10 Grown-up Toys for Babies
No more grabbing gadgets away from your child with a corrective "Not for babies!" These cool toys have all the allure of grown-up gadgets but are made for little hands.
Camera
You don’t have to worry about toddler fingerprints or damage repair bills for this camera. Etsy shop Egg & Yolk designed this beautiful Cypress pine camera sure to fool kids that it’s just as cool as Mommy or Daddy’s. The trick? It has interchangeable lenses that snap into the camera body with embedded magnets. Now if it could just organize your photos!
Keys
After a few of my son’s fits when I took my keys away from him, I found these beautiful handmade baby keys from Mama Made Them on Etsy. Carved from five different woods, these sweet keys offer bumpy key ridges great for teething, and they make a musical clacking sound when shaken–much more delightful than real metal keys.
Shaving Razor
Even in a bathtub stocked with 100 floating toys, my kids will lunge for my razor. They have a good 15 years or so before they realize shaving isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, but in the meantime, Alex Toys makes this colorful mock shaving kit–a bladeless razor, a mirror, a can of body foam and an applicator brush. If you really want to have fun with it, freak out the grandparents by letting your baby play with the razor in front of them.
Sewing Machine
For every sewing parent who’s ever had to nudge little hands away from a moving needle, here’s your solution. This toy sewing machine from the Etsy shop Omi Crafts is handmade from a variety of woods and features a blunt wood needle that actually moves when you turn the hand wheel. Now you and your little one can work side by side.
Laptop
Sure real laptops aren’t for babies, but this My First Laptop by Donkey Products gives your child the thrill of grown-up technology in the form of simple entertainment. With chalkboards instead of screens, this toy doubles as a creativity tool. Even better? It’s an eco-friendly product. “Marge! Cancel all my meetings! I’ll be on my laptop.”
Wallet
What is it about wallets that makes them so much fun for babies to tear apart? And how come it takes me a good minute to find my license when my kids can rip out and scatter every single card in two seconds flat? The best alternative? Make a wallet dummy with an old pocketbook stuffed with hotel room keys or used gift cards and keep it in the diaper bag.
Tools
“Hammers are not for babies” doesn't stand a chance with this kid-friendly tool kit. Promising a real grown-up handyman experience, these true-to-life wood tools from Brooklyn’s Acorn Toys not only provide great toddler entertainment but become a beautiful keepsake, enclosed in a wood carrying case. Next time you have a home improvement project, your little one will be thrilled to help out with her own tool set.
Toaster
What’s not to love about a toaster? It has a cool pop-up feature, impressive knobs, those glowing little coils inside, and it makes toast! Unfortunately hot toasters with electrical cords don’t exactly make the best toys, but Hape Toys fixed that with their adorable wood Playfully Delicious pop-up toaster set. With velcro butter slices, wooden toast and a real pop-up feature, this little toaster makes breakfast entertaining.
iPhone
It’s a teether, it’s a phone, it’s a beautiful personalized gift. Next time your baby grabs your iPhone, swap it out for this beautiful smartphone toy from Keepsake Toys. Handmade from maple wood and finished with beeswax and food-grade oil, this toy phone can be personalized and makes a great gift for baby showers.
Vacuum
Calling all vacuum-obsessed babies. Tired of Mom or Dad shooing you away from the vacuum with that “not for babies” stuff? This one’s all yours. This toy replica of Dyson’s DC14 vacuum is made for little hands. With a detachable wand, real suction (picks up small paper) and a working vortex, babies will surely be fooled that this is the real deal.