Should Boys play with girls toys?

Should boys play with dolls, and kitchens and play dress ups with their Mummy’s clothes?

NO!

Nor should women work as a Police Detective, in the Fire Brigade or Armed Forces. They should be a nurse, secretary, nanny, or child care worker. And when women marry and have children, they shall be forever beholden to their family to meet all of their wants and needs, and live happily ever after.

Silly isn’t it?

What is so wrong with allowing a child, boy or girl, to relax and explore the world without concern about whether a toy or a game is gender appropriate?

Kids learn by observation and imitation, and the desire to copy the same sex parent is strong, but not all consuming.

Play is one of the major vehicles young children use to discover the world, and what better way to do it than by experimenting, and having a bag full of fun doing it! Kids don’t know if it is wrong to play with a doll or a truck, they just know what they like, until someone tells them it is ‘wrong’. A boy can learn so many positive things by playing with a doll, such as gentleness, protectiveness, aspects of care giving and responsibility for a “little” person. These things don’t make him less of a ‘boy’ or more likely to be attracted to the same sex as he gets older, they make him a potentially good member of an adult society.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lawn to mow, as the dinner bubbles away in the slow cooker.

Clothes Built for Boys

Ah boys! One wise person described them as “Noise covered in dirt”.

Which pretty much sums up the species. They’re active, rowdy, messy and boisterous!

They NEED clothes that accommodate these amazing attributes.

Depending on the age of your boy – although don’t be fooled into thinking “but he’s so little, what could he possibly get up to!” – will determine exactly what sort of clothes you need for your little bundle of chaos.

As a guide, boys do stuff like:

• Run

• Climb

• Jump

• Play in dirt, mud, sand, leaves, tan bark, piles of “stuff”

• Crawl around floors, asphalt, footpaths, grass

• Ride things on wheels really fast!

They do these things in two speeds: Top gear or Asleep

A combination of durable, yet not stressing you out about them getting ruined, is important when choosing clothes.

Clothes with double layering at the knees (and elbows in some cases) and made of a durable material, like denim, are idea.

Long sleeved t-shirts help to give a small amount of protection to arms, but too long and they become an impediment to activity. They also become extremely dirty, stretched and ruined at the ends of the arms, so keep them to wrist length at the most.

Loose fitting tracksuit pants are fantastic for active play, especially running, climbing and jumping activities. They allow freedom of movement when climbing playgrounds, chasing and kicking balls or jumping off all manner of things.

Be cautious of pants that are too long or too loose, as they can become a tripping hazard or get caught on tree branches and bike handles.

Due to long bouts of crawling around on floors, shoes with a reinforced toe area are essential! Supportive, yet flexible shoes are also helpful for protecting ankles and feet when landing, but also allow for easy climbing.

Mostly, go for durable … if not easily washable!

Have a look at the choices we have in store. We know what boys like and we know what mothers of boys need.

The Need for Speed

What is it with little boys and going fast?

No sooner do they learn to walk and they are off! Why walk when you can run, or ride, or glide? Little men on the move make us tired watching, and trying to catch them can be a mission impossible.

It seemed like such a good idea, buying that first walker or ride on or tricycle.

“Watch out, handle bars straight” BANG! Another bruise and more paint off the wall. Oh well. We know boys get obsessed with all things with wheels sooner or later. But did it have to happen so fast you wonder?

After waiting with baited breath, wanting our little boys to hurry up and walk, we seem to spend the next few decades wishing they would slow down! Not to mention the bumps, bruises and the trips to the Emergency Department at the hospital. As much as we hate to see our little boys sore and sorry, at least they slow down long enough that we can steal a cuddle and a kiss.

Then...

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails.

Now...

What are fast moving little dudes made of?

Skateboards and scooters

Captain Underpants and computers.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way!

The Catchbowl - It's boyproof.

What is it with boys? They love to spread their food from one end of the table to the other. It's like a science experiment gone wrong. And if they can pick up the bowl and tip out the contents, it's even more fun for them.

I think it's something to do with their hand's on approach to life. Boys are often quite tactile creatures, aren't they? They'll walk down the hall and run their fingers along the wall just to feel the texture. They'll splash barefoot in the mud just to feel it squish through their toes. They'll empty their food out so they can pick through it with their fingers and isolate just the part they want to eat.

It's lucky that the Catchbowl is boyproof. It sticks to the table with a suction cup so they can't easily tip it over. Even better, it has a built in food catcher to catch all those bits that just don't quite make it into their mouths.

This bowl will save you from cleaning up food mess after each meal and the bowl is also BPA and Phthalate free so you know it is safe to use.

I really, really hate cleaning up food mess so to me this is an essential!