend play with lots of conversation as children pretend to prepare and serve a meal to their peers or an adult. However, the researchers found that non-realistic toys—or toys that didn’t look like something that exists in real life—were especially powerful. “When building with a basic set of Legos, children must make their own decisions about what they’re creating, and then they must communicate their ideas to their playmates. This kind of play often results in complex problem-solving as children work to bring their vision to life, creativity as they conceive of new ways to put together pieces, and rich interactions and conversations with peers as they discuss their creations and then use them in pretend play,” they added.
The researchers also identified 10 specific toys that they discovered to be inspirational when it comes to high-quality play:
- Toy cars, trains, and trucks;
- Wooden train sets;
- Painting easels;
- Magnetic tiles;
- Animal figurines;
- Tinkertoys;
- Duplos;
- Wooden cash registers;
- Magnetic bottle-shaped blocks;
- People figurines.
As we can see, the Redditor’s gift falls into one of these categories (animal figurines). Maybe it’s not so bad after all?
Most people who read the story said its author did nothing wrong
Some even shared their own similar experiences
[YTA]
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I love this!! I've bought my own toddler dog toys. When I was pregnant we called him a sprout, can't find sprout toys for kids so he has a squeaky one from the pet shop and he loves it!
I buy my tiny dog baby toys. Baby toys have no choking hazards, and are cheaper than dog toys. Vice versa is fine by me.
Load More Replies...
My cousin's son got his girlfriend pregnant. They eventually got married, are raising her (and her siblings) together. His grandma, my aunt, refused to speak to the girlfriend, and wouldn't acknowledge the baby. My aunt is absolutely dotty (to an unhealthy extent) about her animals. The baby's first Christmas, my aunt gave the baby two pairs of high-end purple socks. This was the first acknowledgement of either girlfriend or baby. Girlfriend was so grateful, said thank you, how pretty the socks were, etc. My aunt said, "Well, they didn't fit the dog, and I thought the baby might like them." Dead silence. My aunt honestly didn't realize that she'd said something wrong. She was proud of herself for coming up with a use for the socks.
Lol, when she was about 4 my niece knew I loved stuffed lambs (I was well into my 30s). She was shopping with my mom when she saw it. The Lambchops dog toy. She just HAD to buy it for me .Still have that lil lamb today. Moral? She had no idea it was a dog toy. It was just something she knew her TeeTee would like.
Omg, how fragile are they??! Some dog toys are adorable and look just like regular stuffies. I like owls (and stuffies) and for Christmas my aunt gave me this gorgeous tawny owl stuffie that she saw in the pet store when she was picking up stuff for her pooch. Whatever happened to basic pragmatism?
Ok, I get the soft YTA for the squeaker part, that could easily be taken out. But to think a toy for an animal would be toxic to a kid and not the animal is just dumb. My son and even the neighbor's kids will routinely play with my dog's and cat's toys more than the actual kid toys we have purchased for the kids. Toys are toys and a fresh/clean dog toy for a kid that's rough on toys is a brilliant idea. The kid's mom needs to get over it, kids will play with what they want to play with, be glad it's not poop
I thought the toxic comment had potentially a good point, but I don't know anything about the relevant safety standards. You make a good point too. The one about it being a choking hazard... how? It's *meant* to be chewed on. Anyway I agree with pretty much everything you said, kids will play with anything and the dog toy should be perfectly fine.
Load More Replies... We have some plushie toys made for children for our dog. They are tested better for quality than dog toys. But despite that, children love to play with newspapers, pieces of wood, blankets, pots and lids, dirt and other things that are not meant to be a toy. So what? As long as it is not a used toy...
There are baby toys with squeakers in them... my godson's grandparents bought him a set of baby soft, stuffed balls. All have something different in them to make sounds. One is a squeaker. They pull them out of the box and give to him, and the dog's ears perked up big time when he heard the squeak LoL wonder how long it'll last. But the baby loved it and all the other sounds. If the child is older, I can see how the squeaker isn't necessary, or even desirable. Maybe should've take it out and sewn it back up. It would've at least prevented the drama later. The parents may have never known. But the truth is, if it's toxic or something, it wouldn't have been allowed for dogs either. And good stuffed animals aren't cheap these days... anything affordable is as bad as something from the dollar tree that won't last a day.
My cat loves his lambie toy. He hugs it and Carrie’s it around. Sometimes, he kills it but that’s a cat for you.
I have gotten both my nephews a soft squeaker dog toy and they LOVED them! Told my sister and she didn't care and thought it made total sense from a durability standpoint. Don't overlook the dog toy section, some of the toys definitely double for babies/toddlers!
