Toys I Wouldn’t Purchase Again and Why

We have all seen the alluring commercials, enticing magazine ads, and the “gotta have it” toys on display in stores. My kids are smitten, but even worse, I can’t wait to play with the toys too. Yes, I do play with my kids’ toys, we enjoy playing together, but some toys leave a lot to be desired. Just to be fair, some of these manufactures make great toys; it is just that the particular product I am mentioning below is a disappointment. I am sharing my thoughts, because I want to save you the time and money from being tricked into buying some of these toys.

Moon Dough

Moon Dough Pan Pizza Kit

I have coined a new name for this one “Moon Mess,” buy at your own expense. Yes, it is great for kids with wheat allergies, but don’t become overly excited because out of the package it is a crumbled mess. Of all the toys I have bought my kids, this one is the worse and most upsetting. Out of the package fell crumbs, not dough, crumbs that do not mesh well together. Before the dough left the bag we tried to make sure it was well compacted but nothing ever worked. This dough is almost as light as air; to me, it is similar to crumb cotton or dust. I purchased this toy as a birthday present for my 3 year olds and so even after I could not get the dough to stay together well I still let them play with it. The red dough turned their hands red, the dough got onto our clothes. I had to scratch it off of my jeans and out of our rug. The dough also has a weird odor. The instructions say do not mix with water, but it just feels like there is an ingredient missing. The only good thing I liked about moon dough was that it was hypoallergenic and when we scraped up enough crumbs and pushed them into the molds the outcome was great because it fell out of the molds easily without getting stuck like play dough. My conclusion, fun for kids, a mess to clean up for parents. I will not purchase moon dough again.

Colorforms Splatter Mat

Colorform Splatter Mat

This toy does not deliver. Sometimes our expectations are too high for toys and maybe this is one of those times. The water for painting has to be at least 85 degrees to change the color of the mat. Also, the color change on the mat did not last long once it was dry. The hotter the water the better the product will work, but it will no longer be safe for children to use. By placing the water in a separate container for my children to dip their brush it cooled quickly so I constantly had to change it. The mat itself appears to be cheaply made and fades easily; therefore, it is not worth the money that it costs. Once again good concept, but the product doesn’t follow through.

Crayola Bathtub Crayons

I bought these crayons because I wanted to encourage my children to be creative. My kids love bath time and I thought these crayons would also be a great teaching tool, we could

Crayola Bathtub Crayons

even play charades by drawing pictures and letting them guess what we drew while they were in the tub. I had lofty hopes for these crayons, but there was one big problem that I should have anticipated. My kids loved the crayons so much they wanted to draw on all of our walls; unfortunately the crayons do not erase well on regular painted surfaces. The crayons are also fragile so do not immerse them in water for long. They also break easily, but I don’t think that is surprising; after all, they are still crayons. I personally did not have a problem cleaning the crayons off of the bathtub and the bathroom tiles, but I did have to scrub hard when I left it too long. Overall, the crayons are fun, but can create a huge mess. This toy helped me discover Mr. Cleans Magic Eraser, but that is another review for another day.

Baby Einstein Octoplush

Why is this toy on my list? Please remember this is a list of toys I will not buy again.

Baby Einstein Octoplush

What’s wrong with this toy, well our Octoplush had a very short lifespan. This was a toy my kids had at birth, but the pads that you push on to make the Octupus say it’s colors in different languages stopped working after a couple of months.  I believe, most toys should last at least a year when they have not been abused. My kids were infants so they could not make this toy work on their own, it was my husband and I who one day pressed the buttons only to find out that one-by-one the toy was no longer working.

Bottom line of this post is from now on; I will try not to make another purchase without reading the product’s review on several different sites first. If you have any toys that you would not buy again for your child or purchase them for another child. Please let us know in the comment section.

Scroll to Top