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We don't have a problem with this.

When our first kid was born, we just told everyone, "Toys that take batteries will have the batteries taken out. If taking the batteries out defeats the purpose of the toy, we will instead take it straight to Goodwill."

We had two instances of people giving him an electronic toy anyway. Both happened before he had really developed object permanence, so he didn't even notice when that Christmas gift was gone on December 26. The giver (both were from the same person) remembered, though, and it hasn't been a problem since.

She probably still thinks we're jerks, but most people with non-adult kids reacted positively and even said they wished they had thought to do the same thing.

Obvs the whole "before they develop object permanence" thing means this probably doesn't work if you don't start before or soon after your first child's birth.



I have opposite approach. I am happy to buy electronic toys and anything else moving. Mostly because I liked them when I was a child and remember strongly wishing a remote control car or ship or transformer (cause you could change their shape, i did not care one bit about the movie). Dunno why I wanted them so much, but no one would buy that to me cause I was a girl and it would be inappropriate.

My kids had remote controlled car before they were able to push buttons. For that reason.


I think remote controlled cars are a bit different to most electronic toys which don't move, and distract you with brights lights and sounds.


I don't mind them, really. Kids like them, my kids like noisy things in general. So if they are not expensive I don't treat them differently then anything else they might like. On some level, I find them cool too, obviously not as much as children.

I honestly dont understand hate some people have against those things. Blinking and sounding toys have same future as old school toys - few chosen become favorite and stuck in bed, the rest forgotten in drawer or box relatively soon. No reason to fear them.


I feel for you. My wife and I have twins, a boy and a girl, and we try very hard not to gender their toys (or games).

But it’s hard when it comes to birthdays or Xmas gifts from others. My sister in law offered for their last birthday a playmobil police car to my son and a Frozen pearls craft set to my daughter.

At the end, both my kids played with the car and made bracelets with pearl. But, seriously...


When my son was born I had 3 girls. For the first 6 months I didn't care to buy boys toys since he wouldn't know the difference I thought.

Wrong. At six months he picked out the single car in between the dolls, toy food etc, turned it around, started moving the wheels and making noises.


My daughter did the same when she was near car. And no one even role modeled that in front of her as they tend to do with boys. (People tended not to want to play with car with her even if she took that to them. It seemed like people feel bad/confused about playing with gender inappropriate toy. ).

Older then six months, six months old are not bringing toys to people due to lack of ability to crawl effectively.

I also remember what 6 months old are like. If their actions are proof of universal anything to you, then it is your own bias. They don't play pretend knowingly yet, they only mimic a bit. Nor are cosistent.

But interesting is that whenever child or me does or wish something gender noncomforming, like almost always, someone feels the need to explain that someone else is gender conforming.


I still love remote control cars to this day. I was so excited when I pulled apart my first motor. I had no idea how magnetism or any of it worked. I just knew, you connect the wires and it spins. So much fun from a simple motor.




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