Dog toys are NOT a safety hazard per se and definitely don't have loose parts a toddler could swallow. Sadly in the past pet toys had better test ratings from official channels than child's toys. Especially toys meant for toddlers have an alarming amount of negative test results. Toxic paints, loose parts, you name it, they have it. Lamp Chops is a well known company which got tested several times with no issues. And they do test for toxins since dogs can get poisoned just as easily as toddlers.
I actually bought that lambchop toy for myself a couple of weeks ago, my roommate's all "we dont have a dog" and I'm like yeah but I just had to save her. She's on my dresser now.
Those lambchop toys are pretty tough. NTA, i would have done exactly the same (but maybe taken out the squeaker)
I'm pretty sure my daughter's grandparents have bought her dog stuffies befoee just because they were cute. I think it's funny, and certainly not something to get all butthurt over.
This is such a resourceful idea! Love this story. Maybe they need a dog too to pull the stick out of sister’s a** and play with it instead of losing it over nothing lol
Heh, i bought my nephew that squeezeable silicone b00b stress ball when he was 3, the lil' guy loved it.
Don't now. We have cat toys. And we have childrens toys. And for some reason it doesn't really matter, which is which 😅
That toy is a toy. Regardless who plays with it. If it was in your home and the dog chewed it a then she found it because it was a lamb you would prob have to get her one anyway.
My toddler loves playing with my dogs toys, who cares if they are dog toys or not
My only concern is whether the dog toys are made to the same standards a toys for little humans.
Load More Replies... I didn't get what sister's problem was with that toy. She only stated a fact
If the mom is so upset by the squeak toy, just wait till her sweet lil darling starts playing with the bugs and worms she finds outside.
As dogs tend to lick and gnaw on toys I believe this lamb-toy is safe enough for children.
Those people who claim she's the a*****e because OMG it's a choking hazard and might be toxic suck. It's probably less of a choking hazard than a standard toy because it's designed to take rougher treatment without coming apart. And If it's toxic for a kid, there's a good chance it's toxic for a dog. So I can't see too many companies making pet toys that would kill the dogs that are playing with them.
Practical and hilarious! Bought my Evil Ex (who is a whole story unto himself) a chew toy to chew on, actually pretty good if you like to chew on things as a stim.
I think it's a great idea, but the squeaker would drive me nuts. On a side note, when the toddler grandkids were over I would find them sleeping the dog beds all the time.
*lol* Kinda weird buying a dog toy for a child, yes, but flipping out about it like that and calling OP an *ss is way overblown.
Next time, buy the sis a fleece sweater, too. (Man, I wish I could find a gif from that episode of The Nanny.)
I don't think the noise was the issue. It's the first kid and the mother is taking it way too seriously that her kid got a dog toy. It's safe, the kid likes it, good enough. Toddlers don't care about being dignified. Of course, this opinion comes from someone who knowingly ate dog biscuits as a kid.
Load More Replies... I love this!! I've bought my own toddler dog toys. When I was pregnant we called him a sprout, can't find sprout toys for kids so he has a squeaky one from the pet shop and he loves it!
I buy my tiny dog baby toys. Baby toys have no choking hazards, and are cheaper than dog toys. Vice versa is fine by me.
Load More Replies... My cousin's son got his girlfriend pregnant. They eventually got married, are raising her (and her siblings) together. His grandma, my aunt, refused to speak to the girlfriend, and wouldn't acknowledge the baby. My aunt is absolutely dotty (to an unhealthy extent) about her animals. The baby's first Christmas, my aunt gave the baby two pairs of high-end purple socks. This was the first acknowledgement of either girlfriend or baby. Girlfriend was so grateful, said thank you, how pretty the socks were, etc. My aunt said, "Well, they didn't fit the dog, and I thought the baby might like them." Dead silence. My aunt honestly didn't realize that she'd said something wrong. She was proud of herself for coming up with a use for the socks.
Lol, when she was about 4 my niece knew I loved stuffed lambs (I was well into my 30s). She was shopping with my mom when she saw it. The Lambchops dog toy. She just HAD to buy it for me .Still have that lil lamb today. Moral? She had no idea it was a dog toy. It was just something she knew her TeeTee would like.
Omg, how fragile are they??! Some dog toys are adorable and look just like regular stuffies. I like owls (and stuffies) and for Christmas my aunt gave me this gorgeous tawny owl stuffie that she saw in the pet store when she was picking up stuff for her pooch. Whatever happened to basic pragmatism?
Ok, I get the soft YTA for the squeaker part, that could easily be taken out. But to think a toy for an animal would be toxic to a kid and not the animal is just dumb. My son and even the neighbor's kids will routinely play with my dog's and cat's toys more than the actual kid toys we have purchased for the kids. Toys are toys and a fresh/clean dog toy for a kid that's rough on toys is a brilliant idea. The kid's mom needs to get over it, kids will play with what they want to play with, be glad it's not poop
I thought the toxic comment had potentially a good point, but I don't know anything about the relevant safety standards. You make a good point too. The one about it being a choking hazard... how? It's *meant* to be chewed on. Anyway I agree with pretty much everything you said, kids will play with anything and the dog toy should be perfectly fine.
Load More Replies... We have some plushie toys made for children for our dog. They are tested better for quality than dog toys. But despite that, children love to play with newspapers, pieces of wood, blankets, pots and lids, dirt and other things that are not meant to be a toy. So what? As long as it is not a used toy...
There are baby toys with squeakers in them... my godson's grandparents bought him a set of baby soft, stuffed balls. All have something different in them to make sounds. One is a squeaker. They pull them out of the box and give to him, and the dog's ears perked up big time when he heard the squeak LoL wonder how long it'll last. But the baby loved it and all the other sounds. If the child is older, I can see how the squeaker isn't necessary, or even desirable. Maybe should've take it out and sewn it back up. It would've at least prevented the drama later. The parents may have never known. But the truth is, if it's toxic or something, it wouldn't have been allowed for dogs either. And good stuffed animals aren't cheap these days... anything affordable is as bad as something from the dollar tree that won't last a day.
My cat loves his lambie toy. He hugs it and Carrie’s it around. Sometimes, he kills it but that’s a cat for you.
I have gotten both my nephews a soft squeaker dog toy and they LOVED them! Told my sister and she didn't care and thought it made total sense from a durability standpoint. Don't overlook the dog toy section, some of the toys definitely double for babies/toddlers!
Dog toys are NOT a safety hazard per se and definitely don't have loose parts a toddler could swallow. Sadly in the past pet toys had better test ratings from official channels than child's toys. Especially toys meant for toddlers have an alarming amount of negative test results. Toxic paints, loose parts, you name it, they have it. Lamp Chops is a well known company which got tested several times with no issues. And they do test for toxins since dogs can get poisoned just as easily as toddlers.
I actually bought that lambchop toy for myself a couple of weeks ago, my roommate's all "we dont have a dog" and I'm like yeah but I just had to save her. She's on my dresser now.
Those lambchop toys are pretty tough. NTA, i would have done exactly the same (but maybe taken out the squeaker)
I'm pretty sure my daughter's grandparents have bought her dog stuffies befoee just because they were cute. I think it's funny, and certainly not something to get all butthurt over.
This is such a resourceful idea! Love this story. Maybe they need a dog too to pull the stick out of sister’s a** and play with it instead of losing it over nothing lol
Heh, i bought my nephew that squeezeable silicone b00b stress ball when he was 3, the lil' guy loved it.
Don't now. We have cat toys. And we have childrens toys. And for some reason it doesn't really matter, which is which 😅
That toy is a toy. Regardless who plays with it. If it was in your home and the dog chewed it a then she found it because it was a lamb you would prob have to get her one anyway.
My toddler loves playing with my dogs toys, who cares if they are dog toys or not
My only concern is whether the dog toys are made to the same standards a toys for little humans.
Load More Replies... I didn't get what sister's problem was with that toy. She only stated a fact
If the mom is so upset by the squeak toy, just wait till her sweet lil darling starts playing with the bugs and worms she finds outside.
As dogs tend to lick and gnaw on toys I believe this lamb-toy is safe enough for children.
Those people who claim she's the a*****e because OMG it's a choking hazard and might be toxic suck. It's probably less of a choking hazard than a standard toy because it's designed to take rougher treatment without coming apart. And If it's toxic for a kid, there's a good chance it's toxic for a dog. So I can't see too many companies making pet toys that would kill the dogs that are playing with them.
Practical and hilarious! Bought my Evil Ex (who is a whole story unto himself) a chew toy to chew on, actually pretty good if you like to chew on things as a stim.
I think it's a great idea, but the squeaker would drive me nuts. On a side note, when the toddler grandkids were over I would find them sleeping the dog beds all the time.
*lol* Kinda weird buying a dog toy for a child, yes, but flipping out about it like that and calling OP an *ss is way overblown.
Next time, buy the sis a fleece sweater, too. (Man, I wish I could find a gif from that episode of The Nanny.)
I don't think the noise was the issue. It's the first kid and the mother is taking it way too seriously that her kid got a dog toy. It's safe, the kid likes it, good enough. Toddlers don't care about being dignified. Of course, this opinion comes from someone who knowingly ate dog biscuits as a kid.
